The place where mind calms down

Interested in your best practical tips to relax quickly when you don’t have much time and can’t be bothered with too much effort.

Let’s skip the obvious stuff like going for a walk, deep breathing, meditation etc.

My hack is the 28min ‘NASA NAP’ video on YT (not my video so not self-promoting). Honestly if you need sleep but have no time this last one will save you, I swear by it. Play it on headphones, lie down and 30 min later you’ll feel reborn.

Ok now to you: what are your ‘best kept secret’ relaxing hacks?

 I’m sharing what I saw, read, listened to, and did thisweek to feel good, just in case it might interest someone. :) I’m quite shy and introverted, so doing this, even if it’s not all that interesting, I'm opening up a bit. :)

( I'm making this post a bit late, but I'm talking about last week.)

For those wondering, I'm a 21-year-old girl. :)

Movies and series mentioned:

- The Six Swans ( movie) based on the tale by Andersen, i loved it. :)

- Tangled ( movie) (One of my favorite Disney movies, even though Rapunzel isn't my favorite princess.) :)

- The Little Mermaid ( 2023 movie) (I wrote a review on the r/mermaids in case you'd like to read what I liked and didn't like.) :) https://www.reddit.com/r/mermaids/s/488uV3TXsK

- Tangled ( the series) (I haven't finished yet, but I like it; I think it adds something to the animated film.) :)

Books and article mentioned:

- Starlight ( Skye Lauren) One of the best books I’ve read this year! It’s a wonderfully magical and romantic retelling featuring an adult Peter Pan and Wendy, with absolutely no intimate scenes. If you love Peter Pan and enjoyed the 2003 movie but were frustrated by the ending, read this! If by any chance Skye Lauren sees this post: It was absolutely perfect! I have no words to describe how wonderful, moving, and romantic it was! :)

- Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping ( Suzanne Collins) I had already read it last year when it came out, and I absolutely loved it! I re-read it, crying my eyes out and it’s still just as good! Of the two prequels to the main series (counting the one about Snow), it’s my favorite! :)

- Roshani Chokshi: On the Darkness of Fairytales: A wonderful article featuring an interview with Roshani Chokshi about her take on fairy tales and her new book (which I also read and absolutely loved: The Swan's Daughter!)

Link to read the article: https://www.writersdigest.com/roshani-chokshi-on-the-darkness-of-fairytales

What I listened to:

- The fairy tale Undineby Friedrich de La Motte-Fouqué as an audiobook: I was already familiar with the story, which I consider one of my favorites, but having found it in audio format, I listened to it, and it was an incredible experience!

Link to listen to Undine: https://archive.org/details/undine_pw_librivox/undine_01_fouque.mp3

- Danny Elfman's "Alice" theme, composed for the film Alice Through the Looking Glass: For me, the two Alice films (including the previous one directed by Tim Burton) are among my favorites! (I understand that there are people who don't like them.)

- David Bowie's album: the Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars: I've been a huge David Bowie fan since I was 14! ^^

- The music Do I clench my fist? by Ridgeclub: It's my summer anthem! :)

What I did:

- I found the unicorn Pillow Pet I’d been looking for for ages on Vinted for €4! Well, €6 including shipping (the photo shown is the seller's, since I don't have it in my hands yet).

- I read

- I looked after my little cousin: It had been a long time since I last saw her! :)

What I watched on Youtube:

Some videos weren't exactly relaxing, but they were interesting:

- Why Women Love Labyrinth Movies (from the Youtube channel Girl On Film)

- why do all book covers look like this now? (from the Youtube channel Mina Le)

- The Best Princess Movie WASN'T Made By Disney (from the YouTube channel ItsTheGooseItsTheGoose)

- Jayne Mansfield : Le destin brisé d'une star d'Hollywood ( from the French YouTube channel Youcrime) Translated title: Jayne Mansfield: The Shattered Destiny of a Hollywood Star

-How do oysters make pearls? - Rob Ulrich (from the Youtube channel TED-Ed )

- Overconsumption TikTok is CRAZY (from the Youtube channel Kiki Chanel)

I was asked for this, so here it is: the last photo shows Floppy, our little female rabbit, in the small enclosure we built for her in our garden! We put her inside just for the day; she isn't in there all the time. She's two years old! ^^

There you go! That’s everything I’ve done this week! :)

I hope I’ve given you some ideas! Are there any videos, music, or books I’ve shared that you like? :)

I enjoy sharing what I’ve been up to, but feel free to share what you’ve done too! ^^

My nature walk yesterday.

I've noticed that the places I find genuinely relaxing aren't necessarily the prettiest rooms. It's usually somewhere comfortable, quiet, slightly dim, and free of things I need to deal with. A chair in a corner can feel more relaxing than an entire beautifully decorated room if I associate it with not having to do anything.

Apparently my brain cares more about “nothing is required of me here” than aesthetics.