5 Activities to Help You Relax and Recharge

The pandemic, inflation, political unrest, gun violence—with the world growing increasingly complicated and more clustered, finding hobbies that help us relax and recharge to prepare for the chore of the next day isn't as easy as it used to be. But we all need an activity that helps us chill.

Carving out a half hour here and there seems almost impossible for most of us. On the flip side, if we don't take time for ourselves, we're actually shooting our productivity in the foot. Think about it. Have you ever pulled an all-nighter? You were pretty burnt out the next day, yeah? Well, it's the same logic. If you don't address the burnout, it just piles up.

As an experienced procrastinator, I know all too well about burnout. To help myself cope, I started leaving the last hour before I fell asleep to myself. I force myself to bed by 9:15 every night. So, from 8:15-9:15 is my time to recharge. Personally, blocking this single hour to myself was a harder task than I'd ever imagined. I had to learn to manage my procrastination, forcing myself to do tasks now instead of later. While it's difficult, blocking an hour for yourself to relax is not impossible.

5: Coloring and Music~

Personally, I use a meditation coloring book and markers; I spent around $40 getting them, so the barrier to entry isn't that high. Anyway, coloring is a worthwhile activity because it lets me get really focused on establishing a pattern. And the reason I use markers is that, whenI make a mistake, I can't fix it—I'm forced to improvise. That's how I create the most beautiful designs.

I'm furtive and uneasy if I don't have something to do with my hands. That's why I love to color. Usually, I'll just have Spotify running in the background as well. To that end, the typeof music I listen to is equally important. When I color, I don'twant music that makes me vibe to the beat. I want music that's as least intrusive as possible because I want music to boost my concentration, not distract me; I put on nature sounds—I sound like a grandma, huh?

These are my two favorites:

Campfire ambience; reminds me of the woods

Rain and thunder; reminds me of drinking hot chocolate while it's pouring out.

4: Reading and Tea~

I can't read for hours on end; ironically, that's why I read. I might only read for 30-45 minutes at a time, but that's precisely why reading helps me relax and recharge. For that 30-45-minute period, I'm completely focused on what's happening.

As for reading paperbacks or reading on kindle, (definitely neverread on your phone—way too distracting) I usually prefer paperbacks if I have the luxury of choice. While it's not economically friendly, there's a distinct feeling of holding the book in your hands that I love. But, as a college student, money is in short supply, at least that's the excuse I give myself when I pirate books online.

Mint tea is the second part of making this work. It's hard to explain why it works other than that you should give it a shot. And if mint tea doesn't work, try another flavor—there's a near endless variety!

Okay, I'm going to cheat a little.

3.5: Finding Books~

In case you couldn't already tell, I love visiting book stores. But the hack is that I don't actually buybooks at bookstores. Rather, I findbooks that I later pirate online. I'm the type of person who only buys books I've already read and loved. It's like a tribute; paying the author because I loved the book so much.

Reading book recommendation blogs online isn't as helpful because I know my taste better than anyone else. That's why I'll spend hours at a bookstore on weekends sifting through books until I find one that's worth reading. I’ll snap a picture of the cover and pirate it online when I get home to read on my kindle.

As for finding tea flavors, that's more complicated.

3.25: Finding Tea~

I'm a little embarrassed to say that usually, I find most of the flavors I love by chance. Usually, when I'm shopping at the supermarket, I'll stumble on a flavor that looks interesting and impulse buy it (totally not what I do for books, I know). Most of the time, I won't be a recurring customer, but it's fun to experiment with new tastes. That first time I brew a cup with the new, unknown flavor is a big reason I purchase it in the first place: it's a surprise when I taste it.

Right now, mint tea is sitting on my shelf. But who knows? Next time I go shopping, I might pick something else up.

3: Walking and Audiobooks~

I use the Sony WH-1000MX4 (horrible name; I know). These headphones are on the higher end, ranging from $300-400. But honestly, you don’t need them. Since most of us have some sort of listening technology, I wouldn't worry about buying new or better tech.

For those of you who don't have audible, audible offers a month free trial with two free audiobooks.

Audiobooks don't work for many people I know. So, just like everything on this list, try it, and if doesn't work for you, try something else. Personally, I retain more information listening than I do if I read—audiobooks work great for me. I remember before my 11th grade AP English final; we were supposed to have read Huckleberry Finn. Since I hated reading Mark Twain (the language was wayyyy too complicated), I listened to the 10-hour audiobook the weekend before. That's another benefit of audiobooks. I can listen to hours on end without stopping, whereas if I read, I have to take breaks in between. I did great on the final exam, by the way!

Anyway, audiobooks work best for me when I'm walking (I can't just be sitting and listening). Thankfully, there are several trails where I live. When I'm feeling like I need some fresh air, I grab my headphones and find a new trail.

Another important factor to know is that walking is actually the only proven activity that will lengthen your lifespan. Give it a shot! That's another thing about this list. I engage in all these activities in varying degrees. It's not like I color every day. I might do it once a week.

2: Piano and Headphones~

While I wish I were a professional pianist, I settle for being a casual lover. I've admired musicians ever since I could remember. It always struck me as beautiful how they can create such elaborate music. So, I bought a $200 digital keyboard over the pandemic.

Why not, I thought. I have all this time at home, anyway.

It was one of the best decisions of my life. At first, I played a lot of classical piano because that’s what my piano teacher suggested. But eventually, I started going my own way. As an avid anime lover, I found myself increasingly attracted to Japanese pop. Eventually, when I knew enough to stand on my own two legs, I stopped taking lessons.

I mentioned headphones because I'm sure I'm not alone when I say that I don't have enough confidence to let other people hear me practice. So, remember those Sony headphones? Well, here's another use for them. Since I have a digital keyboard, I plug them in and play away.

Staying consistent with the theme of broke college student, I don't think it's any surprise when I say I don't pay for sheet music. Thankfully, MuseScore exists.

Simply search up the sheet music you want to play and screenshot the pages before printing them out.

1: Journaling and Rap~

Out of everything on this list, journaling is definitely the hardest—even harder than learning piano! I don't think I'm alone when I say I'm scared someone is going to read my journal. More than that, it's hardto express ourselves on paper because we're completely open and vulnerable. It's difficult to admit our shortcomings, and the truths about ourselves we would rather not confront.

Maybe that's why pop and rap music work so well in this situation. Depends on a case-by-case basis, of course, but some of the rap music I listen to tackles complex problems in life, such as childhood difficulties, problems with love, and everything in between. Listening to others in this way helps me express myself.

That's not to say I've figured it all out. There are days, more than I'd like to admit, when I'll simply refuse to journal because I'm too overwhelmed. For me, I find the journaling advice online unhelpful because if I'm too happy, or too sad, or any emotion is too powerful, I can't journal it out because I'm in the grips of said emotion—sounds weird, huh?

I definitely don't journal every day. But when I do, it really helps me center myself. I can examine my life through a bird's-eye view because I'm not writing consumed by anger or fear, leading to an overly dark view of my life. On the flip side, I'm not writing when I'm at a high point either, because that leads to an overly positive outlook. I write when I'm down to earth and objective.

How did I get over the fear of keeping a journal? I didn't. Instead of keeping a paper journal, I write on my computer. I figured that it's much less likely to be read by unwelcome eyes since it’s password protected. And so far, I've been right.

Help yourself relax; you'll thank me later. - Author Anonymous

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