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How do you RELAX? Post suggestions for all.

iLander

Ideal_Rock
Joined
May 23, 2010
Messages
6,731
I thought I'd start a thread on ways to relax. Since it seems we all need it. Please post your suggestions/methods. :wavey: :wavey: Coloring books, therapy animals, hobbies, whatever you do, all is welcome here.

I am spending some time on Instagram lately, looking at pretty pictures and cute animal videos. I suggest love.chipmunk for adorable chipmunk videos, for example. A lot of our PS regulars/vendors post lovely bling shots, including ID Jewelry and Leibish. It's a nice way to relax.

I have recently taken up quilting. I love to play with colors and fabrics, and spend hours on producing cute things for the family.

I also like gardening. I enjoy the required long-term optimism of growing seeds and plants.

Points for pictures!! :wavey: :wavey: Points are meaningless, but at this time, I'm ahead by 2! :naughty: :D

What do you do to relax?


my_quilt_2.jpg

my_quiilt_1.jpg
 

missy

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Jun 8, 2008
Messages
53,980
Working out. Working out right now.

Cuddling with my kitties and dh.

Chatting with my friends. Venting and sharing and supporting.

Watching good movies.

Listening to good music.

Hanging out with my dh and kitties just being together.


Browsing bling and PS.


Breathing. Remembering to breathe.

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chrono

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Apr 22, 2004
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38,364
Read
Music
Play video games
Exercise
Gardening
Watching animal videos
 

siamese3

Brilliant_Rock
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Jul 27, 2007
Messages
1,028
I take a 4 to 5 mile walk everyday. I find being outside in nature very calming. I refer to it as my "Prozac" :) Yoga, reading, music, my furries, love good movies, art and being with my husband.
 

soxfan

Ideal_Rock
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Jun 20, 2013
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I spend time with my chickens. I love birds. I'm such a dork. :lol: :lol:
 

PintoBean

Ideal_Rock
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Jul 27, 2011
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6,589
Since I'm on the computer all day, I like thumbing through fashion magazines - Oooo.... print! Elle, Marie Claire, Allure, InStyle, Bazaar... Due to the unpopularity of magazines nowadays, the subscriptions are super duper cheap! And I look forward to receiving snail mail that's not junk :)
 

YadaYadaYada

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Feb 2, 2016
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11,841
Take a hike in the woods with my dog

Play old school video games, currently Ms. Pacman

Going to church, don't know if that counts

Just sitting down and having a cup of coffee is relaxing for me. Put on some Pandora and watch the leaves fall outside

A hot shower, it is a treat to get an uninterrupted shower in my house :loopy:
 

marymm

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Apr 21, 2010
Messages
5,520
Read
Watch an old/favorite movie
Make a cup of tea and thumb through my cookbooks
Take a walk - around my house or drive somewhere closer to the water to walk
Put on some of my favorite music and sing along (and if I end up dancing along, so much the better)
 

telephone89

Ideal_Rock
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Aug 29, 2014
Messages
4,223
I need to start this 'working out' to relax. I'd be so much thinner!

My way to relax is with a bottle of wine and mindless TV. It's not a great way though. Tbh I also like sleeping. H works opposite hours and we don't see each other much, so he doesn't like when I want to go to bed early, but just laying in bed falling asleep and knowing I don't have to get up for like 10 hours is so nice too.
 

dk168

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jul 7, 2013
Messages
12,492
In no particular order:

Cooking
Eating
Drinking beer and/or cocktails
Singing
Tap dancing or just dancing in general
Driving my car
Cuddling up to my pets
Going to the cinema/theatre
Window shopping, especially for high end blings
Participating in message boards
Planning and recc'ing future holidays
Event organisation
Trawling the web for jewellery design ideas

When I am really stressed, I would jump into my car, drive around aimlessly, put on my favourite songs in a volume so high I cannot hear my own voice when I sing out loud. After about 30min or so, I am chilled.

DK :bigsmile:
 

lyra

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jul 13, 2007
Messages
5,249
I play Minecraft a lot. Just picked it up this year. It's a video game that allows a tremendous amount of creativity and some challenges. It keeps my fingers nimble. I find it relaxing because it makes me focus on something other than my health issues/pain/anxiety/depression or whatever is stuck in my head. A lot of people with chronic illness and limited mobility play these kinds of video games.

I read. I like psychological thrillers and some science fiction. Anything not too heavy or scary. Escapism at its best IMO.

