Times Diary Phase II

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Shannon Ludwig
Leisure is free time that is enjoyable specific to the individual. In my timed diary, it is
seen that I enjoy being as active as possible through a variety of activities. Being active and
involved in different activities has been encouraged from when I was young, and I believe it
keeps me motivated to do non-leisure activities and helps my time management. Through this
assignment, I was able to see the effect of my daily leisure activities on my mental health and
general wellness.
My overall use of time related to leisure did not surprise me. While being at college, I’ve
learned that I am the most productive when I get myself into a routine. For example, I recorded
my first diary on a Monday, which tends to be my busiest day. If I decide to sleep in and skip my
8 am class, I end up not going to my 10 am, and then I go to the gym a lot later than I intend to
and end up being late to my 1:25 class. This also affects my homework because during the
breaks between classes, I get my weekly assignments done. I believe most of my peers are
similar to me in the sense that skipping activities makes me lazy and therefore I procrastinate my
work. I do believe my life is a little different from other students due to my involvement in Penn
State Athletics. For example, most students use the weekend to catch up on work and sleep. On
weekends, I am expected to be up early and work athletic events or participate in practice.
Though my overall use of time did not surprise me because my days tend to be the same, what
did surprise me was my use of technology in relation to being alone. I noticed that if I was alone,
my secondary activity was either playing music or scrolling through social media. I know I
struggle with being by myself, but I thought it was interesting that I seem to use my phone as a
distraction. Anthony Silard, Ph.D. (2021) suggests that social media capitalizes on social
isolation and “tends to highly social characters with extended families and friendship networks.”
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Shannon Ludwig
Though I cannot physically be with my friends and family, I cope with my loneliness by
following them virtually on social media. This ultimately makes me feel like I’m with them.
I don’t consider myself to live an extremely stressful life. Keeping a busy schedule and
staying in routine helps my time management with getting to class or games or practices on time
as well as completing homework. Though sometimes if I procrastinate or get lazy, I get
extremely stressed out and convince myself it’s impossible to get all my work done on time, the
specific days I recorded my stress and emotions, this did not happen. A trend I did notice
regarding my stress was that I seemed to be most stressed-out during practice. I enjoy managing
for the basketball team, but sometimes practice can be hectic and it’s my responsibility to make
sure things run smoothly for the coaching staff and players. Though I am generally stressed
during practice, I was typically in a good mood. I think this relates to my constant need of
companionship. Participating in a team sport allows me to spend time with my friends outside of
a classroom setting, solve and prevent conflicts and communicate better with my peers (Ioan-
Sabin 2015). Though I generally enjoy practice, as mentioned before, it gets chaotic. Coaches
have player expectations for practice and if those expectations are not met, there is conflict. My
role in this is to not make matters worse and that can be extremely stressful. It’s also not
enjoyable watching your friends struggle through a drill or scrimmage.
Last year at this time, I was the most sedentary I had ever been in my life. I was new to
college, was not involved in any out of school activities, did not prioritize working out and did
not know anyone on campus. As COVID restrictions were lifted, I became more active and my
mood from then to now has increased and I believe that is due to my leisure activities. Since
meeting friends who enjoy working out, I have also found an interest in it and am sure to
incorporate it into my daily routine. Though I enjoy the social aspect of basketball practice, I also
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Shannon Ludwig
enjoy that it keeps me active for several hours of the day. Any form of physical activity triggers
the release of chemicals called endorphins, which make you feel happier and more relaxed
(Bennett 2017). This explains why I am generally happier than I was last year. However, I do
believe because I am always moving during the day, I find myself very tired at times. According
to my timed diary, I don’t always get an appropriate amount of sleep. The data suggests that
rather than sleeping, I watch TV with my roommates. This again relates to my inability to be
alone. While watching the amount of TV that I do not unhealthy, I do believe that it detracts
from my wellness because this activity supports my unhappiness when alone. Though leisure is
important because it increases socialization, I believe that I need to work on spending time to
myself. Having time to myself is critical for growth and personal development. Instead of
worrying about the needs, interests, and opinions of others, alone time would let me focus on
myself (Cherry 2021).
In conclusion, I am a very busy person. On the days I have the most classes, I feel most
productive and am motivated to start my work. On my off days, I enjoy being physically active
which maintains my motivation throughout the week. Even on weekends my timed diary proves
I enjoy being social and active. I knew this about myself for the most part, but what I discovered
was my real inability of being by myself. While socialization is extremely important to one’s
mental health, so is being alone which is something I need to be better at to improve my overall
wellness.
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Shannon Ludwig
References
Bennett, T. (2017, October 10). 6 mental benefits of team sports: Improved mood, confidence.
Thriveworks. Retrieved April 8, 2022, from https://thriveworks.com/blog/6-mental-
health-benefits-of-playing-sports/
Cherry, K. (2021, May 27). How Important Is Alone Time for Mental Health? Verywell Mind.
Retrieved April 8, 2022, from https://www.verywellmind.com/how-important-is-alone-
time-for-mental-health-5184607
Ioan-Sabin, L. (2015, May). Improving Socialization Through Sport Games. How Does Team
Sport Affect Children At Primary School Level. ResearchGate. Retrieved April 8, 2022,
from
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/283300470_Improving_Socialization_Through
_Sport_Games_How_Does_Team_Sport_Affect_Children_At_Primary_School_Level
Silard, A. (2021, June 14). How Social Media Exploits Our Loneliness. Psychology Today.
Retrieved April 8, 2022, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-art-living-
free/202106/how-social-media-exploits-our-loneliness

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1

weekends, I am expected to be up early and work athletic events or participate in practice.

as well as completing homework. Though sometimes if I procrastinate or get lazy, I get

enjoyable watching your friends struggle through a drill or scrimmage.

myself (Cherry 2021).

Thriveworks. Retrieved April 8, 2022, from https://thriveworks.com/blog/6-mental-

Retrieved April 8, 2022, from https://www.verywellmind.com/how-important-is-alone-

Retrieved April 8, 2022, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-art-living-

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