Existing is difficult. What are your favorite ways to unwind / chill out?
I personally have gotten really into crafting. Doesn’t take much in terms of tools and it feels good to get good at something without thinking about making money. My family also loves the gifts :)
16 hours sleep and worldbuilding with dream
Good old-fashioned sleep.
Also, I use Minetest to play a variety of games.
I would also daydream about a Communist utopia, but be too spent to write it out.
Minecraft and StepMania with my sibling.
I also love making music and cooking and taking goofy pictures of my dog.
I am really ingrained into gacha game mindset. Nowadays I quit HoYo titles and WuWa after the community went worse. I’m currently playing Duet Night Abyss and Where Winds Meet and planning to replace DNA with Arknights: Endfield.
I usually have a one-hour nap after work. It resets my mindset and makes me a lot more motivated to do things in the evening. I also have tea and read a lot. Some games are nice, I’ve been playing Cobalt Core and Silksong recently.
IMO there is no better way to recharge, than going for long walks without devices. Also meditating.
I like playing piano, reading audiobooks, and knitting, but I don’t know if I’d call those rechargers.
I play a lot of Magic: The Gathering with friends and my local community. As others have said nature is the shit, hiking, camping, walks, biking etc. also gardening if you have that option. Reading, writing & watching films while I leave my phone in the other room as to not get distracted. I’ve also recently gotten into bouldering and loving the sport.
drawing, listening to music or looking for posts here to free myself of the barrage of propaganda
I try my best to keep focused on learning music theory/piano. I am getting quite a collection of synths that I want to engage with better. One joy of playing an instrument is when you really lock in, words just stop going through the mind. Only melody and emotions flow.
that’s really cool! what kinds of thing do you like to play/learn?
Gonna be honest, can’t play any songs. But I have triad chords down and can sort of do one handed arpeggios over an octave. At least in the key of C.
hey, no shame in that! everybody’s gotta start somewhere. are you using a book or any study materials to help give you some structure?
if you (or anyone reading this) ever have any questions in your musical journey, whether it be related to music theory, piano technique or otherwise feel free to shoot me a DM.
I signed up for Pianote which I’ve had mixed success. Since it is just online videos I am always worried about forming bad habits such as how to rest my hands properly and not having anyone there to correct it. I looked into taking in person lessons but every offering around the my area is so far outside of my financial means I just gave up trying.
I might shoot you a DM!yeah, obviously there’s no real substitute for a teacher but it’s often outside of people’s means because it can get expensive. i haven’t looked at apps like pianote before, but what you really want is some sort of structure for exactly how and what to practice. if you’re not getting that from pianote, i would suggest looking into beginner books made for adults, you might even be able to find one on anna’s archive. and, if there’s content missing from the book that you’d like to learn or are curious about maybe pianote could still be good as a secondary resource
don’t worry too much about doing everything absolutely correctly, because we all make mistakes and develop bad habits sometimes. i still have issues with posture haha. but, we always correct others better than we correct ourselves, and one way to help build that dynamic for yourself is by recording yourself, either with video or even just audio. that way you can fully assess yourself without having to assess yourself in the moment. you can get a definitive answer to “is my back actually straight?” for example.
yup, any question and i’m all ears. good luck!
I really enjoy playing classical guitar but haven’t ever reached that “flow state”
How do you like guitar, or better phrased would be applying music theory through guitar?
I’m lucky to have space to have a large garden and a flock of chickens. Nothing outside the fences exists when I am watching my little t-rexs chase bugs or roll around in the dirt or when I am digging or weeding.
Potatoes are coming up in the next couple days.
Sounds very good for the soul :)
I play in a dungeons and dragons game once a week. That really helps with the escapism and letting loose
Hell yeah! I’ve tried to play but scheduling always seems to get in the way…
I like meditation, tea/espresso, and reading fiction. I also play video games, but that’s less relaxing and more stimulating, if that makes sense?
I never find myself feeling 100% rested after playing video games. When I’m trying to get some reading done hopping on a mindless game and listening to an audio book really helps me absorb the info though.
Nice! Audiobooks just don’t work for me, but I appreciate their convenience!
I listen to podcasts or YT videos while playing a simple flash game called Bubble Spinner. Because the game doesn’t require any real thinking, it actually helps me to focus on what I’m listening to.
Wow, haven’t seen a flash game in ages. What a throwback! Now I want to play one.
They can be a lot of fun, for sure! If you’re interested, I use Flashpoint Archive: https://flashpointarchive.org/
That is entirely my relationship with Path of Exile. I have difficulty listening to podcasts / audiobooks without it because I feel like I need something to do with my hands to absorb anything
Despite being involved in politics a lot I don’t really care about politics in any way. It is not my passion.
So my normal life consist of other things. My biggest passion in life is nature. I garden a lot, trying to create more biodiversity on my city balcony. Grow native plants and some food for myself. Herbs, veggies, fruits, that kind of things. I also go out to hike often.
Furthermore the gym is a place I frequent a lot. I like to keep myself active and keep myself fit and strong. Partly because of politics, partly because I don’t want to become a fragile old man later on like many people in my family did. Plus I like working out, so.
Currently my evening routine consists of reading Star Wars while drinking tea and listening to classical music, which I recently discovered I like a lot. The current star Wars serie I’m reading consists of 19 books and I have 17 more to go so it’ll keep my busy for a whole.
It’s good to keep doing your own thing. After all the majority of people don’t care about politics and the best way to stay in touch with them, I think, is to keep doing things you like and finding like minded people you can talk with.
Yeah, I’m trying to pursue more activities outside of reading theory so I can have more in common with my community. Being a politics nerd is great but your average person won’t respect you until you’ve already built a connection with them.
Video games have long been my go to for active relaxation (though the persistently obnoxious situation of the industry is part of what moved me politically >.<). For more passive chillout, ASMR. Fiction writing can be nice for creative expression.
I still want to learn knitting, but got stuck on technique the last time I tried. I just have to sit down with it for a while and be patient with myself about it.
Knitting is so hard! My stubby fingers were not built for that kind of fine motor work lol
Video games + audio book is absolutely goated combo
Video games + audio book is absolutely goated combo
For sure. I’ve done this combo with theory in audio form sometimes, in order to help motivate me to do it / help with concentration. As long as it’s rote enough gameplay, it can actually help me take in the theory better. Though I only do it as an occasional thing because it makes what would normally be relaxing more like work.
