How Do You Relax After Work?
Wayne: Uh, I’m so exhausted. I just need to learn a new habit or take up a new hobby to relax a bit better after work. What do you normally do?
Roger: Um, you know, I think that it’s- it’s hard to like, just, straight up decompress. Sometimes it’s hard to turn it all off. But what I normally do is just go home, and I like to do something active a little bit first, so, you know, like, go to the gym or cook, uh, before I really sit down and try to just watch TV or read a book and relax.
Wayne: Yeah, absolutely. I just feel so tiresome all the time and a friend of mine said to me the other day, he recommended that I do a bit of meditation but I can’t really seem to get into that. It doesn’t really seem very natural for me. Um, have you tried that at all?
Roger: Very hard. Um, you know they try- they say that you’re supposed to really, like, create a blank in your mind, uh, it’s difficult for me. Uh, my mind is usually spinning and spinning. Uh, but I- I think it’s a good- uh, what’s the word? A good goal to have. Sometimes I do it with yoga at the same time.
Wayne: Oh right. I mean, we all live in such a chaotic world at the moment, it’s so difficult just to take that time away from the computer screens and to relax, you know. I just feel after every day at work that my fingers are worked to the bone. It’s so exhausting.
Roger: Yeah, all the computer work, you know. Uh, I didn’t always work so much on the computer as I do now and I do find that’s, you know, just the feeling in your back, the feeling in your fingers. Like, it’s really important to think about your posture while you’re working and then making sure to have some exercise like, uh, whether it’s, you know, cardio, or yoga, or something.
Wayne: Yeah, well- well, there’s so many hidden risks to computer use that I think people don’t really consider. Um, you know, it’s- it’s seen as a fairly kind of sedentary act but, you know, there’s so many potential health problems associated with just sitting still for hours on end and just looking at a screen.
Roger: Yeah, so maybe that’s it. Maybe, I mean exe- getting enough exercise is the key.
Wayne: Um, yeah.
Vocabulary:
take up a new hobby – to start doing a new activity for fun in your free time, “He decided to take up a new hobby like painting on weekends.”
turn it all off – to stop thinking about your work or your worries so you can rest, “It is hard to turn it all off after a busy day at the office.”
get into that – to become interested in or start enjoying an activity, “I tried reading comic books, but I couldn’t really get into that.”
chaotic world – a life or place that is very busy, messy, and full of confusion, “With so much news and work, we live in a chaotic world.”
worked to the bone – working extremely hard until you are completely exhausted, “The farmers worked to the bone to harvest the corn before the rain.”
hidden risks – dangers or problems that are not easy to see at first, “There are hidden risks to eating too much fast food every week.”
sedentary act – an activity where you sit down a lot and do not move your body much, “Playing video games all day is a very sedentary act.”
hours on end – for many hours without stopping or taking a break, “She sat at her desk for hours on end to finish her school essay.”