How do you relax?

[Hieveryone]

They were shot if Fujifilm cameras and lenses...

iPhone's or whatever other smartphone can't reah that level of detail, colour and contrast.

Ok I didn't know that I'm not very knowledgable about cameras/photography
[doublepost=1557171478][/doublepost]Another question...

How OFTEN do you relax.

So for example, if you like to read, ride your motosports bike, watch netflix, and do photography...what would be the breakdown?

Read 30 mintues most nights?

Ride the bike on the weekend?

Photography whenever you find something amazing or maybe a trip every month to somewhere scenic?

I'm guessing Netflix would be daily haha

 

[macduke]

I'll take a stab at this because I have done quite a few different things and am always looking for new hobbies and interests.

I take walks while listening to music or podcasts on my breaks at work. I also take breaks by writing on MacRumors during the day, which helps clear my mind and lets me get back to work.

At home I recently started doing woodworking. Kind of expensive if you haven't already accumulated some tools over the years. So far I'm just making small things like cutting boards/serving platters while I slowly improve my skills with various tools and methods.

Being outside is also very relaxing to me. I like to chill on my back porch and listen to the birds in the forest. Sometimes I'm relaxed by editing photos but I do it so much for work any more that it's less relaxing now. It's more relaxing to edit them on my iPad kicked back while outside. I used to have a hammock at my old house but need to set up a new one in the forest since I don't have a good place to tie it off, which is tricky because it wasn't until recently that I installed a gate on the back of my fence so I can easily get to my land and it's going to take weeks of manual labor to clear the overgrowth.

Speaking of manual labor, that is relaxing to me to a certain point, kind of like the good feeling you get after exercise, except you made something so there is that good feeling of pride. I like landscaping but kinda finished up what I needed to do and my wife mainly takes care of the plants. Some people like my wife really like gardening and finds that relaxing. Finishing a basement is also a fun project that is very rewarding and relaxing.

Painting is a chill activity. Some people get stressed out by painting but if you screw up what you're making, just paint over it. No big deal. Keep going until it's good, and you can learn on cheaper canvas board and it's simpler if you start with acrylics. I like to make abstract paintings, where I just kind of work out some composition with broad fields of color and shading, and then I layer directed splatters of paint over that until I build up a complex pattern. Sometimes I'll also use india ink and put down drips and pick up the canvas and try to direct the ink flows using gravity, and then I'll fill in all the cells with color to try to make something more out of it, and sometimes I'll take the base sort of "randomness" and use the ink to paint in some additional elements and meld it together. If you post it online, someone might even buy it. I made a few thousand dollars once when a collector in Brooklyn bought some of my pieces.

Cooking can be relaxing. I like grilling and fine tuning things to produce quality meaty treats.

Operating R/C vehicles can be relaxing. I bought a micro drone for $20 on Amazon last year and it has provided many hours of fun and my kids love chasing it around. I also bought a micro R/C car for $10 at Walmart and its fun to drift around on the floor for a bit. I'd like to get more into R/C in the future. I used to have a little Airhogs plane that was $30 that flew amazingly well but they don't make it any more.

Looking at night sky objects through a telescope is a fun hobby. I used to use my dad's scope when I was younger. I have astronomy binoculars that I mount on a tripod but they aren't good for the deeper objects. Would like to get a bigger scope in the coming years and do more camping in the middle of nowhere while observing the skies and do image stacking of deep sky objects to produce beautiful images with my camera.

I used to do storm chasing for a hobby, but I wouldn't say it was relaxing. Exhilarating, yes. Relaxing? Nope. I bet some people find it relaxing. I was very nearly killed by a hidden rain wrapped tornado so I stopped.

Sometimes I'll just play video games to chill. Back in the day I used to tinker with building PCs which is an interesting hobby, especially if you're into gaming, and recently I've been getting back into that and learning about new components.

A lot of these things you can learn just by tinkering and watching YouTube tutorials. Lots of options. Some can be expensive, but just about any hobby you can start out at a lower level for a minimal investment, and a lot of gear can be bought second hand for cheaper.

 

[Matz]

Maybe branch out in your YouTube adventures... find something that gets you interested in making stuff with your hands, like latch-hooking rugs or some needlepoint or quilting. There are lots of instructive videos for beginners on just about any craft.

We were born wanting to handle things and mess around with them, right? Or satisfy that toddler's urge we all had to bang pots and pans together in the kitchen and learn how to become a grown-up drummer...

