Today’s world with the boom in technological invention has turned life into a sophisticated one with numberless conveniences for homo sapiens. But it has also interwoven life with umpteen anxieties which were minimal to be seen earlier when our predecessors led plain and simple lives. Hence, under such circumstances leisure plays a great role to upkeep the mental wellbeing of today’s inhabitants of the earth. Leisure happens to be a break from the routine work that may be a short or a prolonged one. The way the person spends leisure, it decides the state of mind to be enjoyed by them later on. Hence, in such a case, one should be very judicious in selecting the modes to spend leisure hours with.
Smart phone is no doubt a blessing which has entailed numerous advantages for human beings. Such as, it helps us to remain connected with the world around especially with the aid of social media. Sometimes, it is very nice to share photographs or messages with friends that keep us connected with them in today’s world where every one is running short of time to visit people. A travel to a new place results into the shooting of various photographs whether personal or of nature and it often becomes very pleasing to upload them in facebook and WhatsApp during leisure to be viewed by our associates. But the addiction revealed in being glued to the smart phone at any time and at any moment of the day and through out the leisure has but its fallouts.
The addiction to smart phone often tends to swallow the whole chunk of our leisure period when people select the gadget as the sole medium to spend that precious time. For instance, it is often seen that when people get a break from work, they rush to a secluded place whether at home or outside to spend the whole time in the company of their smart phones. The time is then whiled away swiping the screens of the phones, logging in facebook or opening whatsApp and passively watching what posts or comments are there from others. In the process, the communication that is supposed to be built with the people sitting next to you is never allowed to grow. Such an act, it can be said is mostly responsible for ringing the death knell of communicative skills today. Often in the process of being busy with the smart phones, the children are mostly affected. The children who eagerly wait for the leisure hours of their parents to communicate with them are snubbed away because their parents are desirous to focus exclusively on their smart phones during free time. Such parental attitude towards children has but its darker side that wrecks gradually the tie between the duos.
Another way, that needs to be mentioned here and that is mostly owned by people to spend leisure, is making their photographs alluring with the help of beauty apps of their smart phones. It is often seen that people take up the task of giving the touch of finesse to their features and concealing all the blemishes of their looks in their photographs with the aid of the apps during their free time. Such an activity but creates some works of lie creating a big chasm between how we actually look and how we are represented in the photographs. The sequel to the creation happens to be the flaunting of those photographs of lie in the social media and eagerly waiting for comments from the viewers. Such an activity that occupies our leisure seems to lard our minds with passive joy and also seems to hamper our routine activity that follows. It is often seen that in between their works, people’s hands reach to the smart phones to view what more comments are there for the photographs uploaded. This is a distraction from the work involved in and it retards the mind from paying full concentration to the work being done with the result of creating anxiety and unrest of the mind.
Therefore, leisure that is scarce to be availed whether in short or long form in today’s busy life must be utilized with utmost care to make it worthy because leisure is powerful enough to keep our mind sturdy to navigate through our scheduled jobs with full gusto. Leisure, that is spent properly energises and freshens up the mind to a great extent. Hence, we should select the modes that happen to be productive and that bring true happiness to us to spend our leisure hours with.
Nature’s beauty is scarce to be seen especially in a place where the town or city grows in an unplanned manner. In such a case it is a boon to have a park in the vicinity. Reclining in the lap of Mother Nature and spending time in close contact with her in the park is one of the best ways to spend leisure. Taking a seat on a bench and feasting eyes on the greenery around, alerting the ears to the music of hum, buzz and chirp and fondling the cool breeze with open arms in the park prove to be sufficient enough to balm the frazzled mind.
Cultivating one’s hobby during free time is also a good choice to spend leisure worthily. Such as, painting or writing, if one is interested in it, during free time placates the mind that is jaded with wearisome routine job. Writing or painting purges mind of the feelings running riot in it and assist to give them aesthetic shapes and hence results into productive work that reaps happiness in pure form for the mind.
It is truly said that one is fortunate enough if he/she is blessed with an open backyard of the house at the place where there are huddled dwellings. Having an open backyard facilitates one to devote one’s free time there turning it into green and colourful with plants, trees and creepers and thereby converting leisure into a prolific job reducing one’s contribution to the air pollution.
It is seen that everybody craves for a slim body today and to fulfil that longing the body is often scourged badly. It is subjected to painful dietary system that necessitates even of throttling the desire for the required amount of food sometimes. In such a case we can bring our leisure to our rescue. A brisk walk taken out during free time aids to keep us physically fit slimming us down and curing various health problems without making it obligatory to follow the agonizing dietary system. The leisure spent in that manner is also a good way to give boost to one’s mental happiness infusing them with lots of energy.
Man is a gregarious animal and therefore leading a secluded life takes tall on one’s mental health. Hence, using free time to talk to the people and listening to their problems sitting by them whether at home or outside work as a tremendous force for building rapport. Good bonding and connections built with people of course bless mind with a scared joy.
There is no denying the fact that an outing taken out in the company of family members or friends whether to a far off place or to a near one when leisure happens to be a prolonged one has benefits unlimited. Such a mode adopted to spend leisure with the close ones helps to refurbish the relationships that happen to rust under the impact of busy and hectic life. It washes away all the past complaints and grievances, tightens the bonding among the individuals and showers the mind under the cascade of joy. That but enables to live life later with a renewed strength.
Therefore, considering the above viewpoints, I would like to say that we must be conscious of making our leisure worthy, spending it in meaningful or productive ways to gather the benefits for both body and mind.
————-Dr. Fathema Begum
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