# 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:** 8
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2021, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-other-people-find-relaxing-unwinding-but-you-find-stressful/932806/141 "2021-02-20T18:06:23Z")
> [@chela](#): > > I redress with freshly laundered lounging attire, skipping the bra and socks. T-shirt, boxer briefs (yes, I’m a girl, but I hate the elastic at the hip joint), yoga pants and socks. ---
**Author:** ![kitap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9e5f3/32.png) [@kitap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitap)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2021, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-other-people-find-relaxing-unwinding-but-you-find-stressful/932806/142 "2021-02-20T23:39:23Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > > [@panache45](#): > > > > > [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > > > > > Jazz is the last thing I want to listen to to relax. Like nails on a blackboard, listening to it is incredibly stressful and offputting to me. > > > > My brother was heavily into Jazz. To me, it sounded like random notes, bearing no relation to each other. I’d prefer to get a root canal. > > > > I can listen to early jazz, like Dixieland, but when Bebop originated, they lost me. > > > > Relaxing? Give me Mozart. > > I’m okay with jazz but Mozart! I find Mozart stressful. I don’t dislike it, but I can’t listen to it if I’m tired. My brain keeps trying to figure out the patterns, I suppose. Everyone loves Mozart. Not me, it’s too hard to listen to. > > > [@kayaker](#): > > > > This morning my gf asked me to apply moisturizer to her back after she showered (as she does, maybe once a week during the winter). Man, I _hate_ the greasy feeling it leaves on my hands. After applying it, I always wash my hands, but they are still greasy feeling, so I splash some alcohol on them. > > +1 > > I can’t stand sunscreen. Greasy nasty stuff. I feel stressed just from the sensation of it sticking to my clothes, moving around… I rarely use any other lotion, but when I do it’s carefully targeted to the area in need, and I wash my hands thoroughly when I’m done. Sunscreen is **awful**. And I need it. That gross greasy feeling. I hate lotions in general. Last March and April my hands got so cracked from constantly using hand sanitizer and other cleaning materials (cleaning all possibly touched surfaces every hour) at work I had to use lotion. Gaaaaaah. That feeling. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2021, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-other-people-find-relaxing-unwinding-but-you-find-stressful/932806/143 "2021-02-21T11:50:08Z")
I’m down with the sunscreen hate, I never use it. The ewww factor is multiplied ten-fold when you’re at the beach and sand is clinging to the grease. And speaking of what other folks find relaxing but I don’t…the beach. mmm ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2021, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-other-people-find-relaxing-unwinding-but-you-find-stressful/932806/144 "2021-02-21T14:12:26Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > And speaking of what other folks find relaxing but I don’t…the beach. I’ll join in on that. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2021, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-other-people-find-relaxing-unwinding-but-you-find-stressful/932806/145 "2021-02-21T14:17:16Z")
I use spray-on sunscreen because it doesn’t have that icky feeling. It’s not so much the grease as it is rubbing against my body hair with my hands in applying it. Except for my face, because every sunscreen I’ve tried except one hurts my eyes when it runs: Neutrogena’s old formula that contained mostly beeswax and titanium oxide. They reformulated it so that it now contains eye irritants, but the old formula can sometimes be found as Neutrogena “baby” sunscreen. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2021, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-other-people-find-relaxing-unwinding-but-you-find-stressful/932806/146 "2021-02-21T16:34:44Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > I use spray-on sunscreen because it doesn’t have that icky feeling. At the risk of thread-drift, have you tried the ones that come in a stick? like an oversized glue stick? ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2021, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-other-people-find-relaxing-unwinding-but-you-find-stressful/932806/147 "2021-02-21T16:52:32Z")
I don’t find beaches relaxing, either. I can enjoy walking along a beach and listening to the surf, and i can enjoy body surfing, or checking out the critters in tide pools. But lying in the sun on a beach is actively unpleasant, and none of those things are relaxing. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2021, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-other-people-find-relaxing-unwinding-but-you-find-stressful/932806/148 "2021-02-21T19:52:24Z")
> [@Toxylon](#): > > Taking showers is among the most relaxing things in my life. How is a moment of solitude while getting clean and warm, not relaxing? I often whisper “Ahhh, hydrotherapy…” while under the shower head (ever since I got rid of that low-flow abomination the shower came with). I just realized that some of that goes back to grade school, and something that fits the topic better: Swimming in cold water. I had to take lessons in an ancient school pool, that I’m sure had no heating. I’d be shivering all hour, until I got to that shower room… ahhhhh… ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2021, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-other-people-find-relaxing-unwinding-but-you-find-stressful/932806/149 "2021-02-21T21:41:10Z")
