Stress!

Or the lack of it. The best thing about planning vacations is that it's an irony in itself since you stress yourself out planning on how you can beat stress.

That said, I guess you guys read my short midweek report about Palm Beach, which is one of the most impressive resorts this side of the country. Every time I go there, I get fatter. It is unfortunate, but that is the reality.

Anyway, midweek I thought of how people unwind from stress. And then I thought about how I unwind from stress. I figured since everybody's stressed nearly all of the time, we'll all have ways of cooling off - and some of these ways are similar to each other.

1. First is the out of town trip. We leave the confines of what is recognizable in order to break the monotony of our days. You don't even have to leave your work behind - you can bring your work with you and actually be more productive so long as the environment is different. A change of pace, a change of atmosphere is all you need to break free from the daily grind and relax.
2. We hear about guilty pleasures, but what do they really do? These aren't just things that we enjoy at a basic level - people underestimate the curative powers of guilty pleasures precisely because of the word "guilty." So something that's supposed to take away stress adds unnecessary stress because of just one word association! Guilty pleasures are pure love, and should be enjoyed to the fullest.
3. If you're stressed, find a hobby. Hobbies ranging from swimming to gaming to bodysurfing in big concerts. Personally, I swim, watch things on the Internet, and read books. Or I play games. I used to write a lot, but ever since that became my stable day job, it kinda lost the charm. But you get the picture, right?
4. Spending time with other people isn't just one of the better ways to unwind, it could also be one of the cheapest ways there is. Keep that in mind every time you think of hitting the malls by your lonesome when you think of chillaxing.
5. The best way of unwinding after a long day? Sleep! I used to think that sleep was a bother back when I was a kid - I mean, I could stay up late and level up my characters in FF6 some more! Or finish reading that book! Or secretly watch porn! Honestly, bedtime back during my early adolescence was annoying. But now that I'm well past my mid-twenties, I realize that Shakespeare wasn't kidding when he wrote those lines about sleeping and dreaming in A Midsummer Night's Dream.

There're lots more ways of cooling down that I haven't listed down here - the thing is, some of them just tend to be more specialized than most. Google's latest announcement about how they use goats to mow their lawn is an example.