Whether you punch a clock in an office or put in time at the local coffee shop as a freelancer, we all need an outlet for relieving stress. So, what’s yours?
I hit the gym, and I’m super-stoked that Boston is getting warm again so I can walk or jog outdoors. I also like to cook or read that stack of magazines and books that has sat ignored on my bookshelf for so long. Lately, I’ve even tried to set aside a whole day a week for chillaxing and catching up on reading. I’m usually the go-go-go kind of girl, so it feels indulgent to slow down and just read a magazine (as opposed to sneaking in a few pages on the cross trainer or the cross-town bus). It’s a tradition I hope to continue and come summer, I look forward to reading outdoors.
What about you? How do you unwind from the work week?
Flickr photo courtesy of icedtia
I garden. Ahh the corn, tomatoes, all the deliciousness of things to grow..
Like you, I get outside. Things here are melting and the trails in the park will soon be accessible again. For now, I kickbox in the living room and meditate in the bedroom. And I get out with the laptop. Lately I've been scheduling Fridays as my days to work on my manuscripts instead of other people's stuff.
I love to get outside, to take a walk or work on gardening stuff. I also absolutely love nothing more than to draw a hot bath and read a few chapters of a book in the tub.
It's hard to destress. I work nine to five and then come home and work more. Like Lori, I have to schedule in time to do "my stuff." So it's tough to let go and just relax because then I wouldn't get to work on a project that reflects my own artistic vision.
But… nothing beats the hot tub at the gym.
I like to go to the cinema to watch movies. Even if I wanted to I couldn't multitask!
Thank you, everyon who has weighed in so far! I can already feel the warm, relaxing breezes or hear that bubble bath running!
Walking, hiking, working out, and juggling for me. Reading, or just lying on the couch with the windows open while doing nothing. And tea with my wife.
I love that you set aside a day each week to relax. I try to do that on either Saturday or Sunday, but I usually sneak a little work in there.
For me, listening to Celtic music always and immediately brings my stress levels way down.
I really try to practice mindfulness throughout the day. The great Thich Nhat Hanh says anything can be a "bell of mindfulness" – the phone ringing, a taxi honking (and I live in New York City, so I know from noise!). When you stop for a split second to acknowledge the moment, it is like a teeny weeny vacation that lifts some of life's pressures. Nothing beats a Sunday at home with the paper and a cup of tea, but these micro-vaca's sure help throughout the week!
I'm just a student and I have major problems relaxing. Usually I try to listen to music to take my mind off things or read something that isn't too challenging. Nothing beats doing things in the warm weather, though!
I am retired so you might think I don't need to destress…….not so ! Believe it or not, I find that playing a few games of Free Cell on the computer soothes my fevered brow. Sometimes it takes 10 or more games, but it works for me.
I practice Taoist Tai Chi – a wonderful internal art that's also known as "meditation in motion." It helps to eliminate all of those words swimming around in my head so I can start all over again.
Like Eveland, I also like to work with plants. I have a container garden on my apartment balcony and am so looking forward to getting that underway. I do have to remind myself to stop and de-stress though; as a freelancer it's easy, as you say, Susan, to just go-go-go.
I swim laps in the pool at the gym early in the morning. There is something so wonderfully soothing about doing rhythmic strokes from one end to the next end. Feeling my body move through the water remembering what it was like to move freely and easily with no end in sight until I'm just ready to stop! Ahhhh….think I need to go there now!