Mine is playing AOE2 in easiest (or standard if I want a bit of challenge) mode against 3 bots. I just build my economy, wall up (and laugh at the enemy soldiers attacking my walls in vain), reach imperial age and attack once my army reaches the population limit. I also send 104 in the chat so they don't surrender and I can enjoy razing their all buildings one by one. If any of them builds a castle, even more fun. A build a trebuchet and watch it raze the castle from a safe distance. If there is sea, after I am done with the land, I build 3 docks, do research and build a navy and hunt down ships around the unxplored sea. It is fun, satisfying and relaxing.
What is yours?
I call it 'havin' a stare'. I just sit and either look into the distance or middle ground and do nothing. We don't get to do a lot of nothing as we get older, so when you get those moments it's nice to indulge in them. I'm not meditating, or being mindful, or any random words you want to use. Just havin' a stare.
My dog does this also, but his gaze is fixed on me and from the top of the stairs or round corners. It's very unnerving and not even remotely relaxing for me, but maybe he enjoys it.
You may not be consciously meditating but what you're describing is meditation
I prefer the lack of association with that. The moment I think I'm doing a thing, the less interested I am in it.
I have two:
- Lichess vs computer, easiest setting, trying to promote as many pawns to queens as I can before checkmating.
- Civ 5, duel, Shoshone vs. Venice. No city-States, the only winning condition is time. Farming generals until Venice is reduced to a single hex.
I don't normally watch streamers, but I suddenly want to watch you streaming lichess.
It would be kind of boring though. I rewind the moves quite a bit when I'm doing this. (Kind of weird since I make a point of never rewinding moves when actually playing, at difficulty 5.)
Whenever I feel like I need a breather, I ride my bike. Just ride, not hard or fast, just spinning the cranks. Feels amazing.
Putting on a good old mindless comedy movie. Give me Black Sheep or Airplane or Mr. Deeds or Bridesmaids and I immediately zone out and relax.
Gunpla. I go into a zen like state and achieve inner peace as long as I'm making dumb little robos.
Watching YouTube videos of people making things in machine shops. It switches my brain off and just lets me focus on the work happening on screen. It’s so rewarding to see the process and the finished product.
See:
- Abom79
- Clickspring
- Cutting Edge Engineering Australia
- Make it Extreme
- bigstackD Casting
