LOWER YOUR STRESS DURING LEISURE TIME

Here’s a strange paradox: leisure takes some work. Most of us assume that all we need to do is make some free time and we will automatically feel happy. Unfortunately, things aren’t quite that simple. To really use leisure time as a stress reducer, it is essential that we devote a little time to planning. In the final portion of our three part series on reducing our daily stress, we will look at making leisure hours more relaxing and replenishing.

Did you know the time people spend for each vacation has actually shrunk more than one third in the last decade? With all the media and self-help books preaching the importance of self-care and renewal, it appears that we are actually doing more work instead of less. Cell phones, pagers and laptops, many of us to the office instead of our own families or self-care.

Even when we do take time for a leisure vacation we see places from a bus, we are led through museums, we see the world through the eyes of Disney rather than our own travels. “Real” leisure time actually involves doing something that is unstructured, spontaneous and relaxing.

So here are some quick and easy down to earth tips for lowering your stress and enjoying your leisure hours.

• Exercise: More than 150 studies confirm that exercise is a source of stress reduction. Stress-busting endorphins are pumped into our system every time we exercise. In fact, exercise increases our brain’s alpha waves which associated with relaxation. Vigorous exercise decreases muscle tension and helps us keep fit. Just 20-30 minutes of exercise three times a week can greatly reduce stress levels.
  
• Do less: It seems like many of us are trying to compact too many activities into our lives. Many parents have their children enrolled in karate, music lessons, soccer, and a community play all in the same week. Life becomes activity after activity, with little time for relaxation and leisure. We also become “doers” instead of enjoying life to its fullest. Interestingly, years ago, people would spend a whole day at a park, but today people are planning three or four activities on a weekend trying to accomplish everything.
  
• Turn off the TV: Statistics show that we spend 40% of our leisure time in front of the television—yet more and more people say they feel less relaxed after watching television. Couch potatoes have less intimacy in relationships, and tend to feel less energized in life.
  
• Share more time with friends: Research indicate nearly 1/2 of us would rather spend time with friends when we are stressed…but do we follow our intuition? Social support is an important factor in lowering stress and increasing our self-esteem. In fact, close relations have shown to not only lower our stress levels, but are shown to be a factor in lowering the incidence of diseases such as heart attacks and cancer.
  
• Turn your work into fun: Statistics show that we send about 30% of our waking time doing maintenance activities such as showering, dressing, cooking and shopping. So why not make these activities more fun? Play music, dance as you cook. Share your chores with a friend and talk as you shop.
  
• Go outside: This will lower stress by causing our bodies to slow down. In fact, research has shown that watching nature actually helps drop blood pressure and relax our muscles. Hospital statistics show that patients recover faster if they can view the nature outside versus a brick wall.
  
• Eat better: When stressed, many people eat unhealthy foods, which increase stress. Make sure you watch sugar and caffeine consumption and eat more fruit and vegetables.
  
• Put the “vacate” in your vacation: Remember to get away from the ties to your stress and work. Put companionship, laughter, reflection and freedom into the vacation plans.
  
• De-Junk your home: “Stuff” creates more stress…with the average household accumulating 300 pages of paper a day! Throw out those broken vacuums, the abandoned coffeepot, and the two-year old catalog.
  
• Get a pet: People with pets have lower stress levels, colds, flu, backaches and diseases. Studies show that people who own pets make fewer visits to doctors for physical complaints than non-pet owners. So perhaps a bird, a cat, a dog or a lizard is in your future.