One of my favorite quotes from Mya Angelou is “A wise women wishes to be no one’s enemy; a wise woman refuses to be anyones victim.” This goes for guys as well. She also said in an interview once “When life throws you down and call you its uncle” when she was describing the hard knocks of life. Especially when things get thrown at you that you couldn’t control or didn’t see coming. It’s so hard to not get distracted by the world especially during these times, making leisure activities more important.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned, we all stress out the most when we think of our means of survival. That makes sense though. Who wouldn’t worry about how the rent will get paid, making sure the kids are fed, or “will I be able to pay for the car next month?” It’s in our human nature to worry about those things. I myself worry about this in this climate with layoffs happening all over the place. At times I really just want to buy an RV, just live in it, leisure travel all over, and call it a day. Remember, you can stop your mind from delusions, especially delusions that haven’t happened.

So, how can the mind relax? Well, that’s easier said than done. If it puts your mind in a safe place, absolutely do it for you. Here are a few things that work for me that get me through another day of leisure.

• TV Show Marathons
  • This might seem silly to some, but watching my favorite comfort shows over and over again such as the shows below puts me in a mentally secure place.
    • Golden Girls
    • Seinfeld
    • In the Heat of the Night
    • Inuyasha (Anime)
    • Spongebob
    • Judge Judy
    • Hey Arnold
• Eating really good food.
  • Food always puts me in a happy space. Below is a list of my “Happy Place” foods.
    • Any type of pasta
    • Pizza
    • Peanut butter and apple sandwich
    • Sushi
    • Tacos
    • Chicken wings and fries provide great leisure
• Gardening/Being around plants
  • Walking through the garden section at department stores is one of my favorite things to do when walking through stores like Walmart or Home Depot.
  • Taking care of plants at home and planting flowers around the yard. Something as small as seeing your plants growing healthy is enough to put me in a happy mood.
• Journaling
  • Since I was a kid writing in a diary was alway therapeutic for me. I am still continuing this leisure activity as an adult. Writing down your thoughts is what I call a “Well Being” activity. This also helps with memory. I take pleasure in reading old diaries because it shows how much I’ve grown over time.
• Movie Marathons
  • Rewatching your favorite comfort movies is a relaxing way to spend the evening at home. It allows you to unwind and get cozy. My comfort movies marathons are:
    • Harry Potter movies
    • The Mummy series
    • Die Hard series
    • Bad Boys
    • FernGully movies

Find what brings peace to your mind. Maybe it’s playing video games or cooking. Whatever it may be, if it brings you ease to your life continue to do it for you.