Yeah, this says it pretty well for me, too (except I can’t surf). And the thing is, this _really is_ supposed to be relaxing, and presumably many people _do_ find it relaxing - so this addresses the OP exactly. Here are a couple of visions of hell, taken at random (Google maps satellite view): [Rimini](https://www.google.com/maps/@44.0690772,12.5833578,142m/data=!3m1!1e3) [Kos](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Kos/@36.7802172,27.1423145,158m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x14bdfe67b6c08b35:0x9e9cc4f8469bdcdd!8m2!3d36.8915064!4d27.2877228) Those are _relaxation factories_, right there. Same for hotel pools. Moreso, in fact. j ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2021, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-other-people-find-relaxing-unwinding-but-you-find-stressful/932806/150 "2021-02-22T01:55:25Z")
I’ve only used the hotel pool on my own volition once: when it was totally empty and I checked in to my room at 2 pm and didn’t have anything else to do for the day. A couple of times I’ve gone with my family to the pool but that was just to hang out because they wanted to. Although I _did_ enjoy the pool at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge because it had a great waterslide. I sort of enjoyed the pool at the Embassy Suites in Kissimmee because it had an indoor/outdoor feature where you could dive into and out of the indoor section, but that’s only fun for a minute or two. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2021, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-other-people-find-relaxing-unwinding-but-you-find-stressful/932806/151 "2021-02-22T02:18:48Z")
Camping. Some people really find that get away in the woods stuff to be relaxing, especially if they get no cell service. I hate it. It stresses me out. I hate feeling cut off. I have no desire to go hike for a while, worrying about bugs, and sleeping in an uncomfortable tent, just for a few minutes of great views. I’d rather watch TV or play on the computer. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2021, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-other-people-find-relaxing-unwinding-but-you-find-stressful/932806/152 "2021-02-22T03:27:53Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Some of the things people have mentioned, like dancing and eating at new restaurants, are things I enjoy but I’d never call them “relaxing”. That’s mostly the conclusion I’ve come to as well; lots of stuff listed here is fun, but not too many are actually relaxing or de-stressors. I’ll say one more; vacations. For whatever reason, my wife and I tend to conceive of vacations as essentially active adventures. Going to the beach and laying out on the sand and reading isn’t our thing. We’re much more the “go somewhere and explore” sorts- we see the sights, eat the local food, shop in local grocery stores (a really fun way to get an idea of how people live elsewhere), etc. Not relaxing the way we do it, but a hell of a lot of fun. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2021, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-other-people-find-relaxing-unwinding-but-you-find-stressful/932806/153 "2021-02-22T03:42:27Z")
> [@bump](#): > > shop in local grocery stores I love doing this! I always shop local grocery stores when I travel. I was freaked out in Paris a couple of years ago to see mostly brands I am familiar with. But even so, the overall experience of the store was quite different. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2021, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-other-people-find-relaxing-unwinding-but-you-find-stressful/932806/154 "2021-02-22T04:15:09Z")
Definitely. It’s one of those things that gives you an idea about what daily life might be like somewhere else. That said, it’s not that amazing within the US, as the differences tend to be very subtle between regions of the country from what I can tell. But in foreign countries? It’s fascinating. I’ve shopped in local groceries in Mexico, Hungary, Czech Republic, Netherlands, Belgium, the UK, France and Italy. They’re all the same, but also all different. ---
**Author:** ![kitap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9e5f3/32.png) [@kitap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitap)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2021, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-other-people-find-relaxing-unwinding-but-you-find-stressful/932806/155 "2021-02-22T06:50:24Z")
> [@bump](#): > > > [@puzzlegal](#): > > > > Some of the things people have mentioned, like dancing and eating at new restaurants, are things I enjoy but I’d never call them “relaxing”. > > That’s mostly the conclusion I’ve come to as well; lots of stuff listed here is fun, but not too many are actually relaxing or de-stressors. > > I’ll say one more; vacations. For whatever reason, my wife and I tend to conceive of vacations as essentially active adventures. Going to the beach and laying out on the sand and reading isn’t our thing. We’re much more the “go somewhere and explore” sorts- we see the sights, eat the local food, shop in local grocery stores (a really fun way to get an idea of how people live elsewhere), etc. Not relaxing the way we do it, but a hell of a lot of fun. I had to do two weeks of vacation at the end of December because of use it or lose it. Because of Covid I did basically nothing. That is fine for a day or two but I hate it. Vacation is for sightseeing and visiting places. Back in 2007 or so.when we visited my sister and brother-in-law in Germany they took us to a grocery store. I just wandered around as they shopped. The candy aisle alone made me stop and stare. