alt.hn

4/4/2026 at 7:37:24 PM

Ask HN: How Do You Relax?

by azeirah

4/5/2026 at 3:56:27 AM

I walk to the park during slow hours, sit on a bench, wait for a bunch of sparrows to come, and then I give them some sunflower seeds. Sometimes -but not often- a magpie will approach too. You have to be quiet for birds to come near and fairly calm for them to approach you at all.

Others can only be spotted from a distance. Wagtails are quite timid but can be seen running around sometimes, and the blackbirds can be heard a lot even if you don't see them. I've also spotted a couple of woodpeckers. And once the park fell suddenly still and I looked up and there was a kite passing by (they have been spotted nesting in a much larger park a couple of miles away).

If the park is busy, then I'll watch the dogs, people going by. I ponder about the futility of life. Just sit there silently, doing nothing.

by genezeta

4/5/2026 at 8:22:28 AM

This sounds lovely! This definitely sounds like the kind of thing that would really work well to let all the stresses of the everyday wash off!

It reminds me a lot of the YouTube channel "life in jars", he normally makes videos about microbiology and freshwater ecology in... jars!

But on top of that he also had a short series on gaining the trust of and befriending crows in his city.

Good incentive for me to try this out!

by azeirah

4/4/2026 at 7:41:51 PM

- Programming and/or documenting personal projects

- Tabletop games, though probably 90% of this means either tinkering with games (as opposed to playing them, e.g. creating inserts or new pieces for them) and/or hanging out on BoardGameGeek dot com.

- Reading, mostly anthologies of fiction from Wildside Press which collect many works from the early/mid 20th century, purchasable DRM-free for $1-2 each (for anywhere from 300 to 1500 pages). (Not associated with them, but am a long-time happy customer.)

by sgbeal

4/5/2026 at 1:11:25 AM

My job is social and deadline driven. Here's what works for me:

Lifting some weights in a deserted gym - no music or people.

Stretching for 20 minutes before bed each day.

Getting a full night's sleep.

Going to a favourite restaurant once or twice a week. The rest of the time a simple, high fibre diet with lots of water, no alcohol, cigarettes or drugs.

Doing a part-time postgraduate course to boost some depth and variety to the often-times surface-level demands of work work.

by throwaway5465

4/4/2026 at 10:39:09 PM

Exercise, travel - including “nomading”, learning Spanish, hanging out with my wife and friends - anything not involving computers.

by raw_anon_1111

4/6/2026 at 3:38:13 AM

Assuming you work from home, if not doing already, separate your workspace from living area. Do not sit with your laptop on the couch. Just listening to your own breathing pattern itself is one simple technique to reduce stress and relax. Then, you can definitely follow all the other suggestions in this thread.

by chevuru

4/6/2026 at 1:20:42 PM

Chess with my kids. It's good for spending time with them and helps with strategic thinking in a dynamic environment. My oldest regularly beats me. :D

by jbrogers63

4/4/2026 at 8:16:22 PM

When i feel i need to totally turn off, I'll turn on a podcast of something im somewhat interested in, and play a game that commands just a slight amount of attention, and pay a slight amount of attention to both things.

by sidrag22

4/5/2026 at 11:55:47 AM

In weekdays, laying on the couch after eating a healthy and tasteful dinner after an intensive strength training session at the gym. Weekends usually allow more freedom and I have more cognitive energy available too, so besides "usual" weekend activities I work on some side projects while discovering cool ambient music or study some interesting topics (usually CS).

by labarilem

4/5/2026 at 10:00:12 AM

Try to actively relax, not passively. Go for walks, socialize, do hobbies. Don't get sucked into to algorithms, it will fry your brain and you will never have time to rejuvenate.

Baths/Sauna/Sports also work, do something that genuinely refreshes you. The mind/body is an ecosystem, not a linear battery.

by stochtinkerer

4/5/2026 at 2:01:09 PM

I play airsfot every Sunday it's the perfect reset. Equal parts sport, adrenaline, and pain from getting hit by those little plastic balls. But honestly, there's so much laughter that you forget the bruises. Highly recommend if you've never tried it.

by KaiLetov

4/5/2026 at 2:01:30 PM

Also, surfing. Nothing clears your head quite like getting tossed around by the ocean.

by KaiLetov

4/5/2026 at 2:16:47 AM

Hiking through the woods, mountain-biking through the back country. Soaking in the bathtub reading books or short stories.

by wanderingpixel

4/4/2026 at 10:59:26 PM

Have you tried shotgunning a couple beers?

by ksherlock

4/5/2026 at 1:06:46 PM

Nice try, Mr. Secretary.

by treetalker

4/5/2026 at 8:57:31 AM

I used to run long distance, no music, no headphones, no trackers, no watch. Let your mind drift, or focus on the rest of the course. Or go swimming and count laps. Or go bouldering (in doors), pick a route and focus on it.

by i_don_t_know

4/5/2026 at 3:11:18 AM

Reading hacker news and playing civilization. Then a long walk.

by sloaken

4/5/2026 at 10:36:02 AM

It might sound strange, but the best relaxing time for me is that sometimes I go to the office on Saturday or Sunday, turn off email and phone and write a blog post or make a short video about our product.

https://www.pragmatech.it/blog-home/all/index.html

https://youtube.com/@pragmatech-srl?si=k5Dvw855pE3int4s

by ok1984

4/5/2026 at 9:45:10 PM

This reply belongs on /r/LinkedInLunatics

by aosaigh

4/6/2026 at 3:58:04 PM

I don’t understand why, some people have fun doing their job and feel joy when blogging about products they create and believe in, for me it’s a hubby.

Wish you joy and happiness in your live.

by ok1984

4/5/2026 at 12:47:11 PM

How about meditation? It's worth to try. You can use guide videos on Youtube or app such as Calm and Headspace.

by Shogo_Kaneda

4/5/2026 at 3:07:40 PM

I like running, it's the thing that makes me feel the most "right".

by Rendello

4/6/2026 at 11:41:19 PM

Go outside and spend time with animals.

I find watching and interacting with animals brings me back down to Earth. If I could talk to them I know all of the things I worry about would seem so strange to them. They just live in the moment and when I'm with them I live in the moment through them.

Other things I do I find my mind is still in worry mode – walking, reading, cooking, sleeping, etc.

Something about observing animals, thinking about what they're thinking and interacting with them turns that off for me. It's temporary, but it's nice.

by kypro

4/5/2026 at 8:23:12 AM

* walk around my various fruit trees

* converse with my cat and dogs

* play games

* refactor personal code

by austin-cheney

4/5/2026 at 3:20:42 PM

I go watch trains. I often wander around while I'm waiting for a train to show up. I think about things, pray, look around. Sometimes I bring a book to read.

I play ultimate frisbee. The read-and-react way you play that game was a nice reset from the push-my-brain-through-concrete-walls character of my work.

Before I retired, I started taking smoke breaks at work. I don't smoke, but if smokers can go outside for 15 minutes, so could I.

by AnimalMuppet

4/5/2026 at 1:13:50 PM

[dead]

by MarcelinoGMX3C

4/4/2026 at 7:45:38 PM

[dead]

by bombashell