Interview question turned thread starter! How do you relax?

Started by Bearby
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Bearby

Bearby

UF CVM c/o 2015
10+ Year Member
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What do you guys do to destress and relax?

Personally, I like to watch reruns of Gilmore Girls. I also really enjoy just listening to music, reading up on something I'm not familiar with, and going for drives. Of course I love to hang out with my kitties too!
 
I have several ways. I practice my flute and piccolo, go on walks with my dog, crochet, and of course veg in front of the tv, not very picky about what I watch but my favorite channels are the educational ones.
 
I go to the beach. Nothing more destresing than watching the doggie play in the waves. It's especially nice in the winter when there are no other people around.

If I can't go outside, I love House-- the medicine fascinates me.

I enjoy reading, and I'm trying to teach myself how to knit. I like to play around in the kitchen too.

But I'd rather be outside!
 
I'm also a Gilmore Girl fan and watch the show to relax. I also read and play with my bird. I love going for hikes, going to movies, hanging out with my mellow friends, and spend time with the fam to relax as well. I'm a mellow person in general.
 
Spending time with family (I have never met another group of people who can make one game of Uno last for an hour and a half.), going for a hike, watching a movie/House while drinking hot chocolate, working out at the gym (I had to cancel my membership recently because of lack of money 🙁 but I plan to start it back up as soon as possible.)
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Pomegranate said:
I have several ways. I practice my flute and piccolo, go on walks with my dog, crochet, and of course veg in front of the tv, not very picky about what I watch but my favorite channels are the educational ones.
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👍 I play my flute sometimes if I need a break. I don't have much sheet music, though, which bugs me. So sometimes I just play scales.

I also read (I'm an avid reader), write, watch movies/shows (love House!), and enjoy being lazy. I do have a temper, though, which I'm trying to get rid of, so that makes de-stressing hard sometimes.
 
Reading, lounging and watching scrubs (although not the new season, yuck!), and of course, as seen by the petri dish cookies, I love love LOOVE to BAKE!
 
Ride motorcycle, go to gun range, browse StumbleUpon for way too long, play guitar/piano/Horn/whatever instrument strikes my fancy at the time, go fishing, work on any projects I have at the moment (wood working for instance), and so on. I've entirely too many hobbies.
 
Personally, I like to choose a nice stairwell, drink a couple of litres of cheap cider then shoot up before passing out in a pool of my own vomit.

Otherwise I enjoy reading, swimming and photography.
 
nohika said:
👍 I play my flute sometimes if I need a break. I don't have much sheet music, though, which bugs me. So sometimes I just play scales.QUOTE]

I have tons of sheet music i could copy for you, seeing as I was a freelance musician/music major. I hate scales and I can't imagine that being the only thing to play, you must be desparate. PM me if you want some. I'm happy to help a fellow flautist/pre-vet🙂
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I watch Lady Gaga videos...

Haha. Not really. Well, sometimes. The internet my de-stresser and distraction, by and large - I have a huge list of sites that I visit every day, and if it's a funny video on the internet, I bet I've seen it. I'm very up-to-date on my memes. 🙄

But, I also enjoy reading, so I'm making my way through some classics now. Although, I'm desiring some good romance - nothing too hot and heavy, preferrably something that's been released in hardcover. Suggestions?

I have my horn, but I don't play it really, so it's probably going on eBay soon. 🙁

TV is good too - Mythbusters, Dirty Jobs, The Soup. Top Gear.

Whoever opened the portal to the premed forum, please go close it. :meanie:

g-g-get him hot, show him what I got...
 
Tattersall said:
Personally, I like to choose a nice stairwell, drink a couple of litres of cheap cider then shoot up before passing out in a pool of my own vomit.
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😀 wanna hang out????

ice hockey, cyclocross, snowboarding, climbing, weightlifting, guitar, video games, karaoke, dyeing my hair bright colors, leading boys on, wasting time on the internet.....that's how.
 
lalzi22 said:
...and the pre-med's call US bad people???? I hope next time I go in for something my doctor is nothing like those people.
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Well, you know...first comes drunk driving, then comes drunk diagnosing, then drunk operating...
Hence why malpractice insurance is so high.

