The Rest, Relaxation and Recreation Thread

[RisingThumb]

I've noticed that it seems harder to get good rest, and to relax well. I've lumped recreation here too as normally it's something some people do to relax. I think this goes hand in hand with how some people have poor sleep hygiene and struggle to get a good nights rest.

In the past, I used to binge watch some TV series. I think the last one I binged was Better Call Saul... but in general I'd find that I feel like shit after binge watching stuff. Not refreshing at all. Same thing with consuming social media(though I think it's more harmful as it eats away at your ability to focus too). Going for a walk tends to work pretty well but...

To point at how bad people are at resting... a lot of people get the weekend off work, but don't feel relaxed after it(Mondays feeling like shit). This also happens when you take a day off work to rest too.

Also to share it in case it's missed, there is a similar-ish thread focused on improving sleep.

Anyways, Agorans. How do you rest and relax? Does it work for you? Do you have any suggestions/recommendations/sources on how to rest better? I also added a poll, curious to see how many people feel like they rest well vs don't rest well.

 

[aranha]

I've noticed that it seems harder to get good rest, and to relax well. I've lumped recreation here too as normally it's something some people do to relax. I think this goes hand in hand with how some people have poor sleep hygiene and struggle to get a good nights rest.

In the past, I used to binge watch some TV series. I think the last one I binged was Better Call Saul... but in general I'd find that I feel like shit after binge watching stuff. Not refreshing at all. Same thing with consuming social media(though I think it's more harmful as it eats away at your ability to focus too). Going for a walk tends to work pretty well but...
View attachment 148795
To point at how bad people are at resting... a lot of people get the weekend off work, but don't feel relaxed after it(Mondays feeling like shit). This also happens when you take a day off work to rest too.

Also to share it in case it's missed, there is a similar-ish thread focused on improving sleep.

Anyways, Agorans. How do you rest and relax? Does it work for you? Do you have any suggestions/recommendations/sources on how to rest better? I also added a poll, curious to see how many people feel like they rest well vs don't rest well.

Not a specialist, but doesn't serotonin comes primarily from exercise/activities? So when you sit down you will feel less likely to do shit

 

[Hamadayoshi]

Anyways, Agorans. How do you rest and relax? Does it work for you? Do you have any suggestions/recommendations/sources on how to rest better?

Resting the body is good, but one has to rest the mind too. There's people to have to take constant efforts to stay still, but we don't consider how must of us have to take efforts to still the mind. I used to binge series too (I could watch GoT or dbz all day long) but I think that doesn't really make you rested because you're barraged by a ton of input fed at a constant pace. Then there's the fact that looking at screens is obviously tiring, with blue light and all, even worse if you're astigmatic.


If you gotta do something though I recommend audiobooks, don't expect to get a very solid grasp of what you're listening, but it's miles better than brainrotting to podcasts. Obviously they're good too if you're trying to sleep.

 

[Void]

I suck at relaxing, always feel like I need to be doing something productive. Think it's a deep seated issue due to my poor upbringing, I feel like I always have to be clawing my way to success. When I've hit my limit and have to force myself to relax, I just do nothing. I go grab a glass of my desired drink, sit on my back porch, and do nothing. I like to feel the sun on my skin, listen to the birds chirping and the wind blowing through the trees.

 

[Waninem]

I feel at my most rested when I can just sit outside, ironically enough. With or without the radio; I'll often take some tunes out there with me, but just hearing the birds chirp and the wind whistle through the trees is relaxing as it is. Back when I had a backyard pool I'd also spend an hour or two in that, just listening to music and focusing on my surroundings and swimming at a leisurely pace.

For me, letting my brain rest is the big thing I sometimes struggle with. I've spent a week indoors due to having the flu, but ironically I feel less rested than I have recently, just because I haven't spent any time outside. Even though I take 4 days off from using the internet I'm still paying attention to whatever it is I'm watching from my video stash or being invested in some project I want to do, so it's not always as relaxing as it could be. Doing a doodle or sketch painting can be pretty relaxing if you're just fooling around, or utilizing aromatherapy. As can listening to ambient music like slushwave, or playing a vidya game that doesn't take a lot of brain power like Solitaire or Bejeweled. But when I'm just mindful of my surroundings is when I tend to relax the best. Listening to far-off sounds, or watching the sky change color as the sun sets, and turning off all stimuli that interrupt this process.

 

[punisheddead]

I struggle myself with sleep too, especially now during summer when everything is too hot and too loud and overstimulating and the night lasts for 3 hours. I've forced myself into a sleep habit where I lay in bed for 8 hours, and i say lay in bed not sleep, i sleep anywhere from 6 to 7 hours on a good night so efficiency is quite shit. That being said I don't think i'm that tired as long as I get at least 6 hours of actual sleep. In usual days i'd play a YouTube video or something with a sleep timer and try to just focus on it kinda and fall asleep, now i focus on the not so gentle hum of an old fan. I lay there and rest, sleeping some, waking up and sleeping some more. I've been unintentionally practicing non-sleep deep rest which eventually ends up guiding me into some form of sleep, if not it's a night of paradoxical insomnia which I've learned to live with too. If it's rest i'll take it, not to say I don't get frustrated some nights seeing the world sleep with no issues.

