Time with family and friends
Protected off-hours with the people who knew you before the job did
Evenings and days off spent with family or close friends, treated as part of the recovery plan rather than whatever is left over after it. The point, for the athletes who describe it, is a relaxed head that carries into training, and a life that survives the career ending. Free, but it has to be defended like a training session.
Who backs it
Sorted by strength of stance
- Cristiano RonaldoDoes it
Footballer · Portugal captain and five-time Ballon d'Or winner
Training comes first, he says. But a relaxed lifestyle is what lets him be his best physically and mentally, so his free time goes to family and friends, to keep him calm and in a positive frame of mind.
Source: FourFourTwo: Cristiano Ronaldo's training tips - Novak DjokovicDoes it
Tennis player · Record 24 Grand Slam singles titles
Fatherhood shifted his sense of himself beyond tennis, he says, and leaving the racket to one side at home is where he finds calm and good recovery.
Source: VICE: Novak Djokovic: Meditation, Yoga and Veganism Helped Shape My Success - Oprah WinfreyDoes it
Talk show host and producer · The Oprah Winfrey Show
Porch evenings with friends, shared meals, rolling in the grass with the dogs: her list of what happiness looks like is mostly other people. Service to others is what she calls her biggest reward.
Source: Oprah.com: What Oprah Knows for Sure About Happiness
Aimed at the same thing
Other entries filed under stress.
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Daily meditation
10-20 minutes of formal practice, most days
Backed by 17 of 44 stacks: 13 do it, 1 recommend it, 3 have discussed it - HabitFREE, no cost
Daily walking
A long walk most days, often without headphones
Backed by 12 of 44 stacks: 8 do it, 4 recommend it, 0 have discussed it - HabitFREE, no cost
Gratitude practice
Writing down a few specific things you are grateful for, daily
Backed by 10 of 44 stacks: 8 do it, 1 recommend it, 1 have discussed it - HabitFREE, no cost
Journaling
Writing to unload the mind, usually first thing or last thing
Backed by 9 of 44 stacks: 9 do it, 0 recommend it, 0 have discussed it - HabitFREE, no cost
Deliberate solitude
Regular time with your own thoughts and no other inputs
Backed by 8 of 44 stacks: 6 do it, 2 recommend it, 0 have discussed it - HabitFREE, no cost
Daily prayer
A fixed time for prayer each morning, before the phone and before the day starts
Backed by 3 of 44 stacks: 3 do it, 0 recommend it, 0 have discussed it
Habit entry · notes paraphrased from cited sources, quoted excerpts copied from the transcript they link to. Not medical advice. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or reviewed by anyone listed. How this works.