Ask HN: How Do You Relax? Bit of a different question than most of what usually gets discussed on HN, but I find myself occupied with work a lot and while I enjoy it a lot, it's draining. On top of that, I have ADHD, which makes it more difficult for me to really relax. What do you do for relaxation? |
Others can only be spotted from a distance. Wagtails are quite timid but can be seen running around sometimes, and the blackbirds can be heard a lot even if you don't see them. I've also spotted a couple of woodpeckers. And once the park fell suddenly still and I looked up and there was a kite passing by (they have been spotted nesting in a much larger park a couple of miles away).
If the park is busy, then I'll watch the dogs, people going by. I ponder about the futility of life. Just sit there silently, doing nothing.
It reminds me a lot of the YouTube channel "life in jars", he normally makes videos about microbiology and freshwater ecology in... jars!
But on top of that he also had a short series on gaining the trust of and befriending crows in his city.
Good incentive for me to try this out!
- Tabletop games, though probably 90% of this means either tinkering with games (as opposed to playing them, e.g. creating inserts or new pieces for them) and/or hanging out on BoardGameGeek dot com.
- Reading, mostly anthologies of fiction from Wildside Press which collect many works from the early/mid 20th century, purchasable DRM-free for $1-2 each (for anywhere from 300 to 1500 pages). (Not associated with them, but am a long-time happy customer.)
What does this entail?
Lifting some weights in a deserted gym - no music or people.
Stretching for 20 minutes before bed each day.
Getting a full night's sleep.
Going to a favourite restaurant once or twice a week. The rest of the time a simple, high fibre diet with lots of water, no alcohol, cigarettes or drugs.
Doing a part-time postgraduate course to boost some depth and variety to the often-times surface-level demands of work work.
I play ultimate frisbee. The read-and-react way you play that game was a nice reset from the push-my-brain-through-concrete-walls character of my work.
Before I retired, I started taking smoke breaks at work. I don't smoke, but if smokers can go outside for 15 minutes, so could I.
Baths/Sauna/Sports also work, do something that genuinely refreshes you. The mind/body is an ecosystem, not a linear battery.
I find watching and interacting with animals brings me back down to Earth. If I could talk to them I know all of the things I worry about would seem so strange to them. They just live in the moment and when I'm with them I live in the moment through them.
Other things I do I find my mind is still in worry mode – walking, reading, cooking, sleeping, etc.
Something about observing animals, thinking about what they're thinking and interacting with them turns that off for me. It's temporary, but it's nice.
* converse with my cat and dogs
* play games
* refactor personal code