As much as I love walks for general relaxation they do nothing to help me sleep relax afterwards, no physical activity does. I workout, run, walk and it can only give me runners insomnia, but at least i feel great during that day and the next one. I've kinda learned to live with it, i'll never be all that well rested and I have ways to combat it. They're not that healthy but nothing about my life is all that healthy. I don't really worry about it that much besides the effects it can have on the brain in the long run, I already don't feel all that there due to ADD and poor sleep has to have an even worse effect in the long term. Fingers crossed I don't become demented at some point.

For general relaxation nothing beats some time in nature with relaxing bird call. Touching grass is unironically very healthy for you. A relaxing convo with a friend or a long ass walk listening to an audiobook or podcast is also acceptable.

Not a specialist, but doesn't serotonin comes primarily from exercise/activities?

It can but with exercise there's other stuff too, cortisol, endorphins, dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine. If you're not trained and/or have poor recovery it will leave all those hormones elevated for hours, which while feels really good, won't allow you to go into deeper relaxation. It's all about balance, serotonin regulates wakefulness and too much of it will leave you wide awake and somewhat wired. That's why you see the "summer yass gotta get ready for summer" types workout twice till exhaustion, have shit sleep for days and then give up. I suffer from "naturally" low dopamine levels and some of the best rest and sleep I've had is when I used a research chemical which brought my dopamine near the baseline of a regular person. As much as there is soul and human, there's also brain chemicals. That being said you should do stuff, we're made to do stuff, not doing stuff makes us depressed.

 

[Endbringer fan xoxo]

I've noticed that it seems harder to get good rest, and to relax well. I've lumped recreation here too as normally it's something some people do to relax. I think this goes hand in hand with how some people have poor sleep hygiene and struggle to get a good nights rest.

In the past, I used to binge watch some TV series. I think the last one I binged was Better Call Saul... but in general I'd find that I feel like shit after binge watching stuff. Not refreshing at all. Same thing with consuming social media(though I think it's more harmful as it eats away at your ability to focus too). Going for a walk tends to work pretty well but...
View attachment 148795
To point at how bad people are at resting... a lot of people get the weekend off work, but don't feel relaxed after it(Mondays feeling like shit). This also happens when you take a day off work to rest too.

Also to share it in case it's missed, there is a similar-ish thread focused on improving sleep.

Anyways, Agorans. How do you rest and relax? Does it work for you? Do you have any suggestions/recommendations/sources on how to rest better? I also added a poll, curious to see how many people feel like they rest well vs don't rest well.

Every time I feel like my resting/relaxation doesn't fulfill me properly, I just take a walk until I get my energy back.

 

[pressC4caius]

One of my greatest enjoyments in life is sitting in my backyard and listening to the wind chimes, I fuckin LOVE wind chimes man.
I also found that seriously preparing to relax can help. For example i say to myself i'm gonna spend 1 hour on Sunday listening to wind chimes, i can appreciate and look forward to the experience and i can bask in the chimes. My point is set a goal for when and what you want to do. Be prepared for it and take a moment to seriously consider it. Take care not to overcomplicate things. Be present and mindful in the moment, enjoy yourself.

 

[K0WLOON]

View attachment 148827

"welcome to me sacred grove, brave laddie; come, rub me belly and discover thy destiny"

 

[internet_userr1]

I don't give a fuck about my sleep schedule. If I sleep on time, then I do. If I don't, then I don't. If I don't sleep at all? Oh well, maybe tomorrow night; now I just have to suck it up and keep living.

Sleep has never been an 'essential' thing for me- even though to bodily function, it is quite literally essential- I'd rather spend the time I'd usually waste on "sleeping" with more productive stuff. I only have 1 life and I sure as hell won't spend one third of it sleeping, even if the reduction I manage to make is little to nothing.

 

[Sketch Relics]

My advice? Don't do night shift.
It mucks with you in ways you probably won't notice and makes resting so much less effective than it should be.

 

[big_ping07]

i've started taking a restorative yoga class on wednesdays. restorative yoga is super lax and a good way to break up the work-week. in class, we focus heavy on our hips since those get really tight when you're sitting down all day. we slow our breathing and stay in positions for a while to allow gravity to do most of the work. you'd be surprised how flexible you are if you just sit in a pose for a few minutes, sinking deeper and deeper into it as time passes.

when i really want to relax, i take a long and hot bath. i add jojoba oil, and since i'm a smellmaxxer, i pour scent products into the water. shea butter bubble bath. eucalyptus epsom salt (s/o magnesium). there are also these bags filled with herbs that i sometimes add. they're like bath tea lol
light a candle or two. turn the lights off. play some music or just soak in silence. eyes closed.
(edit: i should note that you definitely need to shower before the bath)

and lastly, i try to get as much as i can done during the week so i can really take my days off seriously. instead of catching up on chores on the weekend, i can spend more time exploring the world with my friends or laying down all day. sometimes i need to rot!

