I’m writing this from my new residence at school. There were a lot of hitches with packing stuff and moving in. And since my packing into this place(which is a bit temporary) was sort of last minute, I kept feeling like I would forget something at home. There’s a reason I detest packing last minute. And that’s because the chances that you would forget to pack something is almost always certain.
Anticipatorily, I’d made a list a few weeks ago so it was quite easy to simply cross off things as I packed. However, the whole process was still a hassle so as I moved in a few hours ago and got settled, I knew I’d have to apply any of my unwinding activities. As it’s already dark and I’m not a fan of late-night movements, I decided to get a chair to the porch and enjoy the evening breeze.
I can’t even begin to enumerate what this does for my nerves. Sitting outside of the house, with probably lo-fi music or R&B playing softly in my ears. Or maybe even a book in my hand. And then I let the cool breeze and nature do their job in calming me from whatever tense feelings I had. I don’t know if a lot of people experience it but I literally feel the knots loosening in my chest and the rest of my body. It’s therapeutic beyond belief, just what basking in the evening breeze could do. It’s an alternative to taking a walk. I do like walks since that extra exercise benefit is available. But sitting in a place and allowing your mind and body to rest feels like more of a sublime experience.
I realize now that I’d already mentioned one of the other things I do to unwind but because I feel like it deserves a paragraph on its own, I’ll give it that honour. A friend of mine couldn’t hide her amusement when she saw me picking up a novel to read. And she was like, “You’ve been reading schoolwork for hours and you said you were tired and needed to rest, why are you reading another book?” When I told her reading a non-academic book helped me relax, she gave me the weird look that she gives me till now. Like I’m a different species or something.
But I don’t think it’s anything to be ashamed of. I understand that it may seem weird that someone recovers from the tiredness of reading by reading more. But it’s been my peace and safe space for as long as I can remember. The fact that I mentally let go of my world and its unsettling realities for a few hours to get lost in a story and a dimension that bears no semblance to my reality is an exhilarating experience on its own. I get the giggles just thinking about it. But yeah, it gives me the balance I need and whatever fear or tension I had while doing anything stressful is immediately allayed and my mood becomes stabilized.
This next one may be a little too personal but I’ll share it anyway. Taking a shower is more than liberating for me. When I’m tensed or I just feel like my mind is tipping off the scales, taking a shower and having it just course through, I’d feel the stress or whatever worries, at least for that time seeping away, like it’s flowing down and away with the water. Of course, I realize the necessity to be conservative with water and I don’t indulge in this particular activity too often. Mostly use it as a last resort but I just felt the need to put it cause of its importance.
And lastly, talking to a loved one. I didn’t think this was an activity that alleviated my stress till recently. But yeah, several times, if I talk to someone I really care for, I’d feel my negative moods shifting away and balance restoring to me. It’s not something I take lightly, the value of talking to a loved one. I find it rather liberating. And soon enough, I’d forget my worries and I’ll soon enough be laughing. It does pay to have the right people around you, and I do so I utilize it in the best way I can.
That’s about it. Everyone needs a good tension-lifter, something to make them unwind. And no matter what it is, as far as it’s right and makes you relax, its value would be immeasurable. That’s the question the Minimalist Community through #kiss wants to know. What helps you unwind?
Images are mine.