I rest my case!

Can't believe there are actually people saying it's okay to crash your car while drunk, and they think it would be wrong of the schools to revoke admissions offers....
 
I go to the woods. or cook dinner for a few hours. Sometimes I choose a new instrument to learn, but that is usually not a spur of the moment thing. If I am currently learning one, then I spend time working on it.
 
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I like to read a lot when I have down time but I hate having to start and stop books so I really only sit down to read when I know I'll have time to finish the book within a few days...I haven't read many books since coming to graduate school 🙁

Other than that I go running and go to the gym. I ran a half-marathon this past may and want to run a full one in the next year.

I hang out with my friends. I knit. I go snowboarding...and then I cry about it because I'm not very good and scare myself and hurt my knees. haha.
 
We have some land left in the state that's never been touched by grazing/plowing/etc. that's a designated prairie nature reserve...it's fantastic - i spend quite a few hours out there in the long grass reading.

Other than that...piano - hours and hours of entertainment there - time with friends, the gym, ...
 
What I would mention in an interview: road biking, mountain biking, taking care of my horse, horse back riding, hiking, walking my dog, swimming, kayaking, playing guitar, reading, photography

What I wouldn't mention: eating :laugh:, video games, cruising online forums, drinking and other recreational activities 😛
 
Singing really challenging choral music. Taking a ballet class (I suck, but it's still fun).

By far my favorite, though, is hanging out with my friends and their kids. A few hours of doing whatever a toddler and a preschooler want me to do has pretty much a miraculous effect on my mental health.
 
Lechatnoir said:
yay for flute players/future vets 👍
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What about bagpipers? I can get so relaxed that I almost fall asleep when playing a tune I know well. Another hobby is riding and working on vintage or reproduction motorcycles. Not sure it reduces stress, but it definitely diverts it. Nothing reduces stress like floating in mid-water alongside a wreck 80ft beneath the surface of the Atlantic off the coast of Wilmington. It's like flying, but with sharks, stingrays, barracuda, and other fish. It's the most fun you can have in a hostile environment!
 
You play the bagpipes? Always wanted to learn those. Is it hard?

Not sure it reduces stress, but it definitely diverts it.
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What, you don't find cagers trying to merge on top of you relaxing? 😀
 
Armymutt25A said:
What about bagpipers? I can get so relaxed that I almost fall asleep when playing a tune I know well. Another hobby is riding and working on vintage or reproduction motorcycles.
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Bagpipes is way up there on the list of instruments I would love to learn.

Vintage vehicles are fun in so many ways. I have a 30 year old vespa I regularly ride. A 45 year old vespa we will just say is in the very very early stages of restoration. And a 41 year old VW bus I drive and am slowly restoring.

I think half the fun is just trying to find the parts for vintage vehicles. Its an awesome day when you find that rare one year only part you've needed for months or years. Even better is when you go ahead and flip that part for a 100-1000% profit. Its like a big treasure hunt some times!
 
I'm working on teaching myself guitar using books and youtube videos. It's going slowly. Occasionally, if I'm home alone, I like to play my clarinet. I played for 6 years, but I'm terrible now though, since I've played maybe 5 times in the past 8 years.

I also like hiking, I LOVE the beach (man, I'm gonna miss California, wherever/whenever I go to school), running...nothing kills/distracts from stress like being physically exhausted.

Sleeping is awesome. I do lots of that, given the opportunity.
 
I've noticed that bagpipes have an exponential learning curve. It's an odd instrument in that you start out without actually touching a set for 6 months to a year. Since there is so much going on with the 3 single reeds and the 1 double reed, none of which you can directly control while playing, you have to start with a simple practice chanter, which is a reed instrument in its own right. Basically, it eliminates the bag and the drones. Otherwise, it's a fairly simple concept. You blow into a bag, smack her to get everything started, and then maintain a constant pressure between blowing and squeezing. Your fingers play the melody and if everything is going well, your brain simply acts as the supervisor for all of this, using your ear as the primary feedback sensor. It's definitely not a quick instrument to pick up and start playing. I can usually get mine tuned up and playable in about 10 minutes. This tuning lasts for about 10 minutes, when the reeds are fully warmed up. They then change pitch, requiring you to re-tune, which is fairly easy. I think it really appeals to my science side - it's physics at work, and it requires you to be very aware of that fact. It requires a lot of work to get good. I'd be better, but I keep getting interrupted by my year long business trips. The old saying is, "It takes 7 years and 7 generations to make a piper."
 
