Digital Pastimes to Reset Your Day in 10 Minutes or Less
With everything that can happen in life, at work and even with the kids, you sometimes need easy ways to reset your day and get back on track. Of course, you can’t just get up and leave in most cases, so what can you do? There are various ways you can use digital tools for a refresh.
When you have some spare time during the day or in the evening, escaping can be just what you need. From VR fitness to smartphone wellness, here are some healthy suggestions.
A Mini Brain Teaser
A morning or lunch break is a perfect time for a quick mental refresh during the day. Given that you probably have your phone to hand, there is a world of entertainment waiting to be discovered. Brain-teasing games like Solitaire or Sudoku are excellent for a little brain reset when you have a spare five or ten minutes. These can be just what you need to wake up the mind when you are just having one of those days. Just make sure you keep an eye on the time!
Reset Your Day with a VR Walk
Virtual reality (VR) is becoming more popular for gaming. But it isn’t just gaming it is good for. There are 3 billion gamers in the world, and many of them also use VR. You can use VR for other activities, such as fitness. So, here’s how to begin your VR fitness adventure:
- Choose a platform that suits your needs and budget, such as Meta Quest 3 or PSVR2.
- Get to know your device, how it works and the limitations of the freedom of movement.
- Search app stores for the best-rated walking and fitness apps that fit your goals.
- Make sure you have the space to move around and participate in VR activities.
- Include a short walk or fitness adventure in your daily exercise or winding down routine.
Meditation and Deep Breathing
Even five or ten minutes can be just what you need to reset your mind and increase focus and energy. But how? Meditation is a popular pastime for millions of people all over the world. However, it can be hard to master. Fortunately, there is some help from the digital world in the form of apps such as Headspace. Headspace offers excellent personalisation for whatever you need and in the time you need it, such as a five-minute energy reset deep-breathing routine.
Online Yoga Instruction
If you want something a little more physical but just as powerful, yoga is also a popular activity. Of course, you may not have time to pack a gym bag, get in the car and attend a one-hour class. Today, yoga is accessible in many ways, including digitally. Online yoga classes, live or pre-recorded, offer the benefits in the comfort of your own home. There are also yoga apps available. And if you enjoy VR, Alo Moves XR offers mixed-reality yoga instruction from home.
How About Your Favorite Music?
If there is one thing that has the power to instantly change your mood, it’s music. Almost everyone has a smartphone and most of us also have at least one media app. Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Music and YouTube are among the most popular. When you want some calm, focus or a quick escape, listening to your favorite music has a major impact on your mood. You can even use specially-designed frequencies to help with calm, focus, energy or pain relief.
Escape with an eBook
Believe it or not, people still read! The argument over what is best, print or digital, is irrelevant. What matters is that you have access to pretty much everything ever written on one device. eBook readers such as Amazon Kindle are stunningly broad, and you can find pretty much anything legal. A quick ten minutes of escaping into a world of pure imagination can help refresh your mind and perk up your mood. From Stephen King to JK Rowling, anything is possible.
Start a Journal Blog to Reset Your Day
Wellness routines will help reset your day and enhance your overall well-being. One of the most recommended parts of wellness is journaling. Around 25% of women write in a diary on a daily basis, and blogging is a popular digital form of this. Further, you can actually gain professional skills from blogging, such as online marketing. So, what are some reasons for starting a blog?
Untapped creativity
A journal blog is a space for you, and as such, you can design and create it anyway you like. Themes, styles and even images make a unique blog and the only limit is your imagination.
Stating goals and dreams
One of the keys of wellness is goals and dreams. A journal blog can be something like a digital vision board, allowing you to manifest your innermost thoughts, wants and desires.
Dumping your brain
It can be easy to have too much going on in your brain these days! A journal blog is a great way to empty your mind and get it all out, even if it is for all the world (or a few visitors) to see.
Capturing precious moments
The great thing about a blog is that it can be anything you want. Some people tend to use blogs as a digital scrapbook, capturing the most precious moments in life, and all their ups and downs.
Improving mindfulness
Journaling can be a creative release, and you can play with styles and layouts to increase the connection between your mind and your blog. You can then look back over your thoughts later.
Follow-Along Recipes
Tablets have come a long way since the early days of slow devices. Today, they are much thinner and lighter, and some are somewhat intelligent. For example, the Amazon Echo Show uses Alexa for all kinds of things. People who enjoy cooking find it therapeutic, and you can use your tablet to show videos of recipes that you can follow along. You can just ask Alexa, find YouTube videos or use apps such as SuperCook to find recipes based on available ingredients.
Play Video Games with the Kids
Video games aren’t just for kids! There are games for everyone and you can develop a keen hobby by playing games. However, as a parent, spending time with the children is one of the best uses of time. Digitally, you can play video games with the children and spend time bonding over their favorites. There are video games for all ages, and Nintendo is highly recommended as the brand is largely family-friendly. Just don’t let them win when playing Mario Kart!
Digital Art and Hobbies
Not everyone is highly creative or talented. But that really doesn’t matter. What matters is that you enjoy the creative process and go with the flow. However, not everyone enjoys messy paints and chalk. Today, however, there are many digital art tools and apps available. For instance, Adobe Photoshop is more than an image editor. It is possible to create all kinds of artwork. You can even learn the digital side of editing your own photos as a keen photographer.
Digital Classic Board Games
Like eBooks, there are classic board games that everyone loves. Also, like eBooks, you can enjoy digital versions of the games you love. These include Scrabble, Cluedo and Monopoly. These are available for download on mobile devices or on video game consoles such as PlayStation and Nintendo. Some are also available to play online with others, so you can also spend some time with the kids even while you’re still at the office or away from home.
Reset Your Day with Smartphone Wellness Tools
Okay, so you probably spend a lot of time on your phone like everyone else. However, a recent survey found that less than 50% of screen time is actually productive. Additionally, smartphones and other screens can be harmful when overused. So, here are some ways to digitally detox:
- Switch on the blue light filter on your phone to reduce eye strain at night.
- Use built-in tools to set Do Not Disturb times to avoid interruptions in the evening.
- Track how much time you spend on specific apps to plan ways to reduce screen time.
- Integrate with smart devices to track sleep habits and heart rhythm during the night.
- Install extra apps such as Calm, Noom and Daylio to enhance daily habits.
Socialise Online with Friends and Family
One of the easiest ways to fill your time with positive vibes is to stay social. Today, we have access to all the digital tools we need to actually support ourselves and our communities. Online socialisation with apps such as Facebook is a powerful way to stay connected. A quick catch-up can be just what you need to bring yourself back down and end a conversation feeling accepted and respected. As a result, you can go about your day as happy as that guy, Larry!
Summary
Brain-teaser games such as Sudoku offer easy ways to escape for a minute and reset your day for good vibes. Some people also find it beneficial to journal or start a blog. Of course, today, we have more socialisation options than ever, with social media apps for catching up with friends.