Amid obligations from school and work, many students complain about a lack of time to relax. However, these stressing students may simply be unaware of the ample time they have for leisurely activities on a daily basis.
According to Michael Blazey, a Cal State Long Beach media expert who directs facility and technical planning in the liberal arts department and specializes in leisure, students are right about the necessity of leisure time. However, he said that a lot of people take part in leisurely activities throughout the day without ever even knowing it.
“We do practice it daily at various times,” Blazey said. “And you may be experiencing more leisure than you know.”
Blazey said that by keeping a log, which is an assignment for recreation students at CSULB, students might come to find out that they are not working, studying and doing homework as much as they think they are.
When people listen to music, surf the Web, watch television, or take part in countless other pleasurable activities, said Blazey, they are experiencing leisure. Therefore, he says, instead of complaining, students should take full advantage of the leisure time they already have, but may be unaware of.
For instance, even a brisk walk to class can be leisurely, said Blazey. It can relax the mind and provide students with the necessary alone time everyone needs on a daily basis.
Junior theater major Mayra Ocampo said the only alone time she gets is when she is doing her hair.
However, that kind of time isn’t enough, said Blazey. “You’ve got to take time for yourself.”
He added that students may be straying from their normal routines during the final weeks of school because deadlines are close and the holidays are approaching.
He said that, although the many obligations of the season may have students feeling stressed, they need to stay on their regular exercise schedules. And for the students who don’t have one, said Blazey, they should.
When students are taking that extra 20 minutes to study for a test, he added, a brisk walk or run could lower stress and even help on the exam.
But after reflecting on one’s daily routine, Blazey said if the student really lacks leisure time in his or her schedule then there are ways to incorporate it.
For example, Blazey said listening to music on the way to school may be enjoyable enough for some students to alleviate the stress of traffic and future obligations. Calling it integration into the work life, Blazey advised students to combine leisure with obligation.
“It brings a lightness to make the work more bearable,” Blazey said. And as finals week approaches, Blazey said to remember that in each day there is opportunity to do something that “puts you in a different place.”
“We all experience leisure,” Blazey said. “We just don’t notice it.”
