Week 2

This weeks lesson provides me with so much information on how important recreation is and all the benefits that it provides. These benefits help so many people. This lesson breaks leisure up into three different categories:

" Leisure as Time: Free time from obligations; time to do with what an individual wants. 
Leisure as a Recreational Activity: Freely chosen activity with positive outcomes; sports, games, art, hobbies, music, etc. 
Leisure as an Attitude (State of Mind): Feeling of satisfaction, positiveness, happiness. How we feel during an activity. Some individuals might find leisure in their work, i.e. professional basketball players, inventors, outdoor recreation instructors, writers, etc."
 It is so interesting that leisure can have so many different facets and I think that it is important to understand and learn about each one. That way you can find one or multiple things that provide you with an optimal level of FLOW. Also when it comes to working I want to be able to help people understand the different types of leisure and help them figure out what it is that provides them with an optimal level of FLOW.

Another thing from the reading that I found really insightful as well as important was all of the different benefits that can be gained from Leisure and Recreation:

• Psychological benefits: Self-confidence, personal growth, sense of control over one’s life, positive mood and emotion, reduced tension and depression, sense of freedom, creative expression, increased spirituality, and sense of wellness.
• Environmental benefits: Maintenance of physical facilities, development of an environmental ethic, preservation of natural sites, and environmental protection.
• Physiological benefits: Management of various diseases (arthritis, colon cancer, diabetes, etc.), Respiratory benefits, increased muscle strength and endurance, increased life expectancy, and reduced stress.
• Social and cultural benefits: Ethnic identity, family bonding, cultural and historical awareness, and enhanced world view.
• Economic benefits: Reduced health costs, higher employee productivity, less work absenteeism, and reduced youth recidivism (delinquency)

These are all things I will need to know in order to help people realize how important leisure is. It is like in the activity that we did where we had to explain why it is important to keep funding for leisure or recreation. These are key reasons and points that people need leisure and recreation in society. The ADA requirements allow that to be shared among all people as well which is awesome. When looking into the benefits for people I found a lot in regards to PTDS that really stuck out to me and I want to make sure that I am aware and able to find ways to help people benefit from things they love to do.

http://www.nrpa.org/parks-recreation-magazine/2015/june/recreational-therapy-helping-soldiers-cope-with-ptsd/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipgNA-12BwA