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2021, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-other-people-find-relaxing-unwinding-but-you-find-stressful/932806/156 "2021-02-22T10:30:58Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > I’ve only used the hotel pool on my own volition once: when it was totally empty and I checked in to my room at 2 pm and didn’t have anything else to do for the day. A couple of times I’ve gone with my family to the pool but that was just to hang out because they wanted to. I used to swim in a pool on a regular basis, but it sure as heck wasn’t for relaxation. It was for exercise. Before I had a baby, I followed a regular exercise program, that included biking to the gym, swimming two miles, and biking home. I _enjoyed_ (and still do) the biking; the swimming was a bit of a chore, but a great upper body workout to balance out the biking. Also, I exercised first thing in the morning, because far from relaxing me, it _woke me up_. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2021, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-other-people-find-relaxing-unwinding-but-you-find-stressful/932806/157 "2021-02-22T13:47:11Z")
> [@kitap](#): > > my sister and brother-in-law in Germany they took us to a grocery store. I just wandered around as they shopped. That kind of “shopping” I can find fun. I don’t know that I find it relaxing, or stimulating, one way of another, but it relives boredom. It’s very different from being on the hunt for a particular item, and getting both bored and frustrated looking for it, or doggedly picking up things from a list, _paying_ for them, and shleping them into the apartment. > [@bump](#): > > That’s mostly the conclusion I’ve come to as well; lots of stuff listed here is fun, but not too many are actually relaxing or de-stressors. IME, I know inveterate extroverts who do find parties, gambling, shopping (including buying, and chatting up sales people, et. al), relaxing, or at least de-stressing. They can stay up all night socializing, and feel great in the morning. The more I socialize, the more I want some alone time before bed, which needs to be by 10pm. They relish crowded Starbucks, and _hope_ we get to sit with strangers, because novelty de-stresses them. I can feel myself shutting down as I sit in the corner with my legs crossed and my arms folded. My extrovert friend will be the center of everything, body open, muscles flaccid, whereas, unrelaxed and very stressed me, if I fell, I’d probably shatter. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2021, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-other-people-find-relaxing-unwinding-but-you-find-stressful/932806/158 "2021-02-22T13:54:11Z")
I’m sort of in between I think. I get bored and restless too quickly to just chill out and do nothing, but constant socializing is also equally taxing. For me, what’s relaxing is doing something that’s active and very engaging, but that doesn’t really require me to make decisions, be responsible, or otherwise do anything but do that activity in the moment. Exercise sometimes does it, and things like video games do a fairly consistent job of it. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2021, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-other-people-find-relaxing-unwinding-but-you-find-stressful/932806/159 "2021-02-22T14:05:35Z")
> [@bump](#): > > For me, what’s relaxing is doing something that’s active and very engaging, but that doesn’t really require me to make decisions, be responsible, or otherwise do anything but do that activity in the moment. That’s why browsing around stores with nothing particular to look for is fun. There’s no price comparing, hunting down the section a particular item is in, or ending up going somewhere else for it, and shleping a bag of unexciting things like dog food into the apartment. Just poking around, like it’s some kind of pop culture museum, with a little pocket money, so if you suddenly see something cool-- or that you couldn’t find the last time you were out-- and it’s the last one on the shelf, you can get it. No pressure, no stress, no dread of things to come. I hate, hate, hate to the sun and back, going clothes shopping for work clothes, though. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2021, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-other-people-find-relaxing-unwinding-but-you-find-stressful/932806/160 "2021-02-22T14:10:59Z")
> [@ISiddiqui](#): > > Camping. Some people really find that get away in the woods stuff to be relaxing, especially if they get no cell service. I hate it. It stresses me out. I hate feeling cut off. I have no desire to go hike for a while, worrying about bugs, and sleeping in an uncomfortable tent, just for a few minutes of great views. I’d rather watch TV or play on the computer. Hike-in camping is relaxing enough that I’d do it around once a year if not for the added weight of the camping gear I need to bring. When I’m actually there, I do find the isolation and nothing to do relaxing. The ideal for me, though, are primitive campgrounds with no one else there that you can still drive right up to, because you can take a larger tent and bring your laptop and games. The lack of TV and bath is made up for by the views. The low price seals the deal for me. But camping is not always quiet. When other people are there and still quiet it is still decent, but if they are loud, loudly socializing right up to or past quiet time, and/or with trucks randomly driving in and around the campground looking for a spot or returning, it becomes a wash as to whether I rather would have stayed in a hotel for the amenities and quiet, or stayed in a loud campground for the price and the views. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-other-people-find-relaxing-unwinding-but-you-find-stressful/932806.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-other-people-find-relaxing-unwinding-but-you-find-stressful/932806.md?page=9)