How do you relax?

I've known for a while that my husband and I relax in different ways.  For S, relaxing usually means completing things on his "to do" list.  While it is satisfying to accomplish tasks, relaxing means something different to me.  It's having the time to back a batch of muffins if I want.  It's knitting.  It's sending an e-mail to a friend or reading a blog post.  It's looking through a magazine or catching up on reading.

This weekend, it became very obvious how far apart S and I really are on the relaxing scale.  He was working on his list and I was preparing grades and sat down to send an e-mail to a parent.  (I just wanted to get to the point of relaxing and I wasn't there yet.  S was off work this week and could have sat around the whole week.  Instead, he was whittling away at his "to do" list.)  As I was typing, S told me what our daughter's BMI is.  I acknowledged that I heard him and kept typing.  Then he asked if I wanted him to calculate mine.

"No.  I just want to get this e-mail typed."

"Just tell me your weight."

"No.  I don't care.  I know I'm overweight and I don't exercise enough.  Knowing how bad it is will NOT help me.  I just want to get this done so I can relax."

Of course, he got irritated with me.  I was irritated that calculating my BMI was on his list of things to do.  I decided his list was way too long and that he needs to learn how to really relax.  You know, play a game, read a book, do something not on the list.

(Later, when I decided to blog about this, I looked up BMI and calculated mine.  It's not as bad as I thought.  And it turns out that calculating my BMI wasn't on his list.  He just figured he'd do it while he was calculating his.)

So how do you relax and how often do you get to do it?

Comments

[Sheepish Annie]

Has your husband read the manual??? Never ask for weight or size. All clothing looks fantastic. We look the same as we did ten years ago...except better. There are rules here! You are truly an understanding partner since there is no jury that would have convicted you for any acts that might have followed the BMI question.

BMI is handy information and I'm glad that my doc has started to calculate it as part of my check ups. It really does give you a better idea of your overall fitness level. But it is information that we ponder under cover of darkness...

[Debby]

Some nights after dinner I can read or knit and that is how I love to relax most during the week. I love Sunday afternoon naps in the colder weather, and Sunday bike rides or car rides by the ocean in the warmer weather. But I must confess, I'm not good at relaxing until most of the stuff on my to-do list is crossed off...I even make lists of fun things to do.

[Geraldine]

I find knitting and crocheting very relaxing, also an absorbing novel (the kind you lose track of time reading). Yoga is great too, reminds me to breathe when Im super-stressed!!!

Huggs, G

[jan]

I feel most relaxed when I'm in the library or going to the library. The quiet and solitude used to draw me there before I was married, and living at home was pretty stressful; lots of fighting and noise. I would take off just about every day and walk the mile or so to borrow books or just breathe in the atmosphere.

Now that my home life is peaceful and more to my liking, I find myself still breathing a huge sigh when I go online to the library site. It's just become ingrained :)

Reading fiction comes second. There's nothing quite like jumping into a wonderful story and getting really engrossed in it.

[Dana]

Knitting is the ultimate relaxing time for me, unless it is a complicated project. Then it's just fun.

I have come to love running, sans IPODs, and enjoying the scenery and solitude. Its relaxing to me! Some people pray when they run, but I can't seem to concentrate enough for more than a sentence or two long prayer. So I just sort of zone out and watch the trees, the sky, the people...

I also have an affinity for the Housewares section of a department store. Matter of fact, the night before I ran my marathon, I was in Macy's and was starting to get nervous... so I perused all the China and random kitchen gadgets and i relazed a bit. hehe I know, I am silly.

[Rachel]

Well, I can say with certainty that calculating my BMI is NOT relaxing :) Seriously, though, my relaxation comes in the evening, after the kids are in bed. I chat with my husband (when he's home), sip a nice glass of wine, knit and watch movies. That's how I prefer to unwind.

[patti]

Relax? What is that word? Is it french? HAHA I TRY to relax but, don't get to so much. I really like to lie in bed and knit before lights out. But Luc needs to be read to sleep, and by the time he is asleep I am ready to sleep too!

I found that if I can get Luc out the door for school quietly enough, and Jacob hasn't woken up yet, I can have "quiet time". Which is what I have right now except my doggie is being crazy!

It's always something, isn't it?

[Leslie]

Relaxing for me is staying in my pajamas until noon.

[katie]

This sounds strange and it even surprised me when I thought of it, but I'm most relaxed when I get to go somewhere, by myself, and have a few hours to be alone before I am expected back home. I love to roll down the windows in the car, turn up the radio, and just go do some shopping or something. At first I was going to say sewing or knitting or reading are relaxing, or blogging, but lately they cause me almost as much stress as my actual life responsibilities do. So a few hours away from the day-in/day-out is relaxing to me.

[Patricia]

I like to relax in the mornings, my paper, a cup of steaming coffee, my comfy chair, and my knitting. A cat in my lap really makes my AM!

[Christina]

I relax by throwing pottery. It's my only me time, where the kids and husband aren't around. I go to a studio, so there isn't even a dirty house around to guilt me into cleaning instead. ;)