Do you often sit on your own with feelings of being overwhelmed hovering over you? At that moment don’t you just feel like giving yourself a dose of happiness hormones by moving your body?
After all, we do know that engaging in a leisure activity is sure to uplift our mood. But did you know that apart from providing immediate relief to our current problems, recreational activities can change your life completely when experienced in the form of therapy?
Yes, you heard it right there is a therapeutic intervention primarily focused on restoring, remediating, and enhancing your well-being with the help of recreational activities. This professional service is called recreational therapy or therapeutic recreation.
Let us dive a little deep to understand this systematic process in detail.
What Is Recreational Therapy
Of course, we can’t move any further without first understanding the definition of recreation activities. It is a therapeutic process that purposefully utilizes leisure activities in a way that maximizes a person’s overall well-being on one end and minimizes the chances of illness on the other.
The famous recreational therapist Michael Coluccio define recreational therapy as,
“Recreational therapy, also known as therapeutic recreation, is a therapy based on engagement in recreational activities (e.g. sports or music) especially to enhance the function, independence, and well-being of individuals affected with a disabling condition. The savvy recreation therapist will utilize multiple “domains” for stimulation and success in implementation with the client.”
The fact that recreational therapists customize the therapy program for each individual to meet his needs makes this therapy even special. This further ensures that the client’s rehabilitation and treatment plan offers the best results to them.
The ultimate aim of recreational therapists is to reduce signs of anxiety, stress, depression, and any other physical ailment of a person by aiding in building social relationships and confidence.
5 Domains of Recreational Therapy
If you read Coluccio’s definition of recreational therapy closely you see that he has mentioned multiple domains. These domains are at the heart of therapeutic recreation as these are the 5 ways in which this process improves a person’s life.
You might think of them as the areas that this therapy focuses on and offers to heal too.
Domain 1: Physical Health
This domain highlights the ability of our body systems to function effectively and efficiently during both work and play.
Common Physical Health Outcomes:
Increased mobility
Improved strength
Increased endurance
Restored function
Improved immune system
Better blood pressure
Tension reduction
Better and restful sleep
Higher levels of energy
Ways in which Recreational Therapy Improves This Domain
Engage in physical activity resources of your interest such as community walking groups, accessible gyms, recreation centers, to name a few.
Joining and accompanying others in the community to sample new physical activities.
Domain 2: Emotional Health
This is the ability to deal appropriately and comfortably with emotions . It is also known as the psychological functioning domain of recreation activities.
Common Emotional Health Outcomes
Improved emotion regulation
Feelings of autonomy
A sense of meaning in life
Increased self-determination
Increased optimism
Ways in which Recreational Therapy Improves This Domain
Help you learn how to appropriately deal with feelings of frustration during activities like recreational sports.
It improves and facilitates activities that provide you with feelings of intrinsic motivation, autonomy, and success. It includes activities like pottery, adaptive kayaking, etc.
Domain 3: Cognitive Health
The mental or cognitive domain of recreational therapy helps an individual build the abilities that aid in learning and functioning intellectually.
Common Cognitive Health Outcomes
Good ability to attend
Improved memory
Better concentration
Enhanced goal-setting skills
Developed ability to follow directions
Higher and better problem-solving
Ways in which Recreational Therapy Improves This Domain
The therapist works with you to restore or maintain cognitive functioning by using some intriguing video games like, Wii, Xbox Connect).
You get a space to engage in activities of your interest that stimulate your cognitive abilities such as chess, building model cars, trivia, Sudoku, creative writing, etc.
Domain 4: Social Health
This domain focuses on the ability to enjoy meaningful relationships with others and their environment.
Common Social Health Outcomes
Enhanced communication skills
Better interpersonal skills
Ability to demonstrate reciprocal relationship skills
Developed social confidence
Ways in which Recreational Therapy Improves This Domain
You can volunteer at any organization. It is one of the best ways to give back to society and make life-long relationships.
Working with any activity that will help you develop the necessary social skills to make new friends and interact appropriately, like joining hobby classes.
Domain 5: Spiritual Health
The function of this domain is to help an individual find purpose in life.
Common Spiritual Health Outcomes
Enhanced feelings of balance and stability.
Increased ability to be Introspective.
Reduced feelings of isolation and loneliness.
Ability to identify meaning and purpose in life.
Ways in which Recreational Therapy Improves This Domain
They help you define what the concept of spirituality means to you. It could be religion for some and mindfulness for others.
You also learn to identify emotions as they arise and further put space between feelings and actions. This is achieved by learning activities such as yoga, meditation, and mindfulness.
Benefits of Therapeutic Recreation
By understanding the domains of recreational therapy one thing is clear that it improves the cognitive, physical, emotional, spiritual, and social life of an individual. But that’s not it! There are a lot of other benefits that recreational therapy has to offer, this includes:
Support in patient’s recovery
Improved quality of life
Increased cooperation
Healthy eating and sleeping pattern
Improved attention span
Better perception of self (+body image)
Better communication skills
Stronger immune system
Reduced feelings of isolation
Reduced symptoms of depression, stress, and anxiety
Enhanced self-esteem
Improved functional independence after an injury
Recreational Therapy and FAQs
Q1. What are the best recreation therapy activities?
Recreational therapy activities will vary for each individual, depending on his needs, Some of the common activities that this program provides are creative arts, drama, music, games, yoga, exercise, meditation, connecting with nature, solving puzzles, playing trivia games, enhancing the senses, gardening, community work, and sports to name a few.
Q2. Where do recreational therapists work?
You are likely to come across a recreational therapist in multiple settings like hospitals, schools, sports programs, community centers, substance use programs, institutions, nursing homes, recreation departments, government parks, and more. They usually work full time and are certified, therapeutic recreation specialists.
Q3. What do recreational therapists do?
Recreational therapists will work towards planning, directing, and formulating recreation-based programs for people with physical or mental health conditions. By finding the right therapist, the well-trained one, you can also boost your confidence, memory, physical fitness, reasoning abilities, creativity, and mood.
Q4. Who can benefit from a recreational therapist?
Recreational therapy welcomes people of all ages, be it an infant or an elderly person. If your aim is to experience positive health and enjoy a sense of overall well-being, this is the therapy for you! Not just that, people with developmental issues, mental health conditions, or physical injuries can also alter their living conditions with this therapy.
Q5. Is recreational therapy like “fun time” alone?
We often relate leisure activities with fun, games, and enjoyment, However, when we talk of recreational therapy it does a purpose beyond that. The aim here is to design a specific program for each client that meets their needs by adding activities that have a purpose behind them.
The designing is done such that apart from offering relief in signs experienced it also enhances the overall quality of life. To conclude we can say that therapeutic recreation is not just fun and play, but a channel to harness your power to play in something bigger.
We hope that now you are pumped up to begin your journey of holistic wellness by looking at this amazing therapeutic process called recreational therapy. Remember, WHO does not define health as the mere absence of disease.
Health is in fact defined as a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being. And now you know your one-stop destination for the same. So, go achieve your goal of a healthy life now.
Thank you for reading!
Love & Light
The post Recreational Therapy Guide: Everything You Need to Know About It appeared first on Calm Sage – Your Guide to Mental and Emotional Well-being.