“Together with a culture of
work, there must be a culture of leisure as gratification. To put it another
way: people who work must take the time to relax, to be with their families, to
enjoy themselves, read, listen to music, play a sport.”
-
Pope Francis
We have all heard the saying”
work hard, play hard,” but what does it really mean? The true nature of
relaxation can only be fully appreciated by one who knows the meaning of hard
work. For example, if all you do is work, then you will soon burn out and
become ineffective and work less efficiently than you once did. Conversely,
those who do not work, like the recently retired person, truly do not want to
relax every single day of the week. Often times, you will find that retired
individuals actually tell you that they are far busier in their life after work
than they ever were during their careers. Not only do people need people, but
people who work need to relax and enjoy the company of others while sharing in
the fruits of their labor. Even those who do not work can benefit from the
socialization and engagement of relaxing with friends, family, acquaintances or
even former co-workers. Whether these times of relaxation are on holidays or
special occasions planned well in advance or impromptu get-togethers in the
backyard for a cookout, enjoying the company of others is an important part of
the human experience. You might suggest that you do not require other people’s
company in order to enjoy relaxation to the full. Many who consider themselves
introverts actually prefer relaxing in seclusion. However, while this is a
correct assertion on its own, the fact is that when you relax with others, you
add elements to your relaxation experience that you could not achieve solely on
your own. There are many benefits of relaxing with others, from increasing your
sense of belonging in a group, keeping you accountable for choosing healthy
lifestyle habits or helping you through stressful or traumatic periods of your
life, engaging in relaxing activities with those who you associate with have
benefits that you cannot achieve as well if attempted in isolation. In this
section, I will be discussing three major approaches to relaxing with others:
structured group relaxation, unstructured relaxation and the one on one approach.
Structured Group Relaxation
“The more tranquil a man
becomes, the greater his success, his influence, his power for good.”
-
James Allen
Relaxation is a skill like
any other and must be practiced with consistency and discipline. Surprisingly,
many people have not honed this skill to the point where it has a remarkable
impact on their daily lives. Part of the problems is that the nature of the
society in which we live glorifies the grind and shames those who are not
working themselves into a nervous breakdown. This is an unfortunate reality of
the consumer-driven culture in which we find ourselves in the Western world. By
recognizing this as an unfortunate norm, we can clearly see the need for
focusing on injecting relaxation into our busy schedules. Because so many
people have difficulty relaxing on their own, this situation has given birth to
various kinds of group classes that focus more on repose, such as group
mindfulness meditation classes or group art classes (i.e.- painting, drawing,
pottery, etc…). Conversely, I feel that I must warn the reader of the dangers
of new age mysticism. Anything that offers relaxation in exchange for you
emptying your mind, identifying and cleansing chakras or having its roots in
another religion outside of Christianity are extremely dangerous for those who
profess to follow Jesus Christ as their Lord and savior. To focus on the supernatural
without Christ as yoga, Tai Chi and Reiki does is witchcraft. Jesus Christ is
the cornerstone of the Matthew Byers Method. To deny Christ is to deny the
validity of the method as a whole.
Unstructured Relaxation
“As important as it is to
have a plan for doing work, it is perhaps more important to have a plan for
rest, relaxation, self-care and sleep.”
-
Akiroq Brost
While structured downtime is
very important for most people, you may be the type of individual who has no
problems relaxing among those with whom you associate during your spare time. From
anything such as a cookout in the backyard to taking a joyride on a boat and
cruising around a nearby lake, unstructured relaxation can be a lot of fun!
Whenever you have kids of a certain age, a tight budget or one or more of your
inner circle are extremely introverted, sometimes having structure or staying
away from large crowds can be factors that play a role in your decision making
process. However, if you do not have kids, any major health problems or
specialized dietary requirements, the vast majority of your relaxation may be
intentionally unstructured. Regardless of which activities you intend to
pursue, relaxing with your friends and associates must remain a top priority.
Such engagements allow the cares of this world to melt away and increase the
enjoyment of your time outside of professional or other significant
obligations.
The “One-on-One” approach
“Ten minutes spent with a
genuine friend is better than years spent with anyone less.”
-
Crystal Woods
While relaxing with a group of people can be exhilarating, there’s something to be said for the quality of a one-on-one interaction with a genuine friend. There are times when you have extremely personal issues to discuss with a trusted confidant or wish to reconcile a misunderstanding with someone you care for deeply. During such occasions, group relaxation is not preferred or appropriate. Even though these are some of the more intimate moments you may share with an association of yours, these are the very experiences when friendships strengthen and bonds grow more tightly than they ever could in a large gathering or a casual group setting. Time is valuable, so choose carefully who you spend your one-on-one moments with in life. Connecting with just one individual in such a personal way brings forth a much more profound understanding of each person in the relationship. Relaxing one-on-one without the distractions of screen time, interruptions or other individuals in your presence brings each person much closer to the other than any amount of e-mails, text messages or social media posts ever could. Learn to embrace the one-on-one moments in your associations and you will reap the many benefits of deeper relationships, more loyalty in friendships and business partners who will not soon abandon you for greener pastures.
Comments
Post a Comment