Things other people find relaxing/unwinding but you find stressful

In My Humble Opinion
181

They will try to buff them down somewhat, as I recall. I didn’t LOVE that part, but it was not the part that had me crying out in pain. It’s the parts where they are trimming your toenails, and trying to push back the cuticles, and trying to CUT extra cuticle away. You can refuse to let them cut, but the pushing part is still unpleasant.

The only part I like is when they use an exfoliant on the entire foot and lower leg. Like a mini massage (see above).

As I get older and less limber, I dread the day when I can’t do my own damn toenails at home and may HAVE to go to such a place. My in-laws (in their 80s) actually cut each others’ toenals. Nope, nope, nope, I’ll never be THAT much of an old married woman.

182

I’ve never actually had a proper massage from a professional, but I’ve talked with them. And supposedly what makes them relaxing is that they help get out tensions in your muscles. And, assuming they do that, I would see why that’s relaxing, as anxiety often manifests as muscle tension.

I have had some massages from people I know, and that is basically what they did for me. But the best massage I ever had was a water massage, which is entirely mechanical. One day at college, they had a truck come that set up these water massage machines. You’re basically inside a tube, and high pressure water hits the tube in a programmed cycle (so you don’t get wet or anything). Friends commented about how much more relaxed I seemed afterwards.

Reading later, it’s also kinda similar to those sensory deprivation tanks, though you only are in it for a short time. That also makes sense to be relaxing for me, as I do find that I can get over stimulated by outside stuff. To this day, my way way of relaxing is to go into a dark (but not completely black) room and lay down with my eyes closed, and shut out the world for a bit.

As for the OP? The only thing that comes to mind is binging TV shows. For one thing, I find that the fictional stress in the plot affects me if I’m already somewhat stressed. But, even if the show itself is low-stress, I get restless after too long, and often wind up getting completely turned off the show for a while.

183

sex, video games, most socializing

184

It could also depend on the place - where I go, they usually tackle them pretty aggressively unless I tell them not to. Then again, they’re pretty well-established calluses. Nonetheless, it’s aggravating so I only go if it’s for a special occasion (girl’s day thingy with my daughter, friends or mom & sister), and then I just consent to a decent foot soaking and toenail painting.

185

This is something I have not understood. I have two very dear friends - a couple - who are much more informed than me regarding what is going on generally. I have a TV and I have all of the cable channels but I probably watch less than 7 or so hours a week - usually sports and youtube…
I tend to watch any movies on a 32 inch computer monitor while I exercise.
Anyway this couple has the television on constantly. I mean all the time unless they are sleeping.
They went for a walk the other day - they are my covid friends - they have been vaccinated but I wear a mask - and left the tv on and when I came downstairs I turned it off.
I used to watch a lot more but it all seems so unappealing now. I don’t follow social media but it seems that “celebrity” has taken on a new range with many Cand D list people getting their own shows etc.
I wonder if they could just listen to podcasts for those times when they are cooking/ otherwise occupied and not even watching the screen even though the tv is on?

186

I definitely watch more TV now than I did before the pandemic, but even now, we sit down to watch something specific and then stop. It’s just that these days, the standards for what I’ll watch have dropped precipitously. I find a TV always on unsettling and hate it in a public place.

187

Being out in the sun, especially when it’s fully bright.

Maybe I’m more photosensitive than the average person. To me, bright sunlight not only burns my skin (yes, as mentioned above I don’t like sunscreen either) it blinds me and gives me a headache. I always marvel at people sunbathing…I can’t stand it, and it would be very foolish of me to try. I can’t even read a book out in the sun; the bright glare reflecting off the white pages is like a blowtorch to the face.

I even go so far as to liken “too much sun” to “too much noise,” feeling like an overabundance of light acts on me the same way as an overly loud TV might act on someone else, as an irritation.

Recently I mentioned a “core” memory to my son, that when I was really little (5 to 7 probably) I always liked traveling in my parents’ car on cloudy days, when I could feel less heat and actually see out the car better, not getting blinded by reflections off of other cars and shiny objects. To this day, I prefer cloudy and cool environments. I guess it’s my Scots heritage.

188

Good one. I can never be truly happy if sunlight is touching me.

Unfortunately I live in Florida!

189

But you do get thunderous rain almost daily!

