# Things other people find relaxing/unwinding but you find stressful **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 13, 2021, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-other-people-find-relaxing-unwinding-but-you-find-stressful/932806 "2021-02-13T00:54:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![saje](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saje/32/3631_2.png) [@saje](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saje)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2021, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-other-people-find-relaxing-unwinding-but-you-find-stressful/932806/21 "2021-02-13T12:21:07Z")
Going to a movie Parties like holiday celebrations, weddings etc Cooking a meal for other people Entertaining in my own house ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2021, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-other-people-find-relaxing-unwinding-but-you-find-stressful/932806/22 "2021-02-13T12:27:38Z")
I love driving, even in midtown Manhattan. But not without music. Driving without music is like eating without food. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2021, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-other-people-find-relaxing-unwinding-but-you-find-stressful/932806/23 "2021-02-13T12:53:18Z")
Massage. I’ve received a few gift certificates for a massage. I regifted one, never used another. I can get into a massage with my SO, with a happy ending for all involved, but I don’t want a stranger touching me, period. ---
**Author:** ![Fish\_Cheer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fish_cheer/32/17179_2.png) [@Fish\_Cheer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fish_Cheer)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2021, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-other-people-find-relaxing-unwinding-but-you-find-stressful/932806/24 "2021-02-13T13:05:46Z")
So-called relaxing/stress relief/sleep music - my wife loves it and finds it very soothing, but it makes me uneasy for some reason. I have an easier time falling asleep to rock music than to this crap. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2021, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-other-people-find-relaxing-unwinding-but-you-find-stressful/932806/25 "2021-02-13T14:07:53Z")
Background noise. I’ve never wanted music or TV while I’m trying to work or sleep. If my husband leaves the house, the first thing I do is shut off anything making a sound. Ah, blissful silence! ---
**Author:** ![Astrid1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Astrid1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astrid1)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2021, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-other-people-find-relaxing-unwinding-but-you-find-stressful/932806/26 "2021-02-13T15:32:10Z")
I hate going to the hairdresser! Having someone else’s hands touching my head and hair, the monotonous sound of dryers, useless chatting… I just can’t stand it! Most of my friends find that going to the hairdresser is one of the most relaxing moments of their days. I disagree ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2021, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-other-people-find-relaxing-unwinding-but-you-find-stressful/932806/27 "2021-02-13T15:44:20Z")
> [@blabbermeister](#): > > Taking a shower: Loud water gushing, those harsh seconds before the water gets warm (even though it was already warm coming out of the bathtub faucet) - then it’s too hot; by the time you get comfortable it’s time to get out and start shivering all over again. Definitely a stress situation; I’d never want to wake up by showering first thing in the morning. You’re not alone there. Here’s a whole thread on that topic-- it got to 60 posts. > [@Let's talk about showers (the bathing kind, not the meteorological kind)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-showers-the-bathing-kind-not-the-meteorological-kind/930547): > > Full disclosure: I hate showering. Especially in the winter. Because I hate to be cold right after when still I’m all wet and haven’t gotten dry yet. Also because in the winter my skin gets so dry I feel like it’s all just going to flake off my body. Rest assured, I DO shower (although not every day in the winter, as I don’t do anything or go anywhere), but I wish I enjoyed it. It’s just a necessary nuisance. I feel like this is a grownup thing I haven’t mastered and consider myself inept in the… Another thing other people like but I don’t is “white noise,” i.e., the noise of a fan or the HVAC. It’s like a wall of monotonous static, like all the fingernails in the world on all the blackboards in the world. When I used to have a loud fan in my HVAC system, I had to sleep with earplugs. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2021, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-other-people-find-relaxing-unwinding-but-you-find-stressful/932806/28 "2021-02-13T16:11:49Z")
Progressive muscle relaxation, Jacobson method. It ought to give you total relaxation, but it just doesn’t work for me. I had it daily when I was in a hospital twenty years ago, and it did nothing for me, just the opposite, I was bored to my guts, and boredom is stress for me. When I was in rehab after getting a cardiac stent, I was offered it again, but I kindly declined. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2021, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-other-people-find-relaxing-unwinding-but-you-find-stressful/932806/29 "2021-02-13T16:14:23Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > These replies make me happy. I have such a long list of activities I find stressful, it’s nice to see other people have some similar feelings. Bear in mind, the poll is self-selecting for people who like to stare in peace at a computer screen. 😀 ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2021, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-other-people-find-relaxing-unwinding-but-you-find-stressful/932806/30 "2021-02-13T16:28:36Z")
