Some people may scoff at the notion that recreational time is a key ingredient to the quality of life equation. However, anyone who’s ever worked a stressful job, has small children at home or has endured any type of life-induced stress knows otherwise.

There can be little argument that military families are enduring an exceptional amount of stress these days.

Take your pick: overseas deployment, uneven help for those left behind at home, months on end without seeing children or spouses, financial issues, jobs that are literally life-threatening.

Couple that with growing kids who need love, understanding — and let’s face it, entertainment — and parents who just need a simple break from it all.

It instantly becomes very clear just how important leisure activity really is.

When it comes to health, stress has any number of negative effects on people including anxiety, irritability, anger and nightmares. Not to mention the more invasive health problems it can lead to such as cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure.

At the other end of the spectrum, leisure time is an easy sanity-saving solution to stress.

From time in a park to a movie escape or fishing retreat, free time offers a chance for fun, a time to enjoy the life we work so hard for, and the opportunity to re-energize the mind, body and spirit.

For families living on military installations, there is typically a range of diversions on-post to be found.

Every military base has a variety of different programs depending on the opportunities available in the area, according to the 37th Training Wing Public Affairs Office, Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas.

Lackland AFB’s public affairs spokespeople noted that all bases have bowling centers, fitness centers, swimming pools, arts and crafts centers, parks, outdoor recreation opportunities, libraries and restaurants. Some bases have community centers, hunting, fishing and miniature golf, among other diversions.

However, base housing is often severely limited, and long waiting lists send many military families to live in the surrounding civilian communities.

It makes sense that if a civilian community boasts ample recreational opportunities then it, in turn, delivers a heightened quality of life for the active duty members and their dependents living there.

Being in the military is a high-stress, 24-hour-a-day job usually requiring long hours, no-notice call-ins or relocations (temporary short-term, long-term or occasionally permanent), according to Lackland AFB public affairs officials. They contend that relief from this daily grind is essential to maintaining mental health and the fitness level necessary for military members to be effective in their jobs, both in peace time and war time.

Military Families Are Part of the Overall Community

Every military base is different to varying degrees. And the same can be said about the communities surrounding these installations. But the symbiotic relationship between the two should contribute to the quality of life for military members and their families.

“Manhattan benefits a great deal from the military families that live in the community — they are some of our biggest fans and participants,” said John Armbrust, executive director, Governor’s Strategic Military Planning Commission at the Manhattan, Kan., Chamber of Commerce, just outside of Fort Riley. “Many parents of military families serve as coaches, mentors and role models not only for their children and the children of other military families, but for all children in the community. Military families truly enhance our community and are an active and integral part of our community and region.”

As such, civilian communities that strive for a seamless balance between all residents — military and civilian alike — help facilitate a greater quality of life for all involved, and fun escapes for free time are no small part of this equation.

“I believe off-post recreation opportunities are one of the key quality of life issues for military families,” Armbrust said. “Most military families are young with young children. Hence, they look for athletic-type opportunities in which they can channel their energy. It is important to note that while recreational opportunities are important quality of life issues for military families, other factors are also key, such as affordable/suitable housing, safety and education.”

For military members living on Fort Riley and in the surrounding communities of Manhattan and Junction City, a number of options for area diversion are present for the taking.

“There are many recreational avenues to be found in the Manhattan area, whether one wants to actively participate or observe such activities,” Armbrust said. “Examples include an in-line skating park, soccer fields, softball and baseball diamonds, miniature golf, driving ranges and golf courses, swimming pools, walking trails and, of course, the boating, hunting and fishing near and on Tuttle Creek Lake. One also should not forget the trails associated with the Konza prairie and the athletic events at Kansas State University.”

Ultimately, every civilian community offers its own flavor of fun, and hopefully they all offer a little something for everyone.

Because no matter which base military families are located on or around, the need for down time remains the same. Growing children need space to expend energy. Families need time to reconnect, especially after periods of overseas absence. Active duty members and their spouses need a break, just like everyone else in the world. Outside the gates of the world’s largest Marine base, the Marine Corps Ground Air Combat Center near Twentynine Palms, Calif., military personnel and families can engage in rock climbing, hiking, fishing, boating or just hanging out in the Joshua Tree National Park.

“As a military member, being able to get off- base and go and do things that are fun and entertaining allows me a break from the work week,” said Lt. Christy Kercheval, deputy director of public affairs for the Marine Corps Ground Air Combat Center. “It’s the same as with civilian employees; we also work all week, and it’s always enjoyable to have hobbies or things that are fun to do. They offer an escape from day-to-day life.”

Not that she’s complaining.

“It’s not that we don’t love what we do, because we do,” Kercheval said. “This is what we signed up for, but we are human, too, and we also enjoy a break as much as anyone.”

Rachael Hedgcoth is a freelance writer based in Overland Park, Kan.