How do you unwind/relax?

[Creag]

In no particular order, no conclusive:

- sipping a dram or two of Scotland's finest
- art on a canvass (mainly with acrylic paint at the mo)
- colouring in with pencil crayons (this is quite an amazing way of forgetting all else - busy doing a chameleon at the moment )
- watching series with the missus or something with the kids
- pinning on Pinterest
- playing games on my PC or Cellphone
- watching sport live, TV or streaming (although this can be stressful )
- posting on MyBB
- taking a long walk through a game reserve or bush

 

[thestaggy]

I exercise regularly and that helps with releasing tension/anger/frustration/energy and it also makes me feel good. If I want to escape I immerse myself in video games.

 

[Paul_S]

I go fly.
when you take off and behold the world beneath you nothing else matters - you just float in your own space.
look at this view - simply awesome!
View attachment 311339

+1
It's not everyone's cup of tea but if it is, it's a nice way to escape ... for a little while.


To be honest my attitude mainly determines how stressed or depressed I feel.
If I focus too much on negative things I become negative.
I take a step back and realise that if I stress it won't add a single day to my life and in fact will most likely cut my life short and make it miserable.
Why worry and die young and depressed?

 

[Batista]

Smoke some mj, you are a developer so I assume you already do this?

 

[PsYTraNc3]

Whiskey + GTA

 

[rayven_king]

roll a phat one
workout

 

[dabean]

roll a phat one
workout

 

[Mortymoose]

Beer! Beer! and more Beer!

Braai! Braai! Braai!

Music! Music! Music!

Getting pissed and watching a fire flicker away during a dark night, gives one an inner peace...... time to think, a time to get a bit of perspective in life...... switch to the Son of James and ponder the meaning of life and convince yourself that you could actually be worst off.......

If you can get your paws on some space cakes to goto a deeper level of thinking.... do it..... mindfeck yerself!

, that's just me.....

 

[heartbroken]

Seems like there is truth in the saying, in whiskey there is wisdom.

@McT, I am going to buy myself a coloring book afterwork, tonight I am going to sit and watch cartoons and color.

@MortyMoose, I think you perfected relaxing next to the braai into an art form. There is something about staring into a flickering fire, been a while since I last partook.

It's been a couple of years since I last had a puff, still in two minds over it though.

 

[Mortymoose]

Seems like there is truth in the saying, in whiskey there is wisdom.

@McT, I am going to buy myself a coloring book afterwork, tonight I am going to sit and watch cartoons and color.

@MortyMoose, I think you perfected relaxing next to the braai into an art form. There is something about staring into a flickering fire, been a while since I last partook.

It's been a couple of years since I last had a puff, still in two minds over it though.

Boet! don;t do the booze and wacky if you are one of those okes that get's depro with substance..... just gonna make you worse...

I also stress a lot..... but find the odd bender tends to rectify things....

 

[rayven_king]

perfect when your muscles are twitching after gym

 

[HDS]

Dota 2, chess, gym and boxing. Those are the only things I can focus 100% on, under any circumstances.

PS I have a dormant 2.1k chesscube account if anyone wants...

Used to relax me. Now it just feels like a chore and I'm too addicted to stop.

The only thing that really relaxes me is either a back massage or getting really really drunk. Can't even seem to enjoy other stuff anymore

It's pretty much a chore...unless you are raiding heroic/mythic.

 

[diabolus]

People look at me funny if they hear i still play games in quite a serious capacity (mid 30s) , but this makes me wind down (or at least wind up over totally different stuff) and relax alot. I am not talking about all this fluff mobile game nonsense, i'm talking games with the calibre of a AAA movie that takes your mind off everything entirely (or you end up dead..in game of course).

I think alot of the stress, mine anyway, is all this multi-tasking and "always on" mode we are in. You watch a movie or tv and will soon be whatsapping, facebooking , reading emails and fiddling on your tablet at the same time...all prevent you from actually relaxing at all.

While exercise like mountain biking can have similar effects, i have found if i am in any kind of routine with it (i.e. cycling/running the same route, without killing myself) i don't actually ever "zone out" and still end up thinking about stressful things.


Anyway, so a serious engrossing game where you kinda get into a zone so much that when you get out of it, you will be thinking of the game instead of Malema or Zuma , helps me worry less about things i can't do squat about and more about something i can control (the game)....at least until the next day

 

[grok]

People look at me funny if they hear i still play games in quite a serious capacity (mid 30s) , but this makes me wind down (at at least wind up over totally different stuff) and relax alot. I am not talking about all this fluff mobile game nonsense, i'm talking games with the calibre of a AAA movie that takes your mind off everything entirely (or you end up dead..in game of course).

