What are the best leisure activities? No one activity is perfect for everyone. You need to choose what feels relaxing to you. Avoid someone else’s favorite pastime if it feels like work to you.
When selecting the best leisure activities for yourself, keep in mind how important it is to shift gears. You can still keep your brain and body engaged by choosing activities that refresh you cognitively, emotionally, and physically. Researchers—from the Institute of Psychiatry at King’s College London, the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, and the University of Bergen in Norway—tracked 40,401 individuals engaged in physical activity. The results, published in the British Journal of Psychiatry in November 2016, showed that people who engaged in regular physical activity—no matter its intensity—were less likely to have symptoms of depression.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends adults, ages 18 to 64, engage in regular aerobic physical activity for 2.5 hours at moderate intensity or 1.25 hours at vigorous intensity each week. Finding the best leisure activities to keep you physically active in adulthood can lead to a longer, healthier life.
The best leisure activities for you will reflect your values. Coaching was attractive to me because it not only reflected the values in my life’s work as a psychotherapist, but it also helped me create a lifestyle with more leisure time and space. I put into practice what I teach others to do: I explored leisure pursuits instead of putting all my identity, time, and energy into my career. Finding the best leisure activities for me led to greater joy, excitement, and pleasure than ever before. Discover your favorites and start integrating them into your life now, without waiting for a change in your current circumstances or for retirement.
Ask yourself questions like these to discover your best leisure activities.
• What activities do I currently enjoy?
• What could I do right now, instead of waiting until I have more time?
• Is stress dictating my leisure choices?
• Am I doing leisure activities that “everyone” enjoys except me?
• What leisure activities do I want to let go of?
• Is one or more of my leisure activities more like a full-time job than a leisure pursuit?
• Is the leisure activity I am considering one I can enjoy for years to come?
• Is this choice for leisure providing the stimulation I need creatively, physically, intellectually, emotionally, cognitively?
The Dig Deeper questions in Ready To Retire? Successful Retirement Planning To Make The Best Of The Rest Of Your Life
* will guide you in the process of discovering the best leisure activities for you, no matter what stage of life you are in right now. Take the time to choose what is best for you and then make the most of your leisure time.
*affiliate link