Breathe deeply - Peace and quiet at last: how to relax at the end of the year
Peace and quiet. How often have we searched for it this year and then only found stress! You know this? But before you scroll around on your smartphone, let me take a moment to tell you about a conversation that was balm for my soul in search of peace.
A few years ago, the philosopher Ralf Konersmann from Kiel wrote a remarkable book entitled "Die Unruhe der Welt" (The restlessness of the world). Restlessness, he explained to me, has not only been a problