I found the featured picture online when I was stumbling around Pininterest and I focused on how relaxed the family looked in the pic. Sometimes when I find pics that portray an activity but provide no other info such as a caption, I like to imagine a scenario in my head as to all the particulars. I thought of a proud father leading his kids in an outdoorsy trip in a valiant attempt to appreciate nature. Mom was away having a relaxing day on her own as a reward for everything she normally shoulders that dad gets to brush off. That was one possible tale but then I thought that maybe this was a grandfather just trying to share his passion with his grand kids.
What ever the family in the picture is doing, they look like they are having a great time doing it and appear to be relaxed. Relaxation is a concept many of us take for granted in my opinion. When on active duty a service member is technically available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. We have all heard that from drill sergeants and supervisors at some point. Of course we do get downtime because the human body has to rest at some point, but sometimes we fail to truly find a way to engage in that relaxation. Not working does not directly equate to relaxing. Relaxation is defined as the state of being without worry or tension. There are a lot of things a person might worry or be tense about outside of work. Those can include family problems, money issues or other concerns outside of your control.
So what do you do when simply not working is not enough to promote relaxation? Well for starters you need to think about what will relax you in your opinion. Do you like reading and can a gentle tome soothe you? Does embracing the pastime of being a couch potato help you to relax? Does a coupe of rounds of Call of Duty with friends help you unwind after a long and stressful day? What is important is that you find what works for you, not someone else. Sometimes people have a hard time comprehending what works for someone else. So do not let critiques get to you.
I once met a guy who was a huge computer nerd. He lived and breathed technology and would talk your ear off for hours about what was new and on the horizon. You would think that a guy like that sat down at his desk to embrace his beloved tech the minute he got home. He confided in me that he actually avoided technology as much as he could when at home. His reason was that despite his knowledge and love for it, he spent so much time working with technology as part of his job that he was burnt out on it by time he got home.
Travel is a good way to relax. Sometimes the best thing you can do is get away from it all. You can always try and find some good trips here on Militaryfares.com and let your troubles fade away as you jet off to locations unknown.