Five ways to relax

Relaxing isn’t really one of my strong points. When my therapist asked me what my hobbies were, I was kind of silent because honestly, I don’t really have any. Once the things I did as a hobby (photography and writing about fashion) became a part time job, they stopped being the relaxing “hobby” they used to be. Since then, I’ve been trying to find ways to relax, things to do in my down time, that aren’t “work”. Things that allow me to switch off. Here’s a few things I have tried (some with more success than others!) in case you need to unwind too.

JIGSAW PUZZLES

My father in law always seems to have a jigsaw puzzle on the go. Whenever I visit I can’t help but place a few pieces (which is bad form, sorry Noel!). So I decided that this year, I’d get my own puzzles and do those. I am loving it so far! There is such a massive sense of achievement for me as I do them. I started out with this beautiful puzzle, kindly gifted to me by the team at Okay Lady. I chose the Peony Kitty design and I love it! Such a calming way to relax and I think these would make a lovely Christmas gift

TRY IT: You can use the code MEAGAN10 for 10% off jigsaw puzzles at Okay Lady until 30/09/19.

MINDFUL COLOURING

When I talk about relaxing activities, so many people recommended mindful colouring. I bought some really nice pencils and an adult colouring book … and found that I hated it. My brain just doesn’t find it relaxing at all! I think that a lot of this is to do with my need for perfection, for wanting things to look a certain way. I couldn’t make things look the way I wanted and it made me feel like a failure. Loads of you love it though, so even though it didn’t work for me, I wanted to include it here in case someone else finds it helpful.

COLOUR IT: Harry Potter: Winter at Hogwarts: A Magical Colouring Set, $30.00 from Mighty Ape | Enchanted Forest by Johanna Basford, $19.56 from Book Depository | Escape to Wonderland: A Colouring Book Adventure, $20.00 from Mighty Ape.

READING

Reading has always been a great escape for me, ever since I was a child. I am a voracious reader and can easily finish a good book in a few hours. I like a pretty wide range of books, but my favourites are trashy romances, YA fantasy and books by rad fat babes. I mostly read on my Kindle, but do sometimes treat myself to actual books (especially if it’s by an author I know I love). At the moment I’m reading Shrill by Lindy West, which I’m quite enjoying.

RECOMMENDED READS: Landwhale by Jes Baker (you can read my review here); His Dark Materials series by Philip Pullman; Nevermoor series by Jessica Townsend.

INDOOR PLANTS

After the death of my Grandma last year, I became determined to learn how to not kill plants. As the person in my whānau with a reputation as a black thumb, this was a bit of an ask. But with lots of help and good advice, I’ve found the right plants for my space and they’re thriving. Grandma would be proud, and it feels great to be surrounded by those little bits of nature! If you aren’t great with plants, I’d recommend having a chat to a plant expert about what plants might grow best at your place. I love that The Plant Project has really good descriptions on their plants to let you know what each plant requires to thrive before you buy it – that is perfect for someone like me.

WHAT TO GROW: Senecio rowleyanus (String of Pearls) was the hardest for me to figure out but once I did they started thriving | Philodendron selloum (Philodendron Birkin) is on my wishlist at the moment | Epipremnum aureum (Golden Pothos) was the first plant I really started to see thriving and encouraged me to keep going – it’s very tolerant! Photos via The Plant Project who deliver NZ wide.

UNWIND IN THE BATH

I know that this is probably the thing that comes up the most when people talk about self care, but hear me out. Having a bath is a bit of an escape for me – I don’t have to talk to anyone, I’m not gonna be on my computer, it’s just time for me to chill out and soak my body. The bath at my house is less than ideal because it’s narrow and not very deep, but it’s what I’ve got. Add a bath bomb and dim the lights, and it’s pretty nice. If you have a short attention span like me and can only last ten minutes in the bath before you’re bored, set up your laptop and queue up some Netflix or pop on a podcast.

BATHE IN THESE: Lord of Misrule Bath Bomb | Bewitched Bubble Bar | Strawberries and Cream Bath Bomb | The Comforter Bath Bomb | Twilight Bath Bomb | Honey I Washed The Kids Soap. Photo by Maddi Bazzocco.

What do you do to relax? Do you have hobbies? Let me know in the comments below, I always need some more ideas. This relaxing and switching off thing is harder than I thought!