I look after my 3 dogs. Cuddles are always great. Having to cater to them takes my mind off of myself, since I am alone a lot too.
 

momhappy

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Mar 3, 2013
Messages
4,660
iLander|1479220684|4098775 said:
I thought I'd start a thread on ways to relax. Since it seems we all need it. Please post your suggestions/methods. :wavey: :wavey: Coloring books, therapy animals, hobbies, whatever you do, all is welcome here.

I am spending some time on Instagram lately, looking at pretty pictures and cute animal videos. I suggest love.chipmunk for adorable chipmunk videos, for example. A lot of our PS regulars/vendors post lovely bling shots, including ID Jewelry and Leibish. It's a nice way to relax.

I have recently taken up quilting. I love to play with colors and fabrics, and spend hours on producing cute things for the family.

I also like gardening. I enjoy the required long-term optimism of growing seeds and plants.

Points for pictures!! :wavey: :wavey: Points are meaningless, but at this time, I'm ahead by 2! :naughty: :D

What do you do to relax?

That quilt is beautiful! Nice job =)
Walking the dogs, reading, and spending family time helps me to relax.
 

jordyonbass

Ideal_Rock
Trade
Joined
Dec 6, 2014
Messages
2,117
No secret I love the water and the bush, but those aren't good examples of relaxation for me as the water and bush have had my adrenaline pumping to the point of collapsing. People generally won't get into the situations I do though so I recommend getting out in nature.

Love to pick up my bass and just noodle on it to some kind of metranome beat or similar, just close my eyes and write something that is soothing to play. One of the best compositions that I have ever written came from doing this. So music is always a big suggestion whether listening or playing.

There's something about powder polishing opals that I find calming and therapeutic as well, lapidary is relaxing in it's own way
 

iLander

Ideal_Rock
Joined
May 23, 2010
Messages
6,731
Thanks, momhappy, I'm just learning. The colors are a lot softer and prettier than the picture would indicate.

I hope that just thinking about these things is helping people. Both the posters and the readers. Let's all chill. :sun:

We've got some time until we need to vote again in 2018, so let's pace ourselves and relax.

Meanwhile, Missy is way ahead with 4 points so far. In a relaxed sort of way, since her pics made us smile.

I think I'm going to need some pictures of those chickens. . . . :wavey: :)
 

missy

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Joined
Jun 8, 2008
Messages
53,980
Well hope it's OK iLander but I cannot resist sharing these pics of my sweet fur babies relaxing. They know how to do it oh so well we could all take some pointers from them. :cheeky:

But first, though I don't have any chicken pics, I can share some duck (and a couple of geese got in there too I see lol) pics.


ducklingsandparentsenjoyingfletcherlake.jpg


duckmommawithbabies.jpg


ducklingsenjoyingmemorialsaturday_0.jpg

bobbyrelaxinginlibrary.jpeg

fredrelaxing.jpg

frankiejusthangingoutundercovers.jpg

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dk168

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jul 7, 2013
Messages
12,492
dk168|1479236037|4098882 said:
In no particular order:

Cooking
Eating
Drinking beer and/or cocktails
Singing
Tap dancing or just dancing in general
Driving my car
Cuddling up to my pets
Going to the cinema/theatre
Window shopping, especially for high end blings
Participating in message boards
Planning and recc'ing future holidays
Event organisation
Trawling the web for jewellery design ideas

When I am really stressed, I would jump into my car, drive around aimlessly, put on my favourite songs in a volume so high I cannot hear my own voice when I sing out loud. After about 30min or so, I am chilled.

DK :bigsmile:

Add to the above list:

Camping
Walking the dog
Being on my own with no one to talk to with just the pets in the house after a hard day's work

DK :))
 

AprilBaby

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jul 17, 2008
Messages
13,234
Reading anything but the political threads here on PS. And listening to music.
 

distracts

Ideal_Rock
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Joined
Oct 11, 2011
Messages
6,131
- Cuddle the cat

- Read. Books, the news, anything. For some people reading the news isn't relaxing but it is for me. Anything that makes me feel like I'm learning stuff relaxes me when I'm stressed out.

- Talking to my husband and/or friends

- Playing Sims 4 (controlling tiny fake people!) or designing in Photoshop/Illustrator (controlling pixels!) when I feel out of control because it satisfies my control-freak tendencies and relaxes/calms me

- Orgasms
 

Gypsy

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Aug 8, 2005
Messages
40,225
My therapists believes that most people have elements that call to them.

For my husband and I that is true. For me it is water. For my husband it is fire.

I relax when I can hear the roar of the Ocean the crash of the waves. Or even just sit at the shore of a calm pond or lake. It relaxes me like nothing else.

He relaxes around a fireplace or a fire pit.