Amazing what can you can do with a little needle and thread on some old clothes to disguise a rip with an embroidered decoration or just add something that makes it unique instead of ordinary. Try it! What the heck, that old shirt was headed to the goodwill anyway right? Perfect canvas for your first decorating experiment. All you need is a couple skeins of cotton embroidery thread and some embroidery needles. Any craft shop has them, good to go in person at first instead of shopping online, can ask people for help and ideas, even get free classes at some places.

Sewing is good for relaxing, once you’ve learned the basics.

Meditating is also good, once you’ve learned the basics.

 

[bruinsrme]

I sit on my couch in my underwear with food that is bad for you, watch TV, and make annoying posts on MR.

 

[BigMcGuire]

I’m the kind of person who is always doing something. At best I take short breaks on YouTube, macrumors, and so on.

I’m not really into tv or any other hobbies. I’m not the kind of person to sit by the pool and drink a cocktail or just read a book.

I’m looking for tips on how to relax and what hobbies I could take up.

I really don’t have a hobby.

How do I relax? Well, first off, I don't mix hobbies and relaxing. My hobbies tend to be stressful sometimes (and expensive).

To relax: I get a sheet of paper (or my iPad with Apple Pencil) and go outside. I get a folding chair and set it in the direction of nature (trees/bushes/birds/etc...). I then sit down and breathe. As I'm doing this, thoughts start hitting me - and I write them down. Usually things to remember, things I want to do, things that I think are interesting. I'll do this for an hour or so. At the end of an hour I'll usually have 2-3 pages of information and I'll be SUPER relaxed.

I find doing this de-stressing action super beneficial once or twice a week.

Hobbies? I like batteries. So I buy / use Anker external batteries coupled with Anker's solar panels - and I try to go "off the grid" for my mobile devices pretending to not have access to power - to see how long I can last. This brings me a lot of happiness - recording battery usage and charges. I have a lithium ion flashlight that is rechargeable (Anker) as well.

Taking pictures makes me happy - just walking in my neighborhood taking macros of insects, flowers, pictures of the trees/clouds, etc...

Reading is a hobby of mine. Finding books with interesting titles - setting aside a few hours to read. I love history.

I like batteries, keyboards, pen, paper, books, and nature.


Everyone is going to have something different, that's what makes us unique.

 

[chown33]

I sit on my couch in my underwear with food that is bad for you, watch TV, and make annoying posts on MR.

And the cat says, "Farewell, bag."

 

[bruinsrme]

And the cat says, "Farewell, bag."

guess you didn't find the humor in this

 

[Martius]

I can't relax either, I still think about my "work" which is also my hobby (software developer). There is so much to learn.

I had a hobby (photography) which I have studied at the university, but since I have got my bachelor degree and I started to work all day, I really gave up on that. I can't really have a hobby, because I could not focus on my work. I can always focus only on one thing in the long term.

I wish I could take a break and relax, but after like 1-2 days of doing nothing, I start to get nervous and I have to do something. It's quite hard to be really productive / creative and still find some time to just turn your brain off. Doing some physical activity is good, I have to find more time for that.

 

[LizKat]

I wish I could take a break and relax, but after like 1-2 days of doing nothing, I start to get nervous and I have to do something. It's quite hard to be really productive / creative and still find some time to just turn your brain off. Doing some physical activity is good, I have to find more time for that.

Yah I homed in on my quiltmaking avocation a long time ago, while still working in infotech, realizing I was never going to be happy in retirement if I didn't have something to make me appreciate the difference between "on duty" and "off duty", or a work week and a weekend.

The appreciation that I also needed more sheerly physical activity came later for me. I'd get angry over some sewing or cutting error and finally discovered that only physical exercise would really let me blow off some steam and get back to remembering I'm just human. I was more naturally attuned to physical exercise in the city really, without regarding it as such: I didn't use my car during the week and so easily walked a few miles on most days just running errands and covering the gaps between public transportation and my actual points of departure and destination.

Up here in retirement I manage to relax every night for seven or eight hours, while sleeping. It's true that I play an audiobook when I kill the lights, but always have to rewind it the next night, so it's not at all clear that my audiobook routine is a necessary part of achieving my night-long timeout.

When I was working I used to unwind from the week sometimes --while heading back up here to the mountains and finally running out of traffic distractions when I got to the back roads-- by cranking some good driving music out the window to whatever wildlife was otherwise only perhaps getting bored by the sound of dew falling onto leaves, or that perhaps not just mythical sound of starlight.

