Today we have a guest editorial as Steve is on holiday. This editorial was originally published on Mar 31, 2017.

I would guess most of us have demanding jobs, which can be stressful at least some of the time. Perhaps for some of you, the strain of job stress rarely leaves you. I have been in situations like that, I am thankful my current position has much less stress then my previous one. Still, even if you aren’t under much stress it is still nice to relax after work.

So what do you find relaxing? I imagine a number of you enjoy going to the local watering hole to enjoy a beverage with some friends. Perhaps some of you find exercising relaxing. Personally, I don’t. Exercising causes me to feel tired, which perhaps helps me sleep better, but I don’t find the time during or after exercising particularly relaxing.

Others, might enjoy streaming a movie or watching a show on TV, or playing a video game. I confess I have spent way too much time playing Agar.io much to the irritation of my wife. I am sure many of you enjoy social media like Facebook etc. It is interesting as I consider these different avenues to “relax” it seems that they are sort of fun and they certainly take up time, but do I truly feel more relaxed afterwards?

This caused me to ponder what is something that really helps me feel more relaxed? I realized for me, I really enjoy reading. When I have a good book or the latest issue of popular mechanic, after 20 or 30 minutes reading I feel quite refreshed. Now I realize you may not enjoy reading, or reading just doesn’t relax you. I guess my challenge to you is to spend some time considering what you are doing during your off hours and decide if those activities are actually refreshing you and causing you to relax.

Perhaps that stressful show is not the best thing to watch when you are trying to unwind after work. Maybe social media is causing more irritation then doing any good. Winning one more round of a game or reaching that next level can be fun, but also stressful, which is the opposite of relaxing.

I would encourage you to spend sometime today or in the near future thinking about how you can better relax in your off hours. Let me know what you come up with. Perhaps your idea of a good way to relax will inspire someone else to do the same.