Answer :

A summary on Wellness Interviews of different age groups

Introduction 

According to Tapps, Symonds and Baghurst (2016), wellness and leisure are two important ideologies that involves an individual’s care to their physical self, use of mind constructively, expressing emotions effectively, and involvement with people those around them. Mental and physical wellness are important part of an individual’s overall health. Therefore, Nieuwelink, Dekker, Geijsel and Ten Dam (2016) have opined that by the virtue of having leisure activities, it is possible for people to break the monotony, reduce depression, enhance the quality of lives and ultimately find a balance between their personal and professional lives. The aim of the report is to gain perspective of interviewees belonging to three different age groups, their current leisure activities, and their past opportunities for wellness. 

Wellness and Leisure Interview

The interview was conducted with people belonging to the 21-39, 40-59 and 60-70 age groups. 

Interview 1: Age 21-39

The interviewee of age group 21-39 was a college student from the neighborhood expressing his views on wellness and leisure. He described that participating in leisure activities such as swimming, taking a stroll after classes and taking part in plays in college have helped him to manage stress and the depression from his last semester results. For this purpose, he takes a recreational therapy to inculcate mental and physical wellness. Currently, the interviewee has no regrets for any missed opportunity for maintaining wellness in his life. 

Interview 2: Age 40-59

The interviewee of age group 40-59 was a working professional from the neighborhood expressing her views on the importance of wellness and leisure in her life. As per her daily schedule, she requires to manage both her patisserie and home. According to her, she has always wished to remain mentally and physically fit but to fund her child’s education, she has to work 13 hours a day. Although this seems stressful for many, her participation in leisure activities such as taking baking classes, spending some quality time with her family, and doing meditation. This has helped her to foster a positive attitude in life and kept a balance between her personal and professional life. She currently mentioned no regrets about missing any opportunity in the past to enjoy her leisure time but wishes to provide her child with better education. 

Interview 3: Age 60-70

The interviewee of age group 60-70 was a retired Army personnel again from the neighborhood sharing his opinion on the importance of participating in leisure activities to foster mental and physical wellbeing in life. Although his age was fading, his physical wellness was unchanged. As per him, mental wellness is an important part of an individual’s overall health and can impact the physical well-being. Currently, he spends most of his time educating and coaching young army aspirants and with his family which gives him a sense of mental satisfaction. However, he regrets of not spending quality time with family and fulfill his wishes in the past. Being an Army personnel, he was committed to work but at one point of time his mental state collapsed. But, he handled the stress and emotions by engaging himself in leisure activities. 

Summary of findings 

The interviews can be summarized as the opinions and perception of people from different age groups on wellness and leisure. According to the interviewees, participation in leisure activities have positive physical, cognitive and emotional outcomes as people move ahead in life with regards to their age and physical ability. It can be analyzed that all of them are currently engaged in some or the other leisure activity but also carry minor regrets of not spending much time on their wellbeing in the past. Most importantly, the interviewees have focused on maintaining a balance in their lives by handling their stress and emotions. Therefore, an individual is more likely to have an improved self-esteem as can be seen from the interview of the Army personnel. The college student is at a stage where he requires to prepare himself for the future but still enjoy his life to have no regrets later. The lady owning a patisserie is maintaining a balance in her life. In light of the many health benefits associated with leisure activities, these responses from different age groups can be useful in highlighting the intervention efforts that can be made to encourage an improved level of participation in leisure activities among other people in the community (Särkämö, 2018). 

Conclusion

The above responses have been summarized to understand about leisure across the lifespan of an individual. The report can be concluded by stating that inculcating leisure activities in one’s life has a positive impact on their social relationships, benefits on health outcomes and psychological wellbeing. Participating in leisure activities not only means undertaking enjoyable activities but also characterized as providing intrinsic satisfaction and representing freedom of an individual.