After I got home up here I'd park the car and sometimes walk up into the meadow to listen for that faint "sound of starlight" myself, or for the small noises of little critters settling into shelter for the night. Took a walking stick along in case something else was up there too and also listening for those little voles or rabbits. Awesome to see an owl strike by the pale light of a quarter moon. Somewhat less awesome and certainly not relaxing to realize that coyotes don't always realize that guidebooks say they are usually quite wary of humans...

Now in retirement I do seek relaxation by going for a brisk walk when it's not raining or snowing. I've been known to do dance workouts in the kitchen when outdoor adventures are impossible but getting out in the fresh air on a nice day is more fun.

 

[metalsiren]

Have a cup of coffee and fire up a FPS on Xbox and enjoy the carnage.

Yes I have issues hence the video games

 

[Nhwhazup]

Yah I homed in on my quiltmaking avocation a long time ago, while still working in infotech, realizing I was never going to be happy in retirement if I didn't have something to make me appreciate the difference between "on duty" and "off duty", or a work week and a weekend.

The appreciation that I also needed more sheerly physical activity came later for me. I'd get angry over some sewing or cutting error and finally discovered that only physical exercise would really let me blow off some steam and get back to remembering I'm just human. I was more naturally attuned to physical exercise in the city really, without regarding it as such: I didn't use my car during the week and so easily walked a few miles on most days just running errands and covering the gaps between public transportation and my actual points of departure and destination.

Up here in retirement I manage to relax every night for seven or eight hours, while sleeping. It's true that I play an audiobook when I kill the lights, but always have to rewind it the next night, so it's not at all clear that my audiobook routine is a necessary part of achieving my night-long timeout.

When I was working I used to unwind from the week sometimes --while heading back up here to the mountains and finally running out of traffic distractions when I got to the back roads-- by cranking some good driving music out the window to whatever wildlife was otherwise only perhaps getting bored by the sound of dew falling onto leaves, or that perhaps not just mythical sound of starlight.

After I got home up here I'd park the car and sometimes walk up into the meadow to listen for that faint "sound of starlight" myself, or for the small noises of little critters settling into shelter for the night. Took a walking stick along in case something else was up there too and also listening for those little voles or rabbits. Awesome to see an owl strike by the pale light of a quarter moon. Somewhat less awesome and certainly not relaxing to realize that coyotes don't always realize that guidebooks say they are usually quite wary of humans...

Now in retirement I do seek relaxation by going for a brisk walk when it's not raining or snowing. I've been known to do dance workouts in the kitchen when outdoor adventures are impossible but getting out in the fresh air on a nice day is more fun.

I was retired for over a year and had way too much time to relax but really couldn’t. I got too antsy and bored. So I’m now working a part time job from at home. It’s very flexible with hours so I still have plenty of free time. To relax, I like to read, listen to Podcasts on my daily walk, have a glass of wine and veg out in front of the TV.

 

[Hieveryone]

Have a cup of coffee and fire up a FPS on Xbox and enjoy the carnage.

Yes I have issues hence the video games

I need to get back into Video games NOOOOOWWW!!!!! Omg I miss playing.

I have an Xbox one. Can you please tell me the hottest game right now? Preferably a first person shooter game like Call of Duty.

 

[RickGrimes]

I’m serious. I do this.

Then that’s a pretty sad way to relax. Bringing unemployment on people. Nice.

 

[chown33]

guess you didn't find the humor in this

Au contraire, mon ami.

 

[dk001]

Maybe get a couple houseplants. They could even become a thing, you just never know.

Anyway here's an article and video about a fairly impressive obsession copped to by a Cornell-trained environmental scientist, entomologist, activist, model and teacher named (yeah really her name) Summer Rayne Oakes. She got a couple houseplants once and has ended up with more than a thousand houseplants in her Brooklyn apartment, has branched out into helping with some Brooklyn community gardening, running a YouTube channel about houseplants, teaching people how to garden via an online houseplants masterclass. All that from once upon a time scarfing up a few houseplants from some supermarket or florist's shop to freshen the air in a Brooklyn apartment.

The Leafy Love Affair Between Millennials and Houseplants
​

The piece is from The New Yorker's Culture Desk (April 18, 2019).

Is that relaxation or obsession? Or obsessive relaxation? or ....
Wow.
[doublepost=1557186916][/doublepost]Relaxing ... Let's see ...

1. Wide leather recliner with a glass of Macallan.
2. Sitting or walking on the beach listening to the sound of the waves.
3. Meditation.
4. Just started some beginner yoga - not exactly relaxing yeeeeettttttt ....
5. For the really bad time I go on a hike. Moderate difficulty. For a few days.
6. Same leather recliner and watch my aquariums (African Cichlids).

