Recreational Illness How to make leisure sick

Recreational Illness: Why leisure time is getting sick again and again.

11.01.2011

Leisure Disease (English „leisure sickness“) is an increasingly common phenomenon. As soon as the stress and stress in everyday life subsides, the first symptoms of illness set in.

Surveys in Germany have shown that more than 250,000 Germans suffer from headaches or get sick at the weekend, with executives with high responsibilities and often numerous overtime being affected by the phenomenon of so-called recreational illness. The term is derived from the definition of Dutch researchers at the University of Tilburg, which is the phenomenon more and more observed as „leisure sickness“ designated.

The phenomenon of recreational illness is always similar
According to the experts, the phenomenon of recreational illness is generally similar: As soon as the affected person has a little free time and the daily pressure subsides, the neck begins to tingle, the head roars and a coldness begins. More and more employees perceive this as an almost typical phenomenon on vacation, so the reports of psychologists. And in science, the phenomenon of recreational disease is now taken seriously. The experts assume that the body during the continuous load in everyday life no longer come to rest and constantly supplying energy, said Andreas Soljan, board member of the German Psychotherapists Association North Rhine.

This could, for example, result in hypertension and a higher resting heart rate, continues Soljan. In addition, the prolonged exposure may also have effects on the intestines, stomach and liver, explained the expert. As soon as the body comes to rest on holiday, the affected people first realize how bad they are, explained the psychotherapist. Therefore, Soljan recommends relaxing the body as often as possible and generally enough exercise. „People need to take more care that the body finds relaxation“, stressed Soljan. If the warning signals are ignored for too long, psychosomatic illnesses can occur in the worst case, according to the expert.

Recreational disease relatively prevalent
The phenomenon of recreational disease is increasingly prevalent in the population and „is definitely a trend, felt for ten years“, emphasized the psychotherapist Andreas Soljan. There is a consensus among experts that more and more people register their physical problems only in leisure periods due to constant overloading, Soljan said. Although health insurances and statistical authorities do not charge workers for sick leave, companies also confirm the trend towards recreational sickness, as Marianne Giesert of the Bildungswerk des Deutschen Gewerkschaftsbund (DGB) explained.

The Dutch scientists, who gave the phenomenon its name, have observed in their studies that recreational illness affects mainly men and women with a high workload and sense of responsibility, with psychologists also being responsible for lack of exercise and excessive media consumption for the phenomenon do. Relaxation - also in everyday life - is the opinion of most experts, the key to the prevention of recreational disease, however, to analyze what really contributes to the relaxation of those affected. „Do not just watch TV“, Soljan urges, but instead, for example, take a bath in peace, drink a cup of tea or just take the time for a nice breakfast again. Because if it does not succeed in breaking the process, threaten not only psychosomatic diseases but another scenario that can be desirable for anyone in the opinion of the Düsseldorf psychotherapist. „At some point, it may well be that I'm afraid of holidays, because then I could go wrong again“, warned Andreas Soljan. (Fp)