6 mindful activities you can feel good about
Take what you need, leave what you don’t
We’re big proponents of balancing staying informed and safe while continuing to practice good self-care. Taking time to de-stress will make you that much better prepped to take on everything else in your day.
Below are some picks from Team Rain about how you can de-stress so that you’re better prepped to take on everything else in your day.
1. Discover new documentaries with Curiosity Stream
Relaxing & learning: name a more iconic duo.
Whether you want to brush up on a topic or learn something completely new, documentaries offer just the right balance of escapism and education. Our senior strategist Preston has been hooked on Curiosity Stream, a platform with thousands of documentaries on subjects ranging from Ancient Rome to A.I. The best part? It’s less than $20/year.
2. LEGO for adults
Cozy, nostalgic and screen-free, LEGO might be your next favourite hobby.
Our director of content and social, Lyra, recently discovered the quiet comfort that building LEGO sets can bring. Along with it being a nice change of pace to do something more tactile, the process of methodically following steps felt good, as opposed to say, building anything from Ikea. 🤪
While some LEGO sets can be on the pricier side, there are also resources like rebrickable.com that give you ideas on how to reuse pieces from existing sets, and some pretty amazing user-designed creations.
3. Reading, laughing and practicing our Moira accents
So good it got recommended twice. Both Courtenay and Heather have Schitt’s Creek in the regular rotation this year for much-needed heartwarming hilarity.
Our project manager Courtenay started re-watching the Emmy-winning series (for the third time!) after enjoying the book co-creators Daniel Levy and Eugene Levy released, “Best Wishes, Warmest Regards: The Story of Schitt’s Creek.”
Heather, principal of Rain, is on her second round of the show and enjoying it more than ever. “I am re-watching Schitt’s Creek and realizing what a truly brilliant show it is. The writing. The ensemble. The character development. David and Patrick are the greatest couple ever written for television. Don’t @ me.”
4. If you can’t travel, colour
Another screen-free option we love is to colour. A favourite of Heather’s, this adult colouring book is beautiful quality with incredible landmarks to colour in while you dream about being able to one day visit them in person again.
5. Train your brain with Sudoku
Good Sudoku is an iOS app will help you improve your Sudoku skills while giving your mind something to focus on when you’re looking to de-stress.
The app itself is built to pare down the tedious parts of figuring out these puzzles while teaching you how to play. Kyle, our digital specialist, likes this app in particular for its clean, minimal design and zen soundtrack.
6. Mindful movement
Another favourite of Lyra’s, Barre3 is a studio based out of Portland that has dozens of online videos designed to get you moving, mindfully.
Respecting how your body feels each day, the classes are designed to give you modifications so that these workouts are actually fun and rewarding — while simultaneously draining your body of the “stress” hormone, cortisol. The focus on stretching, breathwork and body-positive encouragement are all part of what makes this company stand out amongst its many competitors.
Have new mindful activities for us to try?
While we all focus on staying healthy and safe, we’re ready to hear your suggestions! Share them with us in the comments, or tell us which of these activities you’re interested in trying.
