The balancing act: leisure, self-care, and productivity
Balance. It has become a buzzword in today’s society, as people scramble to find some calm in their hectic workweeks and busy social lives. This calm may seem somewhat unattainable – but it isn’t. There are three areas of life that need to be focused on for a person to obtain a healthy mental state – leisure, self-care, and productivity. It is difficult to find a balance, but once found and maintained, it is the first step to gaining a healthy mental state.
This balancing act is important for everyone to master and it is something that many people have trouble with. People with mental illnesses use this structural method to help work through the early stages of recovery; the commitment of balancing these three key components of personal well-being is a step towards taking excellent care of oneself.
Let’s talk about what these three areas are:
Productivity encompasses things we have to do. Some examples of productivity may be: going to school or work; volunteering; daily chores; or care giving – all of these leave us with a feeling of accomplishment. Productivity is filled with many important parts of life, but it cannot take over all of our time or we risk being burnt out, which is not healthy for ourselves or anyone around us.
Leisure involves the things we want to do. Some examples of leisure may be: playing sports or games; doing crafts; painting; traveling; playing or listening to music; acting; dancing; or going to the theatre. Leisurely activities are different for each person; they are all about the intention behind the activity and what motivates you to do the things you enjoy.
Self-care entails the things we need to do. Some examples of self-care are: providing yourself with good personal hygiene; sleeping; healthy eating; socializing; relaxing; meditating; taking vitamins or medications; or being kind to yourself. Self-care constitutes the things that need to be done to keep our minds and our bodies healthy.
If any of these areas are off balance, something in one’s personal life suffers. For instance, if productivity is taking up 70 per cent of someone’s time, leisure and self-care are then left to fight for the remaining 30 per cent – in this case, work and chores may take up 70 per cent of someone’s daily life, and thus their friends and family (leisure) see less of them and lose quality time. If someone is spending 70 per cent of their time on productivity, they are also limiting the time they have for their own personal self-care.
None of these three areas are more important than the other; everyone needs to work to create a balance for themselves, as it is the first step in being healthy and productive on a daily basis. We need to recognize that it is important to spend time taking care of ourselves, and not just dedicating our entire lives to work or play. Balancing these three key components is not an easy task, but it is something worthwhile planning out and working towards until the balance is found. A productivity, leisure, and self-care schedule is something we ought to all consider doing. The better we are at this balancing act, the better we will be able to perform in all aspects of our daily lives and everyone will thank us for it – especially ourselves.