When people think of taking time to relax, many think of sitting in front of the TV and ‘switching off’ or scrolling through kilometres of news feed in their phones. Studies, however, have found that this type of passive relaxation actually carries emotion levels of ‘mildly depressed’ in comparison to other forms of leisure, such as playing a sport or engaging the mind in a game that involves decision making and thinking (this could be challenging video games, monopoly, chess, etc.) where ‘flow’ or ‘engagement’ brings many more positive rewards and benefits to the emotion, physical relaxation and self-esteem. This comes as a big surprise, as our society seems enmeshed in the ability to ‘switch off’ and the necessity of this. However, perhaps meditation exercises where the mind is trained to deconstruct, relax and relieve pressure would be a more positive idea if seeking time out from the hassles of daily life. So, next time you are reaching for the remote with no idea what you want to watch…consider trying something more mentally purposeful and see if you can tell the difference in your mood afterwards!
LLUMI Australia 