I've been away for quite awhile, and although I've been my characteristic overly-stressed self, I've found a love of making things in PhotoShop! I'm not super great, but I was messing around today after work to try and relax, and I made this for you all (with some help from rd95):
So what do you do to unwind and decompress? I've been working on my mental health recently, and I'm curious what good habits you all find yourself in.
When I really want to wind down, I often just put my headphones on and listen to good music on my couch for a while. I've also found designing something to be therapeutic, especially making neat and orderly subway maps in Illustrator: (WIP) If I want to be a bit more engaged, I usually play some Rocket League or Arma III. Or I tidy my room, do some chores that I didn't get around to earlier.
Have you ever heard of the game Mini Metro? You do this exact thing, and they have a mode to where you can't lose and your metro lines just grow forever.
insomniasexx thenewgreen that logo is a magnet/tshirt goldmine.
insomniasexx, he's right. If we play our cards right we could sell 2-3 t-shirts a year at 0% margin. There's gold in them there hills! I kid. Kind of. It's a cool image, for sure. Would you buy that t-shirt flag?
I'm a smidgen surprised that not one active member has taken up silk-screening as a hobby for some period of time or another. I can do a decent bleach-stencil t-shirt, but something like kingmudsy 's creation requires something a bit better than low effort tie-dye.
Not especially. With bleach shirts it's difficult to get lots of fine, lean lines. You could do a straight up hubski logo no sweat. Depending on the brand of undershirt you use you can even make the bleached bits different colors. I have one with a stencil of the 40k Eye of Horus on it. If I can find it i'll post a pic.
Piano! The apartment I moved into fresh outta college just so happened to have an older upright. The thing is terribly out of tune, a few of the keys stick, and the action is shot to hell but I love the thing so much. Any day, no matter how rough work is or how exhausted I feel, I can always find time for a song or two. I'm so lucky to have gotten into piano when I was a kid. Being able to carry something like that around with me - I'm planning on getting an electric keyboard later this year for when I end up moving again - is so immensely satisfying. And on the nights I'm too tired to play, having playlist after playlist of upbeat music (mostly hard bop and an irresponsible amount of Yoko Kanno) brings me down and right back up again. Sorry if the answer seems a bit out of sorts but I find that my "winding down" usually involves a lot of "winding up" on the tail end. I've got things like RainyMood when I need to seriously get to sleep or completely power down, but the best stress relief and mental rewiring I've found is equal parts relaxation and excitation.
I can so relate to this! I play guitar to unwind and, if I'm having a particularly stressful day, sometimes I'll start playing scales and suddenly realized that it's been an hour or two. Lately, I've been playing classical more than anything else, and it's really so lovely. Music is wonderful, and letting your brain focus on something creative feels really great.
Dancing. Not serious dancing, but like the ridiculous stuff you do when "that" song comes on the radio. I'll usually wait until everyone in my house is gone, go to a random part of my playlist, and just dance. It isn't attractive, but it is unbelievable fun. I find myself most at peace with the world around me in those moments. A personal favorite song to throw on is Canned Heat by Jamiroquai.
Gardening! Something I never thought would pique my interest as a young male who enjoys contact sports and loud music. It started after a trip to the market with my SO for a few small plants and has turned into my happy place of fruits, veggies and flowers. It's extremely relaxing and meditative. Theres something unexplainably fulfilling about working with soil and Mother Nature. Being able to cook with freshly picked, organic ingredients is a great perk too!
I love to crochet. I typically have a couple different projects going on at once. The plan after work today was to play Fallout 4 after work but with the nasty weather I decided to work on my blanket instead. Can't run the Xbox if the power goes (and if it got fried while I was playing it mi marido would kill me) but I can crochet by the light of candles/led candles just fine. Something with a super simple pattern that doesn't require much counting is actually kind of meditative.
I have a few things. Kung fu training is a big one. I do that twice on Monday (once for an hour and then for 3-4 hours) and then Wednesday and Friday (3-4 hours each) is a good one, and I always feel better after I'm done, even on my most incompetent-feeling days. Reading can help too. I'll often treat myself to lunch on Sundays, and one of my favorite things is to take a good book to some local joint or another and just hang out. Eat, read, get hopped up on caffeine. Other times I just get some alcohol (beer or bourbon) and camp out in front of my computer for some combination of video games, TV/a movie, and the web. Pretty much what I'm doing right now, in fact....
I make music. I drink wine. Or bourbon. I play with my kids. (Not in that order)
Books, video games, movies and TV. For me it's about immersing myself in a world or a story that can distract me from my own anxious thoughts. Lots of time playing video games while listening to an audiobook.
