Voices from the Margins: Stress, Active Living, and Leisure as a Contributor to Coping with Stress

Stress is one byproduct of hectic and busy lives. Therefore, examining active living and leisure in relation to stress and coping offers an important area of study. This paper presents key findings from a multi-year qualitative study of stress and coping. A series of focus groups were conducted with diverse residents of a western Canadian city including: (a) Aboriginal individuals with diabetes, (b) individuals with disabilities, and (c) people who identified as gay or lesbian. The findings emphasized that active leisure is more than physical activity, and that less physical forms of leisure should not be undervalued in the conceptualization of active living and leisure. Coping with stress using active leisure encompassed a wide range of meanings (e.g., spiritual, social, cultural, altruistic, empowerment).

Keywords:

• leisure
• active living
• stress
• coping
• health
• diversity

This study was funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).