What Relaxes You?

[Deranged Nasat]

Mine is crytic crosswords ~ then again they can come back to haunt you at 4.30am when you suddenly wake up and say "Oh it's 'inopportune' ~ 'run into pope' ... it's an anagram ~ thankfully I have pen and paper at my bedside table.
I'm so sad

That's not sad; it's a sign of an active intellect.

I've always been hopeless as crosswords, sadly, cryptic or otherwise...

 

[Sigh]

The ocean. More than anything the sound of the waves crashing will relax my body and mind.

 

[Jetfire]

Music...booze...thinking about Cassidy Freeman. @ AY

 

[Admiral_Young]

^ Oh I've done a lot of thinking about Cassidy...and I get agitated with the sound of water. Either rain or waves crashing, etc. Don't like. Never have.

 

[Amaris]

One of the problems is getting in the mood though. My brain is so distracted by various random thoughts that I can't settle it down to listen to music or read.

Here's the thing right here. You don't need to find new relaxing hobbies. You need to relax your brain.

I used to put on whatever music reflected my current mood. If I was in a good mood, upbeat catchy songs. If I was sullen, I'd play slow sad music.

Then one day I discovered that I could use music to CHANGE my mood. Putting on upbeat music, with which I no doubt had subconsciously associated with being happy, I could actually change my mood from mopey to magnificent!

I highly recommend this:
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7WEKYAuCYo[/yt]

As for myself, I listen to music. If that doesn't work, I take a hot shower. If that doesn't work, I meditate. If THAT doesn't work, I go jogging. Finally, if I am not relaxed, I try it all over again. Lately it's very difficult to relax.

 

[Kestra]

My usual activities haven't been relaxing lately, so I'm shopping around for something new as well.

 

[Itisnotlogical]

Sanding a piece of wood is really calming. Even if I don't have a specific intent, just listening to the skrrt, skrrt sound and watching a shape take form is very peaceful. Oddly enough, it even works in my woodshop class, when all the power tools seem to always be running at once

 

[Admiral_Young]

Should have added that I get migraine headaches as well so I'm pretty particular with what kind of noise I surround myself with. Normally I have everything as quiet as possible with classical music on in the background down low.

 

[Lookingglassman]

A good book

 

[RandyS]

Should have added that I get migraine headaches as well so I'm pretty particular with what kind of noise I surround myself with.

Good god man, do you have the other half of my amulet?

 

[Admiral_Young]

^ Possibly. LOL Have you seen any of my previous medical update status threads over the last few years here?

 

[pookha]

a cup of tea.
time spent in the warm water physical therapy pool.
certain funny movies.

 

[Nick086]

taking a nap

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Baseball.

 

[think]

think has made some videos which work for him.

He mentioned them in this thread.

You might like to try those.

I still have not found that relax two 6.3 hr video., I should show up soon.

Music, especially classical. Reading. Surfing (the web, not the waves). Coloring.

Yes, I said coloring. When I'm at my most stressed, I can spend hours w/ markers or colored pencils, working on a complicated geometric design in a coloring book from Dover Publications. It's very soothing.

I sometimes make images that need coloring .. see the new art thread in misc. and you can print them out wait let me get you a link here. this link is to an album I scaned there are other images as well... in my picasa gallery are somethings i have done to relax me and to color if you will although I like drawing flowers to pass the time, it relaxes as well. I will have some new flower drawing up tonite.

^ Possibly. LOL Have you seen any of my previous medical update status threads over the last few years here?

i know morphine is a great one for knocking one out.. LOL

i relax when in tense pressure and stress by chanting (forming an ease in posture) I repeat some mantra over and over. or at times when I chant I will say whole passages or a sūtra or even singing and gospel song is a way to relax taken as yoga or karmic yoga-sūtras are an offering of a great blend of things when they happen.

think relax think

don't thing relax don't think

think relax and don't think at all.

the mind is as blank as it thinks it is.

 

[RandyS]

^ Possibly. LOL Have you seen any of my previous medical update status threads over the last few years here?

Oh probably. I can't say I recall them though.

 

[Roshi]

I lay the guitar. I'm no virtuoso but a few bends/hammer ons/pull offs do the trick for me.

I don't want to take the 'p' but hopefully you forgot it.

Obviously that was a keyboard malfunction!

 

[Tora Ziyal]

Music, especially classical. Reading. Surfing (the web, not the waves). Coloring.

Yes, I said coloring. When I'm at my most stressed, I can spend hours w/ markers or colored pencils, working on a complicated geometric design in a coloring book from Dover Publications. It's very soothing.

I sometimes make images that need coloring .. see the new art thread in misc. and you can print them out wait let me get you a link here. this link is to an album I scaned there are other images as well... in my picasa gallery are somethings i have done to relax me and to color if you will although I like drawing flowers to pass the time, it relaxes as well. I will have some new flower drawing up tonite.

Cool! I'll stop by the art thread; I haven't been there in a while.

 

[Kelthaz]

Playing a simple and short video game that I've beaten a thousand times already such as Mega Man, Sonic the Hedgehog, Super Mario Bros., etc. I like to do something mindless and allow my body to take over for a while.

 

[AJBryant]

I just watch this for a while.

It makes me feel good and restores balance to the universe.