What are you interested in?

A Leisure Interest Survey is essentially a checklist of various leisure pursuits. Some Leisure Interest Surveys have various boxes next to each leisure pursuit, such as “Like it”, “Want to Try it”, and “Don’t Like It”. As you fill it out, you’ll probably gain a better sense of what leisure you may want to engage in.

Cincinnati Recreation Commision’s Leisure Interest Survey

- a thorough leisure interest survey to encapsulate all your interests.

Procedures Online Leisure Interest Survey UK Adapted

- accompanied by clipart photos and with more options to describe how you feel about an activity.

Both leisure interest surveys are outdated and don’t include leisure activities related to the phone or the internet. You can always add these in or take it as a challenge to find recreational interests away from technology.

Recreational therapy aims to address physical, cognitive, spiritual, social, and emotional health. They are:

Physical: Moving your body (i.e., stretching, strength training, team sports, dancing, swimming, cycling, running)

Cognitive: Exercising your brain (word puzzles, trivia, reading, learning a new skill, reading music, learning a foreign language, puzzles, board games)

Spiritual: Connecting to something larger than yourself; finding value, purpose, or meaning in your life. (i.e. meditation, prayer, being in nature, creative pursuits)

Social: Connection to others and feeling a sense of belonging. (i.e. team sports, community gardening, having a coffee with a friend)

Emotional: The processing or expression of your feelings. Connection to your feelings and those of others. (i.e. journaling, expressive arts: dance, painting, playing music)

Which area(s) would you like to focus on? Many leisure activities address various domains of health (i.e., playing soccer in a sports league addresses both physical and social health, and playing an instrument can address the cognitive, spiritual, and emotional domains). Fill out this worksheet to determine which domains of health may need more attention.