Is “work hard and play harder” one of your life’s central mantras? If it is, there’s a good chance that you’re always looking for new ways to use your relaxation time more effectively. The best ways to relax are ones that help you recharge your body while making you feel like you’ve truly made the most of your time – things that make you feel like you have more time than you actually have.
One of the best ways to make more effective use of your relaxation time is by changing your habits periodically – by doing things other than the typical routine of going home and playing computer games or watching TV shows until you’re tired enough to go to sleep. In this article, we’re going to give you a few ideas that you might not have thought of before. If you want to unwind more effectively than ever, this is the guide for you. These are a few of the best ways to relax after a long day of work.
Buy a Vape Pen
Vaping is one of the best ways to enhance your relaxation time – and that has become truer than ever in recent years with the introduction of a wide range of federally legal cannabinoids such as CBD, Delta-8, Delta-10 and more. All that you need is a vape pen and some 510 cartridges, and you’re ready to get started. Many people find that cannabinoids such as Delta-8 are helpful for pain relief and for falling asleep at night, but they can also have recreational uses. Try vaping some Delta-8 while enjoying your favorite movie or concert video – you’ll never have another experience quite like it.
Listen to a Baseball Game on the Radio
If you’re a sports fan, there’s a good chance that you watch most of your games on TV. Maybe you even subscribe to your favorite sport’s streaming service, so you’ll never miss a game. Nothing quite beats having the ability to see games as they happen, so you probably only listen to radio broadcasts if you’re driving when a game is on.
If you’re looking for a new way to relax, though, it’s time to embrace the idea that listening to a game rather than watching it is actually an excellent way to kick back. Did you know, for instance, that some people love to take naps while listening to baseball games on the radio? Lie down, close your eyes and drift off to sleep while you visualize the action on the field – it’s an incredibly pleasurable to way to enjoy your leisure time.
Go for a Walk in Your Favorite Park
Electronic devices are more entertaining today than they ever were in the past. Thanks to the Internet, there’s always something interesting to read or watch – and if you want to take a more active role in consuming content, there are also more video games available than any one person could ever find the time to play. One thing about sitting around playing with your computer or game console, though, is that you’ll tend to realize after a while that hours have gone by without you feeling like you’ve actually relaxed at all.
Part of the problem is the blue light from video screens. Blue light tends to disrupt the body’s circadian rhythms, leaving you feeling awake and agitated. To make matters worse, the fact that you’ve spent so much time in front of a screen will also make it more difficult for you to fall asleep at night.
Instead of spending your evening staring at a bright screen, go for a walk at your favorite local park. Even light exercise can be good for your cardiovascular health, and spending an evening in natural rather than artificial light will help to ensure that you’ll be able to fall asleep at the appropriate time.
Read a Gamebook
If you were a child during the ‘80s or ‘90s, there’s a good chance that you fondly remember the “Choose Your Own Adventure” series of books for children. The books were famous for being almost like portable games in that they allowed readers to control the outcomes of the stories to a certain extent. If you’re still the type of person who still prefers interactive entertainment as an adult, it’s likely that you’re a fan of video games. As you learned from reading the previous section of this article, though, video games are actually not particularly good for relaxation because there’s no way to avoid the blue light that prevents you from feeling tired at the appropriate time.
If you’re the sort of person who appreciates interactive entertainment but wants to play in a way that’s a bit more relaxing, you should try reading a gamebook. Gamebooks are a bit like the “Choose Your Own Adventure” books of the past, but they allow for significantly more freedom in terms of the choices you can make and the way your character evolves. A gamebook usually assigns statistics to your character – such as strength and intelligence – and often includes dice rolling for added randomization. You can only succeed by building your character carefully and by making the right choices. Reading a gamebook is an excellent alternative to spending the evening in front of a screen.
Meditate
Maybe the reason why you find it difficult to relax after a long day of work doesn’t have anything to do with the fact that you can’t keep yourself away from your TV or game console – perhaps the problem is that you can’t stop your mind from replaying the events of the day, or maybe you have difficulty controlling your feelings of anxiety about the future. In both of these cases, you may find meditation extremely beneficial.
Meditation is a great way to relax, and it’s also a very effective way to clear the mind of unwanted noise. The best part is that anyone can do it, and it requires no expertise at all. To meditate, just start by finding a comfortable place to sit or lie down. Clear your mind and focus on a single thought. Some people find it helpful to focus on a simple sound called a mantra, and others prefer to focus on their breathing. While you meditate, it’s likely that your mind will wander occasionally; simply accept it and return to your point of focus. Before long, you’ll find it easy to slip into a meditative state whenever you need a moment of relaxation.