How long have you been playing video games listening to audiobooks? I realized of late that I haven't been playing music when I game as much, which can make grind-oriented games one hell of an unpleasant experience. I like the idea of listening to audio books instead a lot.
For quite a while. A video game has to have extremely good music or be very immersive or intense for me to not mute it. Subtitles are almost always an option nowadays so I rarely feel as if I'm missing much from the game. I first started listening to my own music instead when playing, but over the last decade I've been listening to more and more audiobooks and podcasts, so I started listening to them while playing so I could get through more of them.
i exercise: walk - run - speed bag - jump rope I play the piano: improvisation mostly I tackle something new: lately that is learning to juggle, eventually learning to juggle on a slackline Walking outside, in a meditative way - where I focus on my internal balance through my breath - on outward to the weight displacement in my feet, and the movement of my body, with a direction of further engaging in as effortless of a manner, i would say is the most grounding, due to the ability to practice this anywhere I can walk - even if that means in tight circles - and look like a looney. Also - waking up and getting of bed immediately - setting my intent for the day, practicing yoga, routine work I find the ability to unwind in - even if I'm doing the same thing I've been doing for the last two years, is helpful in getting the mind to unwind - and not get too wound up
I haven't really figured that out. Usually I just get restless and do more work. When I really need to unwind I need to get away, do something outdoors and exhaust myself to the point were all I can do is read and nap. Sometimes I play video games. I really got into Stellaris and played for 2 weekends straight but I haven't had any desire to pick it up again. Im too old to play competitive games competitively but I can still occasional have fun playing rocket League.
My typical weekend is to go out for breakfast, exercise and then wind out the evening with something mindless like watching TV. Except I've rewatched my fill of Top Gear and am out of new Adventure Time and Rick and Morty episodes. Tonight I opted for reading (at home) for the first time in a while. I find this really relaxing. Both the routine and the things themselves are relaxing. Weekdays are like abbreviated weekends. Try to exercise if time and weather cooperate, and maybe stop for coffee and a scone on the way to work. The coffee shop I go to is independent, and the people remember me. That's nice. The exercise took some time to become part of the routine and be relaxing. But now it's one of my favorite things. A slow run that just goes on and on is great for calming my mind. I think about nothing other than pavement (cracks or holes), my legs (am I landing correctly), my breathing, any obstacles (cars, bikes, other runners) and maybe food and water on a really long run. Anything else, any worry, is simply set aside. Do you occasionally check your pocket to make sure your keys are still there? I do. It will sometimes cross my mind while running and then get dismissed without touching my zipper pocket. The run comes first, and distractions just cause me to screw up one of the important things. It's all really therapeutic for me.
What are you reading? I picked up The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran recently (since it's a classic, and I've never read it), and enjoyed it, short though it was. I also run, and yes, I also check to make sure my keys haven't fallen out! I've been meaning to go on a run for the last few days, but it's been up in the 100's and I haven't braved the heat.
I just started The Martian by Andy Weir. I bought it months ago when the movie came out and am finally getting to it. I think it's going to be a quick, fun read. On Saturday I finished River of Doubt, a book about Teddy Roosevelt's decent down a previously unexplored river in Brazil. It's a really good read and gave me a better understanding of how 19th century exploring worked. It's written by Candice Millard, and she does a fantastic job of presenting facts in a captivating way. I usually don't care for non-fiction, but this was a great read. Do you live near water? When it's really hot I'll rent a kayak and paddle around on a lake near me. Just don't forget to wear sunscreen.
kingmudsy, is there any chance you could fill out this image a bit more? So it doesn't look so cropped? If so, I'll print out a handful of these for when I go antiquing/bookhunting/fucking around and leave them on random shelves. It's that cool. Edit: Like these guys . . .
Actually, I was kind of hoping to have more of the TV in there. It's kind of cut off on all four corners. As for the site name? That's not necessary. I print the web address in small black text on the back. :) . . . I need to learn how to use GIMP. Edit: If you don't have a full image, could you use this?
Bubble bath in a pitch black bathroom for me, with some music or an audiobook going. One day I'll have a bath tub that I can fit in : / Living in an apt with a 5' tub is lame.
Yard work has always been oddly calming for me, too. People tell me I'm weird for this, but I also find myself loving to take showers in the dark. Kind of similar to the bubble bath, it's just enjoyable because of the lack of sensory input. Makes it very easy to think about life's problems :)
You're not alone in this lot. Came to a point where I just leave the lights off if I'm going to take a shower, even in the daytime. Much more relaxing, in my opinion. Occasionally, I'll put on some Trevor Hall in the background.People tell me I'm weird for this, but I also find myself loving to take showers in the dark.