Recently, we asked members of the BuzzFeed Community to share their preferred way of unwinding after a rough go of it. Here are 21 calming responses:
1. "To relax I'll usually turn off my phones, lay down in the darkness and turn on music from the '60s or '70s. It's even better when my cat decides to grace me with his presence by curling up next to me and sleeping. Alternatively, I'll put my headphones on and paint an alt film poster in watercolour until I'm too sleepy to continue."
2. "I'll buy a present for my cat and try to get her to play with it. More often than not we end up playing with an old toy or a ball of paper instead, but I like to try."
3. "I recently went through an extremely stressful time and what got me through was picking up a book and reading. I always find that reading and getting lost in another little world is perfect to help me when I’m going through a rough patch. I had read five books in two weeks, and it honestly gave me something to look forward to."
4. "I listen to music, specifically rock music will relax me. I try to see as much live as I can, but at the end of a hard day, it always calms me."
5. "It depends on the kind of bad day I’m having, but if it's been a bad day away from home, then a Mcdonald's ice cream cone will do the trick. I don’t know why, but it helps to relax me a bit and the tasty goodness makes me happy. Only Mcdonald's will do; it has by far the best ice cream of all the fast food places and I will die on that hill."
6. "First I eat a whole baked camembert with garlic bread. Then I run myself a hot bath and watch Bojack Horseman… while in the bath."
7. "I'll either bake something or I'll lay in bed with the blinds closed, reading a book with my phone on Do Not Disturb."
8. "I buy gifts for other people for any holiday coming up or wrap gifts I already have for them. I'm not sure why it makes me feel better but seeing other people happy makes me the happiest."
9. "I cry. It's very effective."
10. "I close the curtains, shut off all the lights and turn on some music on low volume. REM works really well. I'll also enjoy a glass of Drambuie on the rocks and plot my revenge on whatever caused me distress."
11. "I buy myself a 4-pack of Coke in glass bottles, for some reason, it just hits differently drinking out of glass — it reminds me of happy summer holidays on different Greek islands. I also, sometimes, buy myself a new cross-stitch kit. it distracts me due to the anticipation of getting everything out of the packet and doing the first stitches."
12. "I love getting absorbed in a new world and having an escape. Reading books and watching TV shows are my go-to's!"
13. "I'll relax either with a face mask in a bubble bath that I have to keep on for at least twenty minutes so I'm forced to sit still, or I'll spend a day in my pyjamas eating crap and watching movies. There’s no in-between and both are self-care."
14. "It's a small investment, but using my Cricut. If I'm stressed about something, I've found that I get the most relaxed when I work on a project. I design, cut, and put a pattern or design on a shirt, a water bottle, or just make a random sticker. The concentration on the project makes me momentarily forget whatever stress is in my mind. It's a weird way to meditate, but I love it."
15. "I take what I call a 'self-care sick day' (in actuality, it's a pre-booked day of annual leave). I treat the day as if it were a true sick day, so I do no housework, I watch trashy TV all day, I eat whatever food I fancy, and basically just idle on the sofa with my comfiest clothes and duvet. It's bliss!"
16. "I watch Lord of the Rings. They’ve been my comfort movies since I was a kid."
17. "Honestly, I feel good shopping online or just scrolling down through Pinterest and dreaming about a wardrobe I’ll never have because I’m broke."
18. "I like to binge-watch the same three shows on Netflix over and over again. So much so that Netflix doesn't even ask if I'm still watching them anymore. It's more like, 'Oh bad day again..okay we get it.'"
19. "I eat cake. Anything with a buttercream filling soothes my soul when I’ve had a shit day."
20. "I'll put on some comfy clothes, wrap up under a blanket and watch Parks and Recreation. There's nothing better than re-watching a comfort show!"
21. "Simple. I drink alcohol and online shop!"
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.