5, 4, 3, 2, 1 relax ...

This afternoon, I got home feeling stressed with my heart beating fast and a restless mind. "I need to unwind", I thought. I remembered a website Ozge Karaoglu mentioned in one of her posts, "Do nothing for 2 minutes" and decided to try it out. After a few minutes relaxing, I didn't want to go back to real life.

This post was my exploration and trial with relaxing sites which can help you unwind.
Ready to feel REAL GOOD?
Now, I invite you to try these 3 sites one by one.

DO NOTHING FOR 2 MINUTES

The site invites you to do nothing for two minutes. Observe the still image on the screen and try not to use your mouse or keyboard for ONLY 2 MINUTES. Close your eyes and listen to the waves. It's not impossible, observe the countdown and feel how much you can relax in a mere two minutes. If you cheat and use your keyboard or mouse, you'll see the word FAIL come up and you get another chance to start. http://www.donothingfor2minutes.com/

CALM.COM

This one hypnotized me. The background video is very soothing and changes when another background music plays. The icons on the left can only be seen if you hover the mouse next to the left side of the screen, therefore the relaxing image occupies the whole screen. You can do nothing and just listen and observe the scenery or select one of the options from the left icons. The first option is a guided  meditation for 2, 5, 10, 15 or 20 mins. You can listen to a voice which guides you into relaxing your body and mind. The second option is a timer which you select to meditate on your own. This site is MY SECOND FAVOURITE. Even if you still need to work, you can keep the window open and listen to the sounds while you surf the web. There is also an IOS app available. http://www.calm.com/

THE QUIET PLACE

The simple message on the gray background might not impress you much, but don't be fooled. This is MY FAVOURITE ONE. Once you press the spacebar to start, the site maximizes itself covering all the other tabs you might have open on your screen. While listening to background music, read the sentences slowly and let them embark you on a quiet adventure.

I've tried out 3 of their quiet adventures:

• http://thequietplaceproject.com/thequietplace
• http://thequietplaceproject.com/90seconds
• http://thequietplaceproject.com/thethoughtsroom/ (this is perfect for those days when your head is full of disturbing thoughts).

What do these sites have to do with Education?

• They can help us, educators, relax, calm our hearts and find our harmony to keep on doing what we love: educate.
• I imagine we could also use the second and third sites with our students in class too. With Calm.com, I believe the guided 2 min meditation could help teenagers calm down a little and also practice their listening skills. 
• With "the quiet place", if you have an IWB, the first two adventures I suggested would be appropriate to start a class where you can discuss about the stressful lives we've been leading and what people can do to relax.