New research confirms that leisure is by no means the root of all evil, but rather a welcome form of relaxation that counterbalances the daily grind. Many cultures have mastered the art of leisure far better than we have. We have lost the feeling of having time and enjoying this free, unstructured time. The BAT Leisure Research Institute recommends that even doing nothing should be given rhythm, approached with method and great pleasure.

And rightly so, because in our lifestyle of constant stress and busyness, we need nothing more than conscious relaxation. Unfortunately, leisure and idleness have fallen into disrepute. Those who are idle are seen as lazy, viewed with suspicion, and easily feel guilty. They are left with no other option but to keep busy. But that's wrong.

The Christmas holidays offer an ideal opportunity to practice idleness. At no other time of year do we need idleness more.

Advanced idlers manage to leave the hustle and bustle outside the door by noon on Christmas Eve, after the last shopping trips.

Hardly anything is more detrimental to the festive season than frantic activity – an enemy of all leisure. Christmas is also a celebration of the soul. And the soul longs for leisure. It's perfectly acceptable to be a little selfish in this regard. After all, leisure is best practiced for oneself. And secretly, everyone longs to enjoy their own leisure time. Then, one looks forward to being with family and friends again.

Not only stress at work, but also emptiness and boredom can throw us off balance. According to Prof. Dr. Horst W. Opaschowski, the scientific director of the BAT Leisure Research Institute, dissatisfaction in leisure time leads to personal conflicts and psychological problems that can actually make people ill.

It has been reported that there are already specialized recreational psychiatrists in the USA. Severe cases are admitted to "boredom clinics," where the boredom syndrome is treated as an inpatient.

As leisure researchers have found, boredom is perceived as particularly oppressive. Those affected develop feelings of apathy, inner restlessness, dissatisfaction, guilt, and weariness of life. They try to suppress boredom with typical activities: constantly eating, incessantly talking on the phone, tidying up and rummaging through cupboards, pacing irritably around the apartment, staring out of the window, constantly having the television on, suddenly leaving the apartment and going shopping.

The pervasive boredom is a symptom of our affluence. For boredom is the unwelcome companion of all fulfilled desires. Furthermore, our lives are dominated by the rhythm of work. Leisure time is like the idling of a performance-optimized engine.

According to Professor Opaschowski, the creeping modern-day affliction of boredom necessitates a complete reorientation of our attitude towards work and leisure. If, as a result of technological progress, work as the central focus of life becomes increasingly unstable, a new balance between paid work and fulfilling leisure time must be found. This balance is not yet in sight.

What practitioners, planners and politicians can learn from leisure research

Why are the numerous leisure activities available hardly used, or not used at all? The BAT Leisure Research Institute investigated this question in a basic psychological survey conducted by the Frankfurt Contest-Census Institute. The scientific director of the BAT Institute, Prof. Dr. Opaschowski, analyzed the results and developed six useful rules that can help all those who deal professionally with the leisure activities of German citizens.
1. Plan close to home
Leisure activities outside the home are relatively underutilized. Besides personal comfort, fear of failure and embarrassment, the discomfort and insecurity that arise when leaving one's living space are significant inhibiting factors.
Leisure activities outside the home should therefore not break the connection to the living area, i.e., be oriented towards the home, thus enabling a trouble-free return to one's own "territory".
2. Create a common roof for everyone
There is a need for leisure activities that bring families together under one roof, allowing them to connect with each other at any time, while simultaneously giving each individual the opportunity to pursue their own needs. These kinds of "leisure centers" ease family pressures, maintain social cohesion, and increase personal freedom.
3. Create oases of trust
Adventures, escapes, and alternative programs largely remain leisure fantasies. In reality, only those leisure activities where participants know what to expect have a real chance of success. Uncertainty and inhibitions towards the new must be overcome by a transparent, convincing, and credible program. Familiar elements must be mixed with the unfamiliar, and venturing into the unknown should be done gradually, building upon previous experiences. At all times, there must be opportunities for retreat and safety. Only when feelings of unfamiliarity and risk are kept to a minimum can oases of trust develop.
4. Convey new ideas in a playful way
To satisfy new leisure needs, activities must foster a playful attitude and be individually tailored to specific interests and requirements. Rating systems, excessive demands, and personal constraints should be avoided. Often, external suggestions are not even tried. Personal inertia and excessive hesitation stifle spontaneity.
The playful introduction of new stimuli without a fixed concept of place, time, or people facilitates the change of established behavioral patterns. In particular, leisure activities that are largely sanctioned by families help individuals gain more personal freedom and encourage their willingness to experiment.
5. Facilitate contact opportunities
Typical examples of newly emerging forms of contact are casual and spontaneous conversations that arise more or less by chance. Their atmospheric openness is interesting: the options remain between intensification and resolution, intimacy and anonymity. These contacts are particularly appealing when they involve something surprising and improvised and take place outside one's own home.
6. Allowing for solitude within the group
Living together in a group is of existential importance to the individual. However, solitude must also be possible within the group, because only in this way can one undergo the necessary self-discovery.
If anxieties arise during this exploration of one's own "self," the group steps in as social support, freeing one from doubts about one's own worth. It helps the individual to endure the tension between curiosity and fear regarding their own "self.".