> [@Astrid1](#): > > I hate going to the hairdresser! Having someone else’s hands touching my head and hair, The one positive to come from COVID-19 is that I learned to cut my own hair. Never again will I have to endure someone messing with my hair!! ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2021, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-other-people-find-relaxing-unwinding-but-you-find-stressful/932806/31 "2021-02-13T16:34:43Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > The one positive to come from COVID-19 is that I learned to cut my own hair. Never again will I have to endure someone messing with my hair!! Same for me. I bought an electric hair cutter, and it amortized after just two cuts. I also don’t have to drive to the hairdresser and give tips. I will never again see a salon from the inside. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2021, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-other-people-find-relaxing-unwinding-but-you-find-stressful/932806/32 "2021-02-13T16:48:02Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > Most of the above stress me out too. I"m the opposite. I love massages, eating at good restaurants, and showers. For me, maybe dancing counts. Do people find that relaxing? I’d rather go to the dentist. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2021, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-other-people-find-relaxing-unwinding-but-you-find-stressful/932806/33 "2021-02-13T16:52:09Z")
Another vote for massages. Cruises, they look like hell on earth to me. ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2021, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-other-people-find-relaxing-unwinding-but-you-find-stressful/932806/34 "2021-02-13T16:53:51Z")
Others have made reference to cooking. I love to cook but it’s anything _but_ relaxing for me. I call it ‘barely managed chaos.’ ---
**Author:** ![saje](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saje/32/3631_2.png) [@saje](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saje)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2021, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-other-people-find-relaxing-unwinding-but-you-find-stressful/932806/35 "2021-02-13T17:03:35Z")
Yes! I go once a year, maybe. There’s a reason I have crazy bangs and a long braid … ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2021, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-other-people-find-relaxing-unwinding-but-you-find-stressful/932806/36 "2021-02-13T17:13:28Z")
I wish I had the courage to learn how to cut my own hair. It’s fairly long, though, and I wouldn’t want to go shorter than shoulder length. I’m sure I’d mess it up. I’ll definitely add showers to my list. My bathroom is always cold in the winter, and it’s huge, so closing the door doesn’t cause the room to heat up. I didn’t even know showers were considered relaxing. Baths for sure - I’m in love with my big old garden tub - but never showers. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2021, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-other-people-find-relaxing-unwinding-but-you-find-stressful/932806/37 "2021-02-13T17:25:11Z")
> [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > I wish I had the courage to learn how to cut my own hair. It’s fairly long, though, and I wouldn’t want to go shorter than shoulder length. I’m sure I’d mess it up. That’s of course much harder than my hairdo, and a hair cutter wouldn’t do that job. I just get a 9 mm buzz cut, and the hardest part is to clean the contours at the neck. I do that with mirrors and a beard trimmer. ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2021, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-other-people-find-relaxing-unwinding-but-you-find-stressful/932806/38 "2021-02-13T17:39:39Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > Another vote for massages. > > Cruises, they look like hell on earth to me. I wonder…do people who love massages just think of them as “pampering,” like by purchasing a massage they feel rich and spoiled, or does it really relax them? Or is it about the essential oils? I’m not sure about cruises…we’ve considered taking one to Alaska. Whale watching would be cool. Looking at the water, ok. Nice buffet, good. But the dancing, night life, pool scene etc. no thanks. On other cruises (like around the Caribbean) I understand there are stops and people shop but that’s not my idea of a good time either. I could see taking a couple days to get to AK but I’d fly back. COVID hit and some folks were on a much longer “cruise” than they anticipated. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2021, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-other-people-find-relaxing-unwinding-but-you-find-stressful/932806/39 "2021-02-13T17:56:50Z")
I love getting my hair cut, and I hope to return to a real barber soon. But I can’t stand having to make small talk in the barber shop. I’d rather just sit there in silence, and let my barber do her job. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2021, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-other-people-find-relaxing-unwinding-but-you-find-stressful/932806/40 "2021-02-13T17:57:16Z")
Fishing would be it for me. People apparently do it to relax, but all I can see is that it means I have to get tackle, bait, rod, gear, a boat, get to a water source, sunscreen, bug spray’d, bring shades, drive myself to the location, fish for hours without perhaps ever getting a bite, then come back, wash the mud and algae off my clothes, and…yeah. All that hassle would tire me out and increase my stress greatly. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-other-people-find-relaxing-unwinding-but-you-find-stressful/932806.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-other-people-find-relaxing-unwinding-but-you-find-stressful/932806.md?page=3)