How would you describe your Leisure Style? (Oh—I’m not referring to your sartorial selections while you’re doing leisure—like if you tend towards the “resort casual” look while in R & R mode. No, this is about your behavioral style when the whistle blows and you have a spare chunk of time to squander enjoy yourself.)

A) Fast + Frequent: You enjoy a slow drip of leisure activities—like reading a chapter of a novel on a Wednesday, baking a special dessert on a Friday, and taking a hike on a Saturday. Not a bunch of bells and whistles, just a nice steady dose of recreation.

B) Deep + Intermittent: You go big and then go home with your time off—like booking an epic vacation with a jam-packed agenda of events and entertainments and concentrated hobbies being hobbified. You go long periods of time without a lot of leisure love, but wow, when you take those few weeks off each year, it’s a leisure bonanza.

C) Null + Void: You do diddly squat in your R & R time, taking rest and relaxation ultra-literally (i.e., horizontally with Netflix). You believe idle time must be spent … idly being idle.

D) Fire + Brimstone: You reckon indulging in any time off from plowing the field is for the wicked. Heathens!

If you answered C, I’m sorry this article roused you from your slumber. Get on back to that extend-a-nap… it’s great practice for the grave!

If you answered D, you’ll want to back away from me. I’m the bad good influence who’ll drag you over to the dark side (i.e., Leisure Land) and you might even be forced to take shots. I’m not sure what I’ll do with you yet but you will need to sign a waiver.

If you answered A or B, you’re on the right track…

Leisure 101

At the risk of being obtusely obvious, leisure is good for us. Scores of researchers nod in agreement that leisure activities—“activities that are freely chosen, which are pleasant and intrinsic rewarding to the self”—contribute to overall life satisfaction.

Some kinds of leisure activities are known as breathers because they serve the purpose of a pause. Taking a walk in the middle of a task, going for a coffee break, watching Slow Horses (start from season one, please), taking a day off work—these pleasant breaks in the action temporarily bat stress away and boost our moods. Distractions can be delicious (unless they are unproductive and I know you know the difference between a breather-of-a-coffee-break and a procrastination-tool-of-a-coffee-break).

Other kinds of leisure activities are called restorers because they serve the purpose of recovery. Spending quality time with family and friends, immersing yourself in nature, diving deep into a hobby or activity that puts you into flow, meditating, taking a chunk of time off to unplug and fully press the reset button—these kinds of leisure allow for more sustainable reductions in stress and bumps in well-being.

We need activities that are both breathers and restorers. Are you getting enough of both?

What’s better? Frequent or intense leisure?

You’ve been chomping at the bit as to whether A or B was the better answer above. The best scenario for well-being is A: frequent hits of leisure. Here are a few research notes:

• “Studies show that individuals who engaged in more frequent enjoyable leisure activities had better psychological and physical functioning. They reported greater positive affect, life satisfaction, life engagement, social support as well as lower depression and negative affect; they had lower blood pressure, cortisol … and better perceived physical function.”
• Researchers also found evidence that “engaging in multiple types of leisure activities plays a role in buffering the negative psychological impact of stress. Individuals who had experienced more stressful life events in the past but who also typically engage in more (leisure) activities showed lower levels of negative moods and depression, and higher positive affect, life satisfaction, and engagement than their low (leisure) counterparts. This is congruent with the idea that enjoyable leisure activities offer a breather from stress and increase restoration.”
• Findings demonstrated that “individuals who habitually participated in enjoyable activities experienced higher levels of positive affect in everyday life… In contrast, individuals who infrequently or never engaged in enjoyable activities depended upon recent uplifting events to experience higher levels of positive affect.”

So there you have it—the slow, steady drip of leisure appears to be a winning part of a life worth living, more so than a wallop of leisure in two concentrated vacations a year.

We can choose breather activities and restorer activities without having to break the bank or take extended PTO.

A quick test…

Psychologists developed the Pittsburgh Enjoyable Activities Test (PEAT)—a research tool that measures the frequency of restorative activities and their link to physical and psychological health. (Why does Pittsburgh get to be the boss of enjoyment? Is it a hotbed of leisure over there, you’re asking? The test was developed at Carnegie Mellon University, so there. But don’t dismiss Pittsburgh’s capacity to have a good time; they have a Museum of Material Failures which sounds like a spectacular way to spend free time.)

Rate your frequency for each activity below on a 6-point scale:

• • 1: Never
  • 2: Less than once a month
  • 3: At least once a month
  • 4: At least once a week
  • 5: Every day
  • 6: Not applicable/do not enjoy

Over the past month, how often have you been able to spend time doing the following:

• • • Sports
    • Quiet time by yourself
    • Attending a club, church, or fellowship
    • Hobbies
    • Going out for meals with friends and relatives
    • Visiting family and friends
    • Doing other fun things with people
    • Taking vacations out of town
    • Being in parks and other outdoor settings
    • “Unwinding” at the end of the day

What the research found:

• Higher PEAT scores were linked to better physical health, including lower blood pressure and body mass index, lower stress levels, and better sleep quality.
• Enjoyable leisure activities, as measured by the PEAT, are associated with positive psychosocial states and may help predict health outcomes.

Enough science. More living. What are you going to do with your next sliver of discretionary time? (Reading this blog counts as a breather, by the way. And if you read it outside in a park it’s basically a panacea for all of life’s woes.) Sure, it’s good for our health to enjoy bit of time off. But it’s also just plain fun. I’ll meet you at the entrance to Leisure Land this afternoon?