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You blow into a bag, smack her to get everything started, and then maintain a constant pressure between blowing and squeezing. Your fingers play the melody and if everything is going well, your brain simply acts as the supervisor for all of this, using your ear as the primary feedback sensor.
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Wow, when taken out of context....
 
nohika said:
👍 I play my flute sometimes if I need a break. I don't have much sheet music, though, which bugs me. So sometimes I just play scales.

I also read (I'm an avid reader), write, watch movies/shows (love House!), and enjoy being lazy. I do have a temper, though, which I'm trying to get rid of, so that makes de-stressing hard sometimes.
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www.8notes.com

free sheet music for almost every instrument. I get all my piano and guitar music there.
 
To relax I...

- Bowl. I bowl every Wednesday night in a league. Been doing it since I was 10.
- Watch television seasons on DVD. I have all seasons of M*A*S*H. Plus I enjoy House, 7th Heaven and Friends.
- Hanging out with friends. My best friend and I would hit up the McDonald's every Monday for their free hot beverages and a gab session. We also like to go for drives out to the middle of nowhere.
- Hang out with the boyfriend. We usually grab something to eat and watch a movie.
- Talk to the gerbils. I spoil them!
- Clean the apartment. It drives me crazy to live in dirt and clutter.
- Walk to work... and sometimes work acts as a stress reliever. Last year when I lived in res with loud, messy, rude roomates, I actually looked forward to going to work. Knowing I didn't have to deal with them for 6 hours was relaxing.
- And... uh... occasionally I hit up the bars with friends... occasionally meaning twice since school started... but it's nice to get dressed up, have some girly drinks, and laugh with your friends.

I always used to read to relax... ever since I started university, I haven't been able to finish a novel. When I do have the time to start one, the next week I'm swamped with other readings and assignments, and when I get around to reading it again, I'd have forgotten what I had read and would have to start over.
 
HopefulAg said:
Wow, when taken out of context....
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Lots of that in the piping world. Apparently, it used to be much worse - was an old boys club with copious amounts of alcohol. I love the pipes for their diversity as much as anything else. What other instrument is equally at home at a funeral, on the street corner, in a pub or with a band?
 
I try to do productive things when I'm stressed, like bake cookies or run-- which both have the opposite results! :laugh: I go to the gym or go hiking or kayaking to work off some steam, or play the flute (to join the crowd). And recently I've finally had enough free time to read some books! Now that finals are underway, I'm not doing much reading-for-fun, but I definitely enjoy it.

But I also do the very unproductive things that are sometimes just necessary, like lounge around in my pjs and watch TV. Take a long bath or nap in the hammock. Sometimes I just need to do absolutely nothing for an hour or two!


Working at my shelter actually makes me so much less stressed. I didn't visit the shelter for about 2 weeks last semester and I was so incredibly stressed and couldn't figure out why. Then I went back to work and saw all of the animals and was so much calmer. I don't have any pets at home right now, so being at the shelter and playing with some of my favorites helps me out.
 
I go to the barn and hang out with my horses when I'm stressed. A lot of times I'll just go out to groom and hand graze them for a couple hours since riding can be counterproductive when I'm that stressed. I'll also take my dogs for a jog or watch Friends reruns.
 
Seems like such a foreign concept right now, but I do relieve stress once in awhile 😀. For one, I just start walking when I'm stressed. Since I live in Boston, I end up in some pretty odd places. I especially love ending up near the water front and watching the harbor seals outside the aquarium, good times. That, or I draw, read, or go see a movie or catch up on some much desired TV watching (ditto to whoever said the new season of scrubs is a letdown...I just started watching them recently and they're bumming me out).
 
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