Keep relaxing: Take a break and celebrate

We made it through the Spring 2020 semester! We did that! And we did it together. Now that finals have wrapped up and the spring semester is in the books, we should all celebrate by taking a well-deserved break. In the last month, the Pathways Center team has shared tips for improving mental, spiritual, and physical wellness during an extremely stressful period of time. To conclude the Keep Flourishing series, I have the honor of encouraging you to do… nothing. 

Here are a few of my favorite ways to take a break at home:

Seek out positive news

I’m a huge fan of The Office, so I naturally follow everything John Krasinski does. He recently launched a YouTube show called "Some Good News" where he shares… well, good news from the week. He usually brings in a few special guests and generally encourages positivity and helpfulness. Even if you’re not an Office fan, I would bet that you won’t be able to make it through a full episode without smiling.

If you don’t want to take the time to watch a video, you could follow @goodnews_movement on Instagram. And if you want to make it even easier, subscribe to The Good Stuff Newsletter - you’ll have good news delivered straight to your inbox!

Stream (new or classic) shows

I’m sure you’ve already binge-watched Tiger King on Netflix, but if you haven’t, now might be a good time to catch up. There are so many streaming services out there that there is truly something for everyone to enjoy - from animated classics and concert documentaries to original series and everything in between. Here are some of my picks:

• Netflix: Stranger Things, Gilmore Girls, The Society

• Hulu: One Tree Hill, Veronica Mars, Law & Order: SVU

• Amazon Prime: The Jonas Brothers’ Concert Documentary, Happiness Continues

• Disney+: Anything that makes you feel nostalgic (High School Musical, anyone?)

Read a good book

Reading is a great way to relax. It’s also a great way to take a break from having so much screen time now that we’re always home. My favorite books that I’ve read in recent years are “Educated” by Tara Westover and “She Said” by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey. These are the books my team in the Pathways Center suggested for a good distraction:

• Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning 

• Try Softer by Aundi Kolber

• The Bible

Read free audiobooks here

Rest well

Resting can look different for each of us, so find something that brings you peace and do that! Additional options to consider:

• Practice meditation

• Participate in a virtual yoga class (or do yoga on your own!)

• Connect with family and friends virtually

• Attend virtual events or live streams

• Play board games or brain games 

• Build puzzles 

• Take a nap

While you rest up, consider all that you have accomplished this semester - you’ve shown adaptability, resilience, and positivity in the face of a global challenge. Be proud of yourself!

Click here to do nothing for two minutes