notes on downtime // part one

Honouring national relaxation day, we gather thoughts on downtime from top creatives and mahabis ambassadors. From their morning rituals, to their evening routines, and everything in between... Read first-hand accounts about relaxation and lifestyle, in our latest series: "notes on downtime". 

 

 

Nicolas Roope // multi-disciplinary designer, artist and creative

"I need downtime because I need to keep perspective. If you never decompress, you start to see a distorted world and that leads to ill-formed ideas and counter-productive perspectives. If you can stay balanced and grounded, then you’re more able to come up with good ideas and make the right decisions. I’m not a workaholic at all so don’t need to be persuaded to kick back." 

photos: instagram // @plumen

 

 

Ali Dover // photographer and designer 

"In the last ten years or so, the pace of life in the western world has become increasingly frenetic - saying you’re ‘so busy’ seems to have become a badge of honour, and not to be busy, a sign of failure. But that’s a terrifying state of affairs - extreme busyness impacts on people’s wellbeing and thus the wellbeing of society in general. When we take less care of ourselves, we are taking less care of the planet.

If we can slow down, both mentally and physically, and engage in every present moment, rather than always worrying about the future, or feeling guilty about the past, life becomes so much more enjoyable and fulfilling."

photos: instagram // @ali__dover

 

 

Jessica Wright // editor of Bon Traveler 

“Relaxation for me is found in the smaller moments. I have a hard time sitting still, so I try to find 15 minutes a few times a day just to be calm. These moments help me find balance and put the day in perspective. I’ll grab a cup of coffee, or just sit on the carpet and read a book. Being intentional during these times in the day helps me to relax.”

photos: instagram // @bontraveler

 

 

Rob Jones // photographer, traveller 

"Often photography is my downtime, because it provides a creative outlet outside of my work and gives me a fun way to explore new parts of a city too. Apart from that I love sitting in a cafe where the background noise and music all blends together, and I can get into the zone with a good book and a coffee."

 photos: instagram // @robmuch 

 

 

Jessica Jungbauer // writer and photographer

“In striving for a slower lifestyle, cherishing downtime is a crucial part of my everyday life. Whether it’s unplugging an hour before bedtime or taking time off during the week after finishing a deadline – to know when your body is at its best and when it needs to rest was one of the key elements from the very first moment when setting up my freelance business.” 

photos: instagram // @jessicajungbauer

 

 

Calum and Lauren, 'The Rolling Home' // adventurers and creatives

"For us there is no better place to relax than in our campervan we call 'The Rolling Home'. One of our reasons for traveling in a small, simple space is to escape the pressures of everyday life. We lay in hammocks to escape the midday sun, throw open the windows to catch any small breeze and finding ourselves reading by candle light underneath forests canopies and dark skies."

photo: @therollinghome

  

 

Brittany Bathgate // fashion blogger

"During the day my job requires me to be on my feet and engaging my brain constantly so down time after work is crucial for me. It enables me to reset my body and mind in preparation for the next day. Believe it not the first part of my un-wind routine is to either go to the gym or go for a run after work. This helps me relieve any stress that might have built up during the day, running especially is a great time to reflect.

To help with relaxation I've started to read more, particularly in the evening. Half and hour to an hour before bed I like to cutmyself off from technology. I turn off the tv, leave my phone in a place that it won't distract me and turn my muji diffuser on. Then climb in to bed with a book and a lemon and ginger tea. Before I know it my eye lids and drooping, I find simply avoiding the harsh lights of a tv and mobile phone before bed can result in an amazing nights sleep."

 

 

 

Brooke Holme // commercial and fine art photographer

"I spend my downtime traveling and visiting new places, which actually turns out to be my uptime because I'm running around photographing everything and taking in the scenery. It's nice to go to a place and not have a schedule. I find that to be quite calming. I've been in between countries and homes now for 7 weeks traveling, it feels nice to be a bit of a nomad." 

photos: @brookeholm

 

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