Is Relaxing Actually Stressing You Out?

A friend of mine recently told me, “I feel like a social weirdo.” She said it’s lonely — I don’t go out, I don’t drink every night, I don’t watch the violent TV shows and listen to the murder mystery podcasts everyone else does.⁣⠀

I know exactly how she feels! I haven’t really watched TV in 15+ years because I realized that when I watch violent movies or TV, my body doesn't know the difference between fiction and real life — they fill my mind with fear that I then have to combat. It's easier to just not put it there in the first place!⁣

A lot of people watch TV as a way to de-stress, but research has shown that watching television puts the brain in a sort of "limbo state" where it can't fully relax but it's not being exercised either.⁣⠀

Instead I spend a lot of time relaxing in the swing in my living room, meditating and reading. What do you do to de-stress?