How do you relax?

[Jellytot]

How do you prefer to relax?

I either like to cook (preferably in peace with some music on and a glass of wine in hand) or I like to play the piano as it takes my mind away from the stress of the day.

Im just curious as to how others spend their leisure time. 

[writerpal]

I listen to my favourite songs to relax my mind. That is the easiest way I find to escape into a calm and cool imaginary world that offers me the peace and solace I need. If i get physically tired, a sound sleep is the only way to get relaxed.

[bluewhale]

I'd love to play a game of Badminton when I'm absolutely stressed out. The game relaxes me instantly and helps get rid of mental fatigue. I also listen to music and watch comedy shows on TV.

[Neo01]

I watch some YouTube videos or listen to music. I like to draw too, it helps me clear my mind and just channel my creativity. I also love to meditate for a while and reflect over my thoughts. Helps me escape the reality for a while when I'm in my own mind and I find it very relaxing as it lifts my spirits.

[MysticalMagic]

I definitely run to music when I am feeling tense or stressed and need to relax. Music has always been my number one way to mentally shut off everything and quiet the thoughts in my head. I also love to cook with music playing. It is a fun activity that I am good at and the music only makes it more enjoyable. 

Sometimes when I worry or stress over something too much, cleaning helps calm my nerves. I feel like cleaning the house focuses my energy on something else and my mind is more in tune with what I am doing at that moment instead of my worries.

[ElderflowerFizz]

I love spending time in my garden, I find that very calming. If my mind has been very busy thinking about things, being outside in nature helps to make my mind feel more peaceful. I also like listening to music and dancing, that can help my body relax if I've been feeling tense. Having a nice bath is relaxing too  

[Luis]

I have so many ways to relax and distract myself. My favorite activities would be: Hear music, sing everywhere (inside my house), make a drawing, take a walk outside, play a game. Those are the thing that help me with my issues or with any stressful situation in my house. I have a lot of drawings and I'm improving, so it's a great practice method.

[Mirella]

Lying on my bed with a book in my hands, a cup of tea nearby or maybe coke. That is my kind of relaxation. I can also just close my eyes and make a mental list of things I need to do, this is if I need to relax but I need to finish a lot of things. Just closing my eyes and breathing in and out, then, making the mental list, and going on with what is needed to be done. 

[TheBlackCondor]

Am another one who enjoys sitting back and watching YouTube videos. Have so many on my Watch Later list that it will take me years to watch them all! Other than that I enjoy playing video games, am currently playing the new/old Crash trilogy that just came out. So these geeky things and spending time with my girlfriend of course.

[isisrose1968]

Well I think I will share one way that I love to relax and that most people will actually find odd.  I find sky diving very relaxing.  I once said that to a friend who responded with something along the lines of: "Let me get this straight you jump thousands of feet out of an airplane to relax?"  Honestly the free fall is one of the most relaxing and amazing things that I have ever experienced in my life.

[Sondrajms]

I recently found a great way to relax, at least for me, in needle felting. I've got SUCH a busy mind, and I've tried meditation, but just can't master it. Needle felting is perfect for meditation as you have to repeat the same motion over and over and over. I love it! Been very relaxed lately! 

[MaiiiQuinnzie123]

The best way for me to relax is by watching a long movie while having some deeply fried potato chips. I never go out to relax because it just never works for me. I live nearby a mangrove and lots of people go there. So going outside to relax is never an option for me since I am a big introvert. I like my own company and doing something as simple as reading a book could be really relaxing for me. 

[lusa666]

My favourite routine to relax myself after a long hard day at work is: Firstly I make a cup of coffee, next I open some relaxing classical music, then I pick a book from my book shelf and drop my body on the most comfortable sofa in my house and start reading it, it always make me feel alive again. I suggest you guys do this too, and don't forget to take a long bath after all of these steps, you will come back a healthy man, in both body and mind.

[LoveDove]

In the last couple of months, I've started meditating. I listen to soft music or guided meditation. If I use guided meditation, I find an area in my life that I want to focus on. For example, I have found really good videos for positivity on Youtube. I mediate on being positive and removing negativity from my thoughts. After meditating on positivity, I feel both relaxed and positive.

[Mellow]

I love all those ideas! I think I might also do something a bit odd. I find it great to go out with my boys, who are very young. I know that's weird ha ha ha. I love being active with them like a bike ride or taking them to a park or out walking the dog. Family time does all of us good. I also then usually put on a movie once they are in bed, with a cup of hot hot tea! I think it is the combo of the outing and the sitting with a movie that does it for me... 

[Bri285]

I relax the most when I'm at the beach. I like to go mid day and just stay there until the sun goes down. Just watching the water and laying in the sand is enough to help me forget my problems and just enjoy the day. I can have a good time at home drinking wine and reading a good book, but it won't be relaxing. The only relaxation I've found has been spending the day at the beach or on a cruise ship. 

[Dallas O'Mara]

I like to relax by taking a nice casual walk with someone. Sometimes it's just me and my dog going around the block, but where I live in Alabama most of the day is too hot for that to be really enjoyable. During the hot parts of the day, I like to go walking around a park with lots of shade trees or around the mall. There's something about walking around with no deadlines and no real destination that makes me feel perfectly calm. I especially like the fact that walking around helps me relax without turning me into a complete couch potato. It's not as strenuous as a workout, but it's not completely lazy either. To me, that's even more relaxing because I don't have to sit around trying to relax in spite of the fact that I know I shouldn't be just bumming around. By taking a walk I can relax and feel good about staying active.

[Howard]

To relax I mostly just sit on the computer or watch something on my tv. I enjoy spending time with my wife in the evenings. I love movies and they help me relax. They help me put aside whatever worries I might have. I also sleep when I'm really stressed or had a hard day. But hey that's life. Gotta take the good with the bad. 

[vrimeeanand]

Hearing my favorite songs is always the best relaxation technique for me. I also watch movies or comedy shows on TV. Talking with my friends living in other countries makes me feel young and refreshed. Hearing the speech of my cute little angel always makes me very happy and relaxed. 

I always love beaches. Sitting alone on a beach and watching the sunset is the best thing to rejuvenate ourselves. 

[rogel]

One of my best relaxation activity is by visiting places where I can free my self from stress after a tiring day from work. That is by means of travelling to some island beach resorts and experience underwater adventure. Then do some island hoping together with my best travel buddy and taking wonderful sceneries of nature using our digital camera's.

[Codo]

If I'm stressed out, I like to go for a long walk to clear my head.

 

If I just need to wind down after a long day, I'll play guitar, read, or watch a funny show.

[Yemslee]

It depends why I need to relax in the first place... If I'm in a grump, video games are a great way for me to get that out of my system, but if life's just a little too heavy on my shoulders I really enjoy watching speedpaints on youtube, as boring as that might sound. Sure, a book is great - I love to read - but if I'm worrying about other things I can't get immersed into whatever universe I'm actually trying to escape to. Speedpaints are so easy to get into, and I can pay as much or as little attention as I'd like and still find my time well spent. Gotta agree with vrimeeanand as well that music is vital to chilling out.

[TheFlow]

After a hard day's work, I like to get home, take my coat off and start cooking something nice for dinner (also with a glass of wine in hand) Although I still have a long way to go before becoming a great cook, just the act of peeling, chopping, mixing and creating a satisfying meal is quite relaxing. I also like to just chill out in front of the tv. watching a good film, read a good book or just be with my family or friends. Strangely enough, I also find working on the computer to be relaxing. Go figure!