Leisure Sickness
12 Jul 2006
Dutch psychologists Ad Vingerhoets and Maaike van Huijgevoort, coined the phrase ‘Leisure Sickness’ in 2001, when they undertook a study of how people developed symptoms of ill health during weekends and holidays. The phrase has been developing and seems to be being used by psychologists to talk about an increasing prevalence of people feeling ill, run down, tired and ill during their leisure time.
Seems that in a world of both people in a relationship having to work due to economic pressure, the weekends become about cramming shopping and DIY, and then a quest for relaxation that involves us consuming and travelling to rest, and yet we are more tired than ever. Our leisure pursuits are making us sick.
Psychologists are prescribing people to take real time for themselves, instead of the pseudo time invested in shopping and consuming.
Reading about this reminded me of the piece I wrote on Theocapitalism. The religion of our culture demands it’s worshippers to tithe and worship at it’s altar everyweekend.
All this reminded me of the place for our churches to provide spaces to give a very different rythmn to the week. To take stock of our lives, assess who we are and our connection to the world and others, to find space to be open to the sacred, and pour ourselves out, rather than consume. And then we might find real leisure, real recreation, that takes us in health into our weeks.
Tagged: Consumerism, Culture, Leisure-Sickness, Theo-capitalism, Theology
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8.02 pm on 12 Jul 2006
[...] Jason Clark » Leisure Sickness Dutch psychologists Ad Vingerhoets and Maaike van Huijgevoort, coined the phrase ‘Leisure Sickness’ in 2001, when they undertook a study of how people developed symptoms of ill health during weekends and holidays. The phrase has been developing and seems to be being used by psychologists to talk about an increasing prevalence of people feeling ill, run down, tired and ill during their leisure time. Seems that in a world of both people in a relationship having to work due to economic pressure, the weekends become about cramming shopping and DIY, and then a quest for relaxation that involves us consuming and traveling to rest, and yet we are more tired than ever. Our leisure pursuits are making us sick. Psychologists are prescribing people to take real time for themselves, instead of the pseudo time invested in shopping and consuming. Reading about this reminded me of the piece I wrote on Theocapitalism. The religion of our culture demands it’s worshippers to tithe and worship at it’s altar every weekend. All this reminded me of the place for our churches to provide spaces to give a very different rhythm to the week. To take stock of our lives, assess who we are and our connection to the world and others, to find space to be open to the sacred, and pour ourselves out, rather than consume. And then we might find real leisure, real recreation, that takes us in health into our weeks. [...]
Comment by john henson
11.37 pm on 12 Jul 2006
Good observation. It is easy to get caught up in this. I have not had the sickness on holidays, but do tend to return more tired than before I left. Thanks for the reminder to be still.
Comment by Simon Durrant
5.50 pm on 13 Jul 2006
I wonder whether we get sick in our leisure time because we do our utmost to avoid being ill during work time – we can’t afford the time out of the workplace. But I agree that our leisure time is rarely restful. In fact being part of a church will often consume a significant portion of our leisure time. I guess it’s a question of getting the right balance of activity and rest in that time.
Comment by Jason
5.58 pm on 13 Jul 2006
Simon: I think we do work more, and have less leisure, and I think for many christians the trend if to very little time in church activities, in the quest for life giving leisure, and maybe it goes too far?
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