Everyone has some preferred environment that helps them relax. For example, you may like a walk through a forest on a sunny day, a hot bath or shower, watching a movie in the middle of the night with friends, reading a book by the window during light rain, etc. What do you like the most?
I really wish that I knew anymore. Thanks to the pandemic years, the place that was my refuge - my bedroom - has become anything but. It’s my office, my bedroom, my every room, and in no small part, also a prison.
The places where I’ve felt most at peace in 2023 have been those places where I am least needed to be myself. Local restaurants, and other public places like that, where I’m able to be in public without needing to meaningfully engage with others. It’s a strange sense of relaxation that also sets off my anxiety sometimes, but it’s the best I have.