- Entertainment Crisis
too. At the weekend they spend just over six hours at home relaxing, which is two hours less than last year. With the hectic pace of life and all the stress that accumulates during the week, people seem to have less energy to spend quality relaxation time with the family. According to “La Opinión”, Spaniards relaxation time is spent mostly in the home as follows:
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Watching TV (3 hours, 19 minutes)
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Surfing the Internet (3 hours, 2 minutes)
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Listening to music (2 hours, 34 minutes)
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Listening to the radio (2 hours, 30 minutes)
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Taking care of pets (2 hours, 8 minutes)
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Reading (1 hour, 56 minutes)
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Playing Videogames (1 hour, 38 minutes)
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Chatting on the telephone (1 hour, 4 minutes)
Out of the people interviewed, I’m guessing that women were asked the question about videogames and men for the one about chatting on the phone, hence the relatively low amount of time spent on each. The people I know spend way much more time on each of those activities! As for leisure time spent outside the home, the survey said that the Spanish spend around 2 hours and 30 minutes walking the dog, so at least they get some excercise! Surprisingly enough, their weekends are spent doing the domestic chores as follows:
- Looking after the children (23 hours, 19 minutes) – 43% of the interviewees.
- Looking after another family member (6 hours, 11 minutes) – 27% in addition to looking after the children.
- Cooking (2 hours, 37 minutes)
- Cleaning (2 hours, 33 minutes)
- Washing & Ironing (1 hours, 35 minutes)
With most people having a stressful (or at least a busy) working week, it is important to take time out to rest, especially if you have a family and enjoy quality leisure time together. Leisure activities don’t have to be expensive. There are plenty of beaches, lakes and nature parks in the area that a free to visit. Take some games with you and a good picnic hamper and you’re all set. We’ve just bought a dart board (a real one, not an electronic one) at home and you’d be surprised at how this British sport is catching on and can be great fun.
In conclusion, get out of your house! We have great weather here in Spain so there’s no excuse for wasting the weekends in front of the TV! A good spell of fresh air and a balanced amount of time in leisure activities along with a good night’s sleep will leave one refreshed, recharged and ready for the next working week.
