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Fernando Doglio
Fernando Doglio

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How do you ground yourself?

We tend to spend quite a lot of our day in front of a monitor, so what do you do when you need to unplug / unwind / relax or however you call it? Is it more screens but doing something else(like gaming or watching movies) or is it something else?

I personally can't really get away from the screen, gaming every once in a while for a few hours helps me take my mind off of work.

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skyandsand profile image
Chris C

I enjoy video games but I just don't have the time/money to dedicate to them. It's also more blue light after 8 hours of LCD lighting at work👀

I have noticed my well-being significantly improve after I got a dog 2 years ago (also a lot of time, space, money, and patience you need to be ready for before you commit). But he keeps me active hiking, etc. and on a schedule (his potty schedule !)

Outside of that, podcasts or Spotify. I find new beers to enjoy at the zillion breweries by me. And force myself to talk to strangers. Not take myself so seriously. It might sound cliche but adequate sleep and water are important. So many places now have things like CBD, etc to help people unwind. Personally not having a 45 minute commute is immense too. Try new things and you'll find what helps you get into your groove 🤗

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deleteman123 profile image
Fernando Doglio

Thanks for sharing! I have to admit that I'm doing really bad in the sleeping category, only getting around 3 or 4 hours a day. I've been doing it for years but I guess I should eventually stop having so many damn side projects.

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j_at_canosie profile image
J C

What's your favorite beer?

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skyandsand profile image
Chris C

Really liking white rascal this summer averybrewing.com/beers/white-rascal

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j_at_canosie profile image
J C

very nice!

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ahferroin7 profile image
Austin S. Hemmelgarn

Gaming is a big one for me too. I'm seriously looking forwards to Borderlands 3 being out in a few weeks. It's not all I do though.

Other things I do to relax include:

  • Streaming stuff from Netflix, Hulu, or Crunchyroll. Most recently watching through the entirety of Naruto and Naruto Shippuden (never watched either before, been meaning to for a while now, and having watched it now kind of sad I never got a chance to do so as a kid).
  • Magic the Gathering. Mostly Commander/EDH. I'm not very good, but consistently have a lot of fun, and it's a great way to burn a few hours on a Sunday afternoon.
  • Tabletop RPG's. Currently in the middle of two separate campaigns as a player (D&D 5e AL and Pathfinder 2e) and working on putting together a third as a GM (HSD 2e). Ironically, originally started on this because of video games (Nethack specifically).
  • Read. Mostly Japanese light novels these days (most recently No Game No Life), though it's been a varied mix of stuff over the years, though mostly science-fiction or fantasy.
  • Cook. Often Swedish (gravlax, köttbullar, and pyttipanna) or Japanese (miso soup, gyoza, and yakisoba), but also other cuisines (I've grown very fond of koshari recently).
  • Go target shooting at the local gun range. For some reason I can't quite explain, I find it cathartic.
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deleteman123 profile image
Fernando Doglio

Thanks for sharing! I'm a big fan of Netflix and every once in a while I binge watch new seasons of my favorite shows, like Stranger Things.
I'm also a huge D&D fan, but I lack the time and the group of people to play, so instead, I watch Critical Role on Youtube, have you heard of them?

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ahferroin7 profile image
Austin S. Hemmelgarn

I'm also a huge D&D fan, but I lack the time and the group of people to play, so instead, I watch Critical Role on Youtube, have you heard of them?

I've never actually watched any of their videos, but they get brought up pretty regularly at both tables (usually invoking Vox Machina or The Mighty Nein as an example of a party far saner than ours).

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deleteman123 profile image
Fernando Doglio

You should definitely take some time and check them out, start out with campaign two for best video and audio quality and then you can check out Vox Machina. It's not only great RP, but you get to see some really smart people playing a great game. I highly recommend it!

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j_at_canosie profile image
J C

Before I was married, I used to play video games or watch non-tech YouTube videos.

The last game I played prior to getting married was Minecraft 😳 . Once I got married, we will go on walks, or a random car dive or just get a hot chocolate and talk.

I'll be honest, I still play Minecraft here and there to wind down 😳😳😳

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deleteman123 profile image
Fernando Doglio

Spending time with the significant other or kids (I have 2) can help a lot as well, but sometimes that's just not enough for whatever reason. I do enjoy watching non tech YouTube quite a bit as well!

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j_at_canosie profile image
J C

Though I don't have kids, I can understand what your saying.

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andrewharpin profile image
Andrew Harpin

My first suggestion is have a work uniform, if your workplace is casual or you work from home this can be a bit tricky.

But the first thing I do after greeting my family when returning from work is change out of my work clothes.

It starts the process of letting go of the work day.

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deleteman123 profile image
Fernando Doglio

That's a neat trick! Thanks for sharing!

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notngan profile image
Ngan B. Nguyen

I usually look for tech meetups on meetup.com or eventbrite.com and come talk to people. There are food and drink and stickers for free. Yeah it doesn't have to be about tech but as a nerd I don't know what to talk about if it's not about tech, =))

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deleteman123 profile image
Fernando Doglio

That's interesting! You're still doing something very much related to your day-to-day (I'm assuming you're going to meetups of techs you use?) but enjoy the food and company of others. Thanks for sharing!

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Damir Franusic

I practice daily yoga and try to keep my distance from the screen when I'm at home. I've caused too much pain to myself by not setting some boundaries. If you're in the mood, I've posted an article that mentions this issue.

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deleteman123 profile image
Fernando Doglio

Thanks for sharing! I'll definitely take a look!

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Loïc Coenen

I do yoga, go to the swimming pool / sauna with a waterproof MP3, I play piano (keyboard), go to the restaurant with some friend, have a long walk in nature, read a book,... I indeed tend to spend a bit too much time in front of a screen but it's important to disconnect sometime!

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Michael "lampe" Lazarski

I go to the gym. It is like meditation for me.

I try to do something with my wife outside.

I just go for a walk without my phone.

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gnsp profile image
Ganesh Prasad

I draw and paint; not digital art, but good old paint and brush.

Most of my recent paintings are posted on my Instagram at instagram.com/gnsp__

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deleteman123 profile image
Fernando Doglio

Amazing! I need to pick up drawing again. Thanks for sharing!