I’ve always enjoyed words. When I was young I used to read the dictionary for fun. I also spent a lot of time with Encyclopedia Brittanica (somewhat of a status symbol at the time) doing my best to understand the meaning behind those words and the cultures they came from. It’s then of no real surprise that I find myself here, sharing through the medium of the written word.
While I’m by no means an excellent speller (“raspberry” was my biggest spelling bee fail, by the way), I do spend a fair amount of time using my words judiciously. I like understanding the meaning of words so that I use them correctly. I also feel more empowered to express myself clearly because of my understanding.
This understanding helps me in my work as a therapist. The work in therapy is as linguistic as it is anything else. In the therapy room we use the technology of words to approximate and understand the deep meaning of our feelings. Some of us are more adept at using that technology than others. Command over language is a privilege of both education and ability.
I find that language often fails our attempts to explain, irrespective of our ability or access. Our internal experiences are complex and easily evade simple expression.
Language is an incredible asset when you’re trying to understand the deepest parts of yourself, and when you’re trying to share those parts with others as best you can.
Words help with explaining the deep stuff. They also help us look at the mundane language we use to make meaning and unpack our hidden assumptions. And that unpacking can have a profound positive impact on mental health.
When you see the word “leisure” what comes to mind?
In one conversation, someone mentioned that leisure meant something like “down time” where you can do whatever you want. That’s not a bad definition in my eyes, but when what does “down time” actually mean? What does that phrase mean to you? It likely looks different depending on who you are.
For many, “down time” looks like time where you’re not otherwise obligated to do work. Most think of work as time you would spend on your career or professional tasks, but there’s so much more work to life than just what you do to make money. Maintaining a home is work.
Hell, maintaining yourself is work…often a lot of work unfortunately.
If you are then doing the work of keeping up with life in your “down time” is that leisure? Or is that just productivity in a different font?
Leisure is the yin to productivity’s yang. While productivity means doing for the purpose of reaching a personal or professional goal, the aim of leisure is to enjoy the experience. The joy is the point. Leisure can be other things in addition to this, but the pleasure of the experience is its cornerstone. Ultimately, the pleasure within the experience is the point…nothing else matters.
How is unpacking language important for your mental health?
If you think of something you do that yields an easily traceable outcome then you’re likely not talking about leisure. That’s just something else. Maybe that other thing is important to you too. However, leisure serves no other god.
If you often find yourself multitasking during “down time” and think of that as leisure time or relaxing, challenge that. Of course it can be good to cross things off your task list. We all love a sense of completion and achievement. But, this is productive work too. This is not leisure. Your brain, your nervous system and your spirit need leisure. Your systems needs happiness and rest. Joy and pleasure are not dirty words. Pleasure in life’s little activities is the oil that keeps your inner Tin Man nimble on the journey towards Oz. Leisure brings forward the realization you’re not just a machine and that you’ve had a heart all along too.
Understanding the power of words and nuance in a language is beautiful. It also helps us tremendously as we unpack cultural baggage that impacts how we see ourselves, and how we live our lives.
Maybe this means reading the dictionary is good for your mental health, maybe not. I’ll let you decide.
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