Balancing Productivity and Relaxation this Summer: Finding the Right Mix

Summer is the time when one would prefer to remain indoors. In this scorching heat and post-pandemic world people are still doing work from home. While it can become a herculean task for some of you just to reach your office or travel in this torrid heat, you can make Summers more productive and enjoyable at the same time irrespective of whether you are working from home or the office.

Following are some of the ways you can make summers productive and relaxing:

1. Learn a new skill: Out of your busy schedule, it is possible to remove 30 mins to learn a new skill. Nowadays there are free courses available on platforms. Where you can access the course for a prescribed time period. This will not only help you to learn a new skill but also open doors for entrepreneurial opportunities.
2. Play indoor games: This can be done both at home and in your free time in the office. Like playing tongue twisters eg.

She sells seashells on the seashore,

I saw Susie sitting in a shoeshine shop.

 You can also play card games, and chit games where one has to pick up a chit and perform the task assigned.

1. Listen to podcasts: These days podcasts are becoming very famous. They are easily accessible and the topics range from business, politics, movies, and health and the list is endless. These podcasts are available in different time frames. Some are short and crisp while there are long and deep-rooted podcasts also available. Based on your liking and preference, you can choose the podcast you want to listen to. This you can listen to even while returning back from the office. 
2. Meditation: Meditation is like a feeling of liberation and relaxation from all the stresses of life. It works amazingly for mental health conditions like anxiety, and depression. It improves your concentration. You can chant Om for 20 minutes every day or listen to some meditative music for 20 minutes and see the magic of meditation like never before. For getting better results, you should practice it regularly. 
3. Exercise: You should exercise every day during summer. It’s important to release all the heat and toxins from your system and feel calm and composed. You can also get an exercise partner to make exercising interesting. 
4. Engage in your hobby: It’s very essential to start doing things you are interested in. It can range from singing, dancing, writing, playing instruments, painting etc. It helps regulate your happy hormones like endorphins and dopamine.
5. Cook your favorite dish:  A basic skill which you can practice and relish. It can be medu vada from the South, Maharashtrian famous misal pav, pizza from Italy, chole bhature from the North and so on and so forth. Bring on your chef cap, plan the dish prior and cook the meal. The level of satisfaction you will get is something you never expected and is beyond your imagination. You can call it “ME” time as you are taking out time to embrace yourself, to love yourself and to feed yourself with your favorite dish.
6. Spend time with family: After a hectic day from job or from homely responsibilities we tend to forget family time. Whether it was a good day or a bad day, it’s important to share it with our family members. The love, the warmth, the acceptance, that tight hug, those endless conversations on various topics keeps the family relations intact and also keeps the mind relaxed.

 Considering the above mentioned points, start slow with each step a day or a week. Slowly incorporating in your routine life, you can live a productive and healthy life.