 

[big_ping07]

One of my greatest enjoyments in life is sitting in my backyard and listening to the wind chimes, I fuckin LOVE wind chimes man.

i feel the same about singing bowls. something about that metallic resonating hum grounds tf out of me.
i hear my neighbor's wind chimes as i type this =w= so cute

 

[MarinaraSauce]

Anyways, Agorans. How do you rest and relax? Does it work for you? Do you have any suggestions/recommendations/sources on how to rest better? I also added a poll, curious to see how many people feel like they rest well vs don't rest well.

Something I discovered recently that's works for me is having a creative outlet or having mental "exercises" to stimulate critical thinking.

Creatively, I've discovered I thoroughly enjoy miniature painting, sculpting, and "kit-bashing" as it's called in the hobby. Currently I've got Warhammer figures along with a host of 3D printed bits that I can use to create a character and then paint them. This process has lead me to create whole backgrounds and in universe stories for the models I'm building, and I've found this to be more rewarding than other hobbies I've had. I've only been doing this for a year now though so I guess mileage on this isn't exactly proven, but it has helped me discover that expressing yourself through art is an integral part of the human experience. Previously, I thought of myself as "not the artistic type" because I'm awful at drawing, painting, and not the best story writer. Now I'm finding that there are so many things I've been interested in previously that if I would just put myself out there and try, it would be fulfilling. It might not be "good" or worth putting out there for others to experience, but it's an expression of myself and my unique life experiences that's worth manifesting in something other than my own head.

Aside from that, I've found that just being in nature is one of the best way to cleanse your mind. You and others have already mentioned it in this thread but going on walks is honestly so great.

 

[ĦĦĦ]

gardening. me and my family bought some plants in March and we decided to plant them in our back yard, so far it seems to be going good. the tomatoes and cucumbers are doing good, the peppers could do a little improving and the basil is just filled with holes (probably because of the bugs eating it).

i don't do gardening that much, mostly because of some irl responsibilities, i mostly prefer to do it in the weekends. usually for relaxation, i either go to youtube or watch a show i like. i use other platforms to stay informed, so i don't think it counts as "relaxation" but it definitely does count as masochism.

 

[ĦĦĦ]

gardening. me and my family bought some plants in March and we decided to plant them in our back yard, so far it seems to be going good. the tomatoes and cucumbers are doing good, the peppers could do a little improving and the basil is just filled with holes (probably because of the bugs eating it).

i don't do gardening that much, mostly because of some irl responsibilities, i mostly prefer to do it in the weekends. usually for relaxation, i either go to youtube or watch a show i like. i use other platforms to stay informed, so i don't think it counts as "relaxation" but it definitely does count as masochism.

i sometimes take walks as well, there's a forest near by where i live so i just go there whenever i feel stressed out or when i feel like i have nothing to do. its fun, especially when i go out of my usual route to explore the area.

 

[internet_userr1]

My advice? Don't do night shift.
It mucks with you in ways you probably won't notice and makes resting so much less effective than it should be.

But the money...

 

[RisingThumb]

Creatively, I've discovered I thoroughly enjoy miniature painting, sculpting, and "kit-bashing" as it's called in the hobby. Currently I've got Warhammer figures along with a host of 3D printed bits that I can use to create a character and then paint them. This process has lead me to create whole backgrounds and in universe stories for the models I'm building, and I've found this to be more rewarding than other hobbies I've had. I've only been doing this for a year now though so I guess mileage on this isn't exactly proven, but it has helped me discover that expressing yourself through art is an integral part of the human experience. Previously, I thought of myself as "not the artistic type" because I'm awful at drawing, painting, and not the best story writer. Now I'm finding that there are so many things I've been interested in previously that if I would just put myself out there and try, it would be fulfilling. It might not be "good" or worth putting out there for others to experience, but it's an expression of myself and my unique life experiences that's worth manifesting in something other than my own head.

I've got all my miniature painting stuff piled up... been meaning to get back into it. Was doing some Turnip28 mini painting last time I did it like 2 years ago, but feeling like I should do some 1/72 scale airfix tanks

 

[Some_porcupine]

another great:

Intentionality and the lost art of doing nothing

I've been studying how to become a proper cybersecurity specialist, but all too often I find myself studying in one monitor window, and loading up a sequence of youtube videos on the other and switching focus between these two. As a result, tasks take longer, and I lose my creative focus. You...

forum.agoraroad.com

What do you use your free time for?

Title says all, I just wanna know how you guys use your spare time/free time. I have alot of free time now, as I am still waiting for job application etc. In this time I just do absolutely nothing. The weather is getting a bit nicer and thinking about taking a walk, but I dislike seeing people I...

forum.agoraroad.com

 

[Richard Smith]

Got back from a nice walk this evening. Walking during golden hour is a great way to relax in my experience. Nice and warm and the light makes everything look nice.