With everything that's going on right now, it's hard to feel fully relaxed. My aim for this post was originally to talk about how to have "chill no-work nights" as a student, however, given the current situation, I thought I'd expand the topics. In essence, it's going to be the same post, but slightly altered. I thought I'd share some ideas for how to have a relaxation evening. Some of these activities can be done either by yourself or with the people you live with.
How to Have the Perfect Relaxation Night
Firstly, pick a night to do one of the activities. If you're like me, then it's finding the time to relax that is the challenging bit, not the actual relaxing bit. Secondly, decide what sort of relaxing you want to do or need. Thirdly, enjoy!
Movie Night
Who doesn't love a good movie night? One of my favourite things to do as a student in need of a relaxing evening was to watch a movie. Most of the time, I would watch by myself, but sometimes I would watch something with my housemates. I have to admit that I am guilty of rewatching my favourite movies, more often than watching new movies.
During the current situation, there are lots of new ways of watching movies together while being in separate locations. I know there is a feature on Netflix and on Google Chrome. I've also seen people watching stuff together via Facebook messenger and Facetime. It's all about getting creative with how you can do these activities. If you live with other people, you can have a group movie night while still adopting the appropriate safety measures.
If you are looking for some film recommendations, here is a list of my favourite films.
Tv Marathon
Again, who doesn't love a TV marathon? There are so many great TV shows to be watching. Before all of the safety measures kicked in, me and my housemates were preparing for the new season of Brooklyn Nine-Nine to drop on Netflix.
Now is a good time to start a new TV show or catch up on a classic. Personally, I am waiting to finish the latest season of Doctor Who. I've also started watching Noughts+Crosses, an adaptation of a series of novels I love by the same name. Some classics I want to finally get into include Peaky Blinders. There is a never ending list of TV shows and many streaming services available to watch them on.
If you are looking for some TV recommendations, here is a list of my favourite shows.
Reading Evening
This was my usual way of having a chilled evening while at uni. I would always set aside a few hours, or as many as I could spare, to have a reading evening. I've found that this is a mostly solitary activity, however, I know that a lot of people in the bookish community have been hosting readathons to get through the current situation.
My perfect reading night involves curling up in bed in my pjs, with a candle burning and my favourite reading playlist playing. I also really like having a tasty drink nearby. I regularly take breaks to just relax my eyes as reading lots can strain them.
I have so many book recommendations on here, you can look through my back catalogue of books.
Game Night
Honestly, all I can think of is the episode from season 5 of Brooklyn Nine-Nine called Game Night. However, in all seriousness, a game night could be a great way to relax either as an individual or as a group. It could also be to play video games or board games. My housemates and I would always play games together and it was a really fun, but easy way to hang out. There are so many great games out there.
I would recommend some classics such as Monopoly or a more modern game such as exploding kittens. When it comes to video games, I don't actually know that much, but I have seen a lot of people playing the new Animal Crossing game on Nintendo Switch (which looks so fun I might just have to cave in and get one). From actual experience, I've played some of the jackabox (I think that's what they're called) games and they can be a really good way to relax as a group.
Pamper Evening
This is the only option I would say is a solo activity. You can't go wrong with a pamper night. Have a bath. Do a face mask. Just some general tlc. I don't do these as much as I should but they are a really good way to relax. It's important to look after yourself and a pamper night is the perfect way to do so.
Arts and Crafts Session
This is the only activity on the list that I haven't tried, but I think that having an arts and crafts session would be a great way to relax. I know a lot of people who swear by colouring books as a way of relaxing. You can put some music or a tv show on in the background. I want to try out more forms of arts and crafts, so having a dedicated evening could be the perfect way to do it.
I hope this post was helpful and inspired you to find some time to relax during this difficult time.
Carenza :) x