One of them works - every time. Though sometimes it takes two.

ps: I have plants. Still, I managed to kill a rubber tree and a philo ...

 

[LizKat]

Is that relaxation or obsession? Or obsessive relaxation? or ....
Wow.

That's what I thought after seeing some of that video. I might be more aligned with the late Julia Childs, i.e., "everything in moderation.. including moderation." That leaves room for getting carried away once in awhile, right? But a thousand houseplants does seem way over the top to me.

I don't have cats here since my two ancient ones both moved on to the next life last spring and summer. So I'm thinking until another one shows up and owns me, I might actually round up a few cuttings of the houseplants I long ago gave away to friends around here to preserve them in absentia to to speak. Those plants were never gonna make it once the two cats divided up the sunny windowsills and made their ownership quite clear. I ended up with only one jade plant and even that finally bit the dust when I forgot to bring it in from the deck before frost one cold September night. Time will tell if I can manage to remember to water whatever few plants I do bring in here now. I am out of practice so I better get some plants that can take a joke.

 

[dk001]

That's what I thought after seeing some of that video. I might be more aligned with the late Julia Childs, i.e., "everything in moderation.. including moderation." That leaves room for getting carried away once in awhile, right? But a thousand houseplants does seem way over the top to me.

I don't have cats here since my two ancient ones both moved on to the next life last spring and summer. So I'm thinking until another one shows up and owns me, I might actually round up a few cuttings of the houseplants I long ago gave away to friends around here to preserve them in absentia to to speak. Those plants were never gonna make it once the two cats divided up the sunny windowsills and made their ownership quite clear. I ended up with only one jade plant and even that finally bit the dust when I forgot to bring it in from the deck before frost one cold September night. Time will tell if I can manage to remember to water whatever few plants I do bring in here now. I am out of practice so I better get some plants that can take a joke.

I'm hesitant. I live next to the beach yet managed to kill my rubber tree and philo ...

Black Thumb Alert!!

 

[metalsiren]

I need to get back into Video games NOOOOOWWW!!!!! Omg I miss playing.

I have an Xbox one. Can you please tell me the hottest game right now? Preferably a first person shooter game like Call of Duty.

if its FPS is the latest COD and BF5. there are other games that are good as well but I have 3 kids so hard to find time for those kid of games. an FPS is fast and I dont have to think just shoot lol

 

[44267547]

For me-

What I might consider ‘relaxing’, likely would be work for others, but I enjoy detailing my cars, that’s something I’m always passionate about, I like the look of a nice, clean performance car.

I enjoy the shooting range for target practice.

And probably the most relaxing I can think of, believe it or not, is actually weightlifting in the gym. I find I can zone in my own mind-set, work hard and yet the same time as much as it is physically taxing, it still relaxes me in the same respect. (<— Kind of an oxy-moron.)

 

[0388631]

Same leather recliner and watch my aquariums (African Cichlids).

Tell me more.

 

[Gutwrench]

Then that’s a pretty sad way to relax. Bringing unemployment on people. Nice.

I just sent you a meeting invite for Monday.

 

[dk001]

Tell me more.

Have two 60 gallon aquariums containing African Cichlids.
Have a leather recliner I kick back in and watch my fish - stress reliever. May add a glass of Macallan.
Allows me to mentally unwind.

 

[Apple fanboy]

For me-

What I might consider ‘relaxing’, likely would be work for others, but I enjoy detailing my cars, that’s something I’m always passionate about, I like the look of a nice, clean performance car.

I enjoy the shooting range for target practice.

And probably the most relaxing I can think of, believe it or not, is actually weightlifting in the gym. I find I can zone in my own mind-set, work hard and yet the same time as much as it is physically taxing, it still relaxes me in the same respect. (<— Kind of an oxy-moron.)

+1 on car detailing. I live a good clean car to drive round in.

 

[0388631]

Have two 60 gallon aquariums containing African Cichlids.
Have a leather recliner I kick back in and watch my fish - stress reliever. May add a glass of Macallan.
Allows me to mentally unwind.

Bow front, black water, what?!

 

[Apple fanboy]

I like to get out with my camera. Wildlife and landscapes mostly.

But if that’s not possible then chilling on MR or watching photography stuff on YouTube.
Watching F1 or football.

Spending time with Mrs AFB.

But mostly just working 24/7!