7 Joyful Ways to Take a Break from the Real World ...

One of the things that I find most comforting is watching interesting movies and documentaries. Although it doesn’t seem like it, movies and TV shows really take your mind out of the reality and into another dimension that is much more exciting and intriguing. These 2-hour movies do a great job of taking our mind off our worries and problems for a short while and ease our imagination into something else. It’s one of the most inexpensive and available ways to take a break for yourself.

Reading literature is one of the basic ways of shutting yourself out from society and taking time to nourish your soul with knowledge. In addition, according to the new research, reading can relieve your stress levels by as much as 60 percent! It actually works much faster in calming you down than listening to music, going for a walk or just sipping on tea. The distraction of the literature world eases the tensions built up in your muscles and heart. So it really doesn’t matter what book you are reading, because as long as you are engrossed in the words, you’ll benefit your own body.

Bubble baths may not necessarily be the healthiest for nourishing your skin, but is there anything better than lying down in warm water, surrounded by fluffy bubbles? The whole process is just so cathartic that once you go in, you may never come out! There is just something so zen and relaxing about bubble baths that helps you to achieve a piece of mind and de-stress your body.

You slowly come to appreciate and count your sleep hours, as you grow older. It’s funny because we spend our whole childhood begging our parents to stay up past our bedtime, but now we just count the days until we can be tied down to our beds for at least more than 6 hours. In reality nothing is more relaxing and refreshing than sleep. Even a short nap of 15 minutes can make you feel like a whole different person. So if you are stressed or just not feeling well take a nap, which can end up being the solution to all of your problems. There is a reason why we always say, ‘sleep on it…’

Although I rarely get the chance to express myself artistically, I always appreciate those moments when I can grab a pencil and a piece of paper and let my imagination run wild. Personally drawing puts me in a ‘zone’ during which nothing else really matters but lines, shapes and shadows. However, if you are not too much into drawing, there are always other ways to express yourself simply by singing, crafting, writing or even cooking. As long as you are enjoying being creative in the process, it should help you get some alone time.

One thing that helps me let go of my worries and just enjoy myself in the moment is spending time with my niece. She never fails to put a smile on my face and she always finds the humor in everything. I think that exposing yourself to children and their point of view on life is often refreshing because it reminds us of what we should be really thinking about, which is just being happy and appreciating the small things. Children can often teach us many things that we wouldn’t learn in the real world.

I’ve recently stumbled upon a collection of boxes filled with old pictures and memories. Looking through these captured moments was like opening a time capsule and getting a chance to take a peek into my past. Sometimes all we need is a reminder of our roots and where we came from. We need to reinforce our role in the world, think of the old version of ourselves and imagine what they would do in your position. So if want some time apart from the civilization, wipe that dust off your photo albums and spend some time flipping pages.

There comes a point when we all need a break, no matter who we are or where we come from. However, it is often hard to find the best ways to spend alone time in a meaningful way. What are some of your favorite personal alone time rituals?