I think alot of the stress, mine anyway, is all this multi-tasking and "always on" mode we are in. You watch a movie or tv and will soon be whatsapping, facebooking , reading emails and fiddling on your tablet at the same time...all prevent you from actually relaxing it.

Anyway, so a serious engrossing game where you kinda get into a zone so much that when you get out of it, you will be thinking of the game instead of Malema or Zuma ....at least until you doze off

Dude I'm 50 and still a serious gamer..

 

[heartbroken]

I also stress a lot..... but find the odd bender tends to rectify things....

\

I think you are on the something, I am going to invite some mates over for a cremation later today, most likely to involve loads of beverages. Luckily I have nothing scheduled tomorrow morning.

People look at me funny if they hear i still play games in quite a serious capacity (mid 30s) , but this makes me wind down (or at least wind up over totally different stuff) and relax alot. I am not talking about all this fluff mobile game nonsense, i'm talking games with the calibre of a AAA movie that takes your mind off everything entirely (or you end up dead..in game of course).

I think alot of the stress, mine anyway, is all this multi-tasking and "always on" mode we are in. You watch a movie or tv and will soon be whatsapping, facebooking , reading emails and fiddling on your tablet at the same time...all prevent you from actually relaxing at all.

While exercise like mountain biking can have similar effects, i have found if i am in any kind of routine with it (i.e. cycling/running the same route, without killing myself) i don't actually ever "zone out" and still end up thinking about stressful things.


Anyway, so a serious engrossing game where you kinda get into a zone so much that when you get out of it, you will be thinking of the game instead of Malema or Zuma , helps me worry less about things i can't do squat about and more about something i can control (the game)....at least until the next day

Busy updating my copy of BF4, time to add some virtual violence to my relaxation strategy. But you hit the nail on the head, that damn "always on mode", just wish I can zone out while being out doors at least.

 

[flava]

I exercise 5 mornings a week, ride my mountain bike every weekend and take the dog for a walk at least twice a week. I try and buy whole foods and I prepare my meals as healthy as possible. But it seems like none of it's working. I never seem to shut off during workouts, my mind keeps reverting to type and going through problems and solutions. Even though I manage the physical aspects of relaxation, I can quite get the hang of mentally letting go.

What you describe is a classic case of how much power you have given to your mind. It is man that makes the mind and not the other way around, in fact the brain is a very poor master. Claim it back by commanding silence and focus on the present. Be warned, it comes with extreme difficulty but the good news is even 5 min of your time to form the habit will make a difference you can actually feel. For the next two days only try to be the observer of your thoughts. See how the minds main focus is on the past and future and rarely on the now. Being on auto pilot messes with your hormones and emotions big time. Throughout your day make it a habit to repeatedly ask are my thoughts relevant to this very moment? The continuous blabbing will simply fade (try it and see). Your focus should be on keeping your mind clutter free and having silence. Choose your thoughts very carefully, much like you choose what to eat or wear. Wishing you all the best!

 

[Ocali]

smoke a joint(preferably indica)....

 

[saor]

smoke a joint(preferably indica)....

I'd imagine most people with a business and family cba to deal with the small chance of them getting bust for buying, or the hassle finding someone decent to buy from. Although everyone usually knows someone who can get for them...

 

[heartbroken]

What you describe is a classic case of how much power you have given to your mind. It is man that makes the mind and not the other way around, in fact the brain is a very poor master. Claim it back by commanding silence and focus on the present. Be warned, it comes with extreme difficulty but the good news is even 5 min of your time to form the habit will make a difference you can actually feel. For the next two days only try to be the observer of your thoughts. See how the minds main focus is on the past and future and rarely on the now. Being on auto pilot messes with your hormones and emotions big time. Throughout your day make it a habit to repeatedly ask are my thoughts relevant to this very moment? The continuous blabbing will simply fade (try it and see). Your focus should be on keeping your mind clutter free and having silence. Choose your thoughts very carefully, much like you choose what to eat or wear. Wishing you all the best!

Solid advice, thanks man!! I going to start doing this right now. I will try and observe, but can already tell you I get stuck on future 'what ifs' and past mistakes more often than not. Just going to try and tell those thoughts to STFU.

smoke a joint(preferably indica)....

Many people gave this advice, so they can't all be wrong. I am just going to research the effects of herb on blood pressure first, don't want to pop an artery while smoking and set the house on fire.

Going for another blood pressure test during lunch time, hopefully the weekend of focused relaxation pays off.

 

[bokdrol]

Do something creative. Photography.
My relax-thing is doing mosaic......