Relax under the magnifying glass: What do we actually consider relaxation, and what impact can it have on our lives?
Imagine you have a free evening. How will you spend it? Will you watch your favourite show on TV or go for a run?
Now let's try to think together about what different styles of relaxation bring us.
When we take a moment to relax in bed with a book, we can enter another dimension, the world of our literary heroes. For writers, this experience can be valuable.
Like a book, we can relax with the television, even if it doesn't give as much room for our imagination.
Television helps us switch off and concentrate only on the screen. On the one hand, this can be a negative, both in terms of prolonged viewing - especially for our eyes - but also in terms of impoverishing our own imagination when we simply accept what we see and hear. I am not an opponent of television for children. I think it's good to talk to them about what they're watching. And so encourage the development of their imagination again.
Staying in front of the screen for longer can bring with it other unhealthy habits - like overeating. It's easy to get distracted during a show and add an extra bite...
The advantage of the rest mode is that we can rest practically anytime and anywhere. Just close your eyes for a while and listen to your favourite music.
There are many benefits to being active. We may feel a little tired physically after a sporting activity, but the mind is refreshed by such activity.
Playing sports releases endorphins, feel-good hormones that reward us for our efforts.
The downside of a more dynamic form of relaxation can be if we overestimate our abilities and it doesn't do us any good to rest.
Activity brings with it the joy of the activity, the process, learning new skills, and often learning about ourselves.
Speaking for myself, although I try to be active in my spare time, I often prefer passive rest in the form of sleep because it helps me the most.
Sleep is a healing process; the lack of it can affect our entire day. Still, an excess of sleep is not good, then we can paradoxically feel more tired. For me, sleep is especially important in terms of being busy during the day while taking care of two little girls.
However, I must admit that I have a lot of help from my family and other work during part of the week.
Still, when I have to choose how to rest, sleep is my most common choice.
How do you most often rest? Why do you prefer this type of rest?