190

This is my mom, too. I don’t understand it, either. I guess it’s because she’s lived alone so long (for the last 43 years) and just doesn’t like to feel lonely, but quiet to me is magical, especially during the pandemic.

191

You’re doing it all wrong. Just put a comfortable chair next to any body of water, cast the fishing line in the water, plant the rod in a holder and start cracking open cold cans of beer.

The trick is not baiting the hook (reeling in fish is too much like exercise). The presence of a rod gives you an excuse for doing nothing. It’s better for onlookers to think, “that poor fisherman’s not having much luck today”, rather than, “look at that bum just sitting there drinking beer.”

192

Ranking things. Bill Simmons (columnist/podcaster for those of you who don’t follow sports) once joked that the internet was designed best for two things, ranking stuff and cat videos.

Trying to put things/people in some kind of best-to-worst order when there are usually a myriad of factors to consider fries my brain circuits. It seems unnecessarily stressful and I can’t remember the last time I even tried.

193

When my wife was working at home, and we kept our infant home, I had no need to have a TV one, but once she went back to work (she’s a teacher) and we sent our infant to daycare, the silence just felt overly lonely. So I have CNN/MSNBC on all morning in the background and most afternoons unless there is some sports on. Generally I don’t mind being alone but the silence was a bit too much.

194

For me, a TV on is data coming in and I can’t relax if I feel like I should be paying attention to that data, but then you realize that the data is just garbage nonsense. I love me some quiet.

195

Agreed.

My SO can talk on the phone while the TV is on in the background, which would drive me bonkers. I find it hard enough to listen to someone in the same room while the TV is on.

196

I am not a sun lover unless it’s like -40 out. I prefer to sit and walk in the shade when possible. When I was formally diagnosed with Vitamin D deficiency I was not surprised at all.

197

This reminds of the Kohler story where he created a ‘horse trough/hog scalder, when furnished with four legs, will serve as a bathtub.’ Usually I see this cited as the first enameled cast iron tub (so no rust).

198

I’m allergic to the sun, so this. It not only gives me burning hives, it wipes me out for like a full day or two after extensive exposure. I have to wear long sleeve SPF 50 clothing and gloves while driving in the summer. It sucks.

199

Ah, “girly stuff”-- there’s another class of activities that many people love, but I find stressful as hell.

I have a dog with massive separation anxiety. She’s a shelter dog who was given up by her original family, and may have had an unsuccessful placement before I got her. She takes Prozac for it. When I first got her, it was really difficult to manage. I had to crate her when I went to work, and give her a small dose of a benzodiazepine (I was really worried she would bark the whole time, and get herself kicked out of the apartment complex).

Anyway, the vet suggested putting the TV on, and leaving it on while I was gone. It wasn’t for her to sit and watch-- it was to trick her into thinking I was there, though.

Bright sunlight triggers migraines for me, especially if it is a very warm day following a cool day. A temperature difference of more than 15°F means I must stay inside, and even then I occasionally still get a headache.

My son gets solar urticaria. It’s gotten better, but it was very easy for him to get hives in bright sun when he was little, and sunscreen didn’t help (albeit, we discovered if we mixed a 3 equal parts hydrocortisone creme, liquid Benadry and 50SPF sunscreen potion, that DID help with prevention). Once he had an outbreak, then he was extra sensitive for a while, and even a warm bath could cause a new outbreak. It didn’t seem to bother him much, but it looked awful, and I hated sending him to preschool that way. It usually took 24 hrs of vigilance with antihistamines, and lots of hydrocortisone creme to resolve it.

Me too, assuming that’s a bit of hyperbole. The weather I like best is a day when the sun is out, but it’s between 58-68°F. Unfortunately, Indiana gets about a week of that in the Spring, and a week in the Fall. Otherwise, we either have freezing rain and it’s 20°F, or it’s 90°F+, and somehow humid, even though it hasn’t rained in a month.

200

I also can’t stand idle chatter with people at the office, gatherings, or whatever. I actually rather enjoy conversation, as long as it has the effect of making tangible progress towards some defined goal. In my ideal world, every conversation I have with other people would be just like an officers’ conference in Star Trek.

I’m pretty sure I’m not allergic to the sun, but I still religiously wear long-sleeved jackets and pants, and a sun hat, whenever it is sunny outside. Not only does it prevent skin cancer, when I’m 70 years old I’ll still have the skin quality of a 30-year old.