It works.

If you can find your element and immerse yourself in it, then you can find some peace.
 

rainydaze

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
May 1, 2007
Messages
3,361
Gypsy|1479275631|4099187 said:
My therapists believes that most people have elements that call to them.

For my husband and I that is true. For me it is water. For my husband it is fire.

I relax when I can hear the roar of the Ocean the crash of the waves. Or even just sit at the shore of a calm pond or lake. It relaxes me like nothing else.

He relaxes around a fireplace or a fire pit.

It works.

If you can find your element and immerse yourself in it, then you can find some peace.

YES! I never thought of it in these terms, but now that you've laid it out Gyps, yeah!! I have always said the ocean is my happy place. When I was at my most stressed with young kids, DH would shove me into the car and drive me out to the ocean. As soon as I can even smell it, I can feel my body physically let go. And while the ocean is my favorite, like you said, any body of water will do. A babbling brook or raging river, or even a meandering stream are a very close second.

For DH, it's earth. Get him to the mountains and amongst the trees, and he's good. Funny though, while things around the house won't bother him, outside it's a whole different story. Leaves on the lawn, acorns everywhere, patches of dead grass bother the crap out of him. Now I know why! His earth has to be in good shape for him to soak it in and get his relaxation from it. Ha!
 

4ever

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Dec 9, 2008
Messages
2,260
I'm terrible at relaxing, Im always doing something and just find it almost impossible to turn my brain off and chill. I'm actually jealous of people who are good at relaxing.

I can relax by;
Being asleep
Reading
Doing anything after having consumed a glass of wine

And that's actually it.
 

Maria D

Brilliant_Rock
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Joined
Jan 24, 2003
Messages
1,948
I do math problems! For me they are like crossword puzzles.
 

iwantsparkle

Shiny_Rock
Joined
May 25, 2016
Messages
308
I like to relax by:

-taking a bubble bath - I love Lush bath bombs
-watching tv with my cat and dog
-started gardening (elevated garden and pumpkins in the ground, etc)
-soapmaking hobby

if all else fails, I have my trusty old xanax :))
 

Gypsy

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Aug 8, 2005
Messages
40,225
rainydaze|1479302114|4099238 said:
Gypsy|1479275631|4099187 said:
My therapists believes that most people have elements that call to them.

For my husband and I that is true. For me it is water. For my husband it is fire.

I relax when I can hear the roar of the Ocean the crash of the waves. Or even just sit at the shore of a calm pond or lake. It relaxes me like nothing else.

He relaxes around a fireplace or a fire pit.

It works.

If you can find your element and immerse yourself in it, then you can find some peace.

YES! I never thought of it in these terms, but now that you've laid it out Gyps, yeah!! I have always said the ocean is my happy place. When I was at my most stressed with young kids, DH would shove me into the car and drive me out to the ocean. As soon as I can even smell it, I can feel my body physically let go. And while the ocean is my favorite, like you said, any body of water will do. A babbling brook or raging river, or even a meandering stream are a very close second.

For DH, it's earth. Get him to the mountains and amongst the trees, and he's good. Funny though, while things around the house won't bother him, outside it's a whole different story. Leaves on the lawn, acorns everywhere, patches of dead grass bother the crap out of him. Now I know why! His earth has to be in good shape for him to soak it in and get his relaxation from it. Ha!


AWESOME! I am happy that it works for others too.
 

monarch64

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Aug 12, 2005
Messages
19,221
Gypsy|1479275631|4099187 said:
My therapists believes that most people have elements that call to them.

For my husband and I that is true. For me it is water. For my husband it is fire.

I relax when I can hear the roar of the Ocean the crash of the waves. Or even just sit at the shore of a calm pond or lake. It relaxes me like nothing else.

He relaxes around a fireplace or a fire pit.

It works.

If you can find your element and immerse yourself in it, then you can find some peace.

I think this is very true, at least for me (and you and John!) I am an Earth sign, and what gives me complete peace is gardening, digging in the soil, growing things, feeling grounded.
 

Keeliamira

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Oct 30, 2016
Messages
497
I'm relatively new here and just discovered there's a whole lot going on the forum cafe so for now, I'm relaxing by reading through forum posts! I also love to play pvp video games that require strategy. Like lyra, I got into pvp games when I was dealing with chronic pain. Extra bonus? My six kids all play so I also relax cuddling with them while we game.
Other relaxation activities :
- Photography and photo editing (pics below)
- singing
- writing music
- cooking
- spending way too much time online treasure hunting and reselling (but hey, it funds the bank account so I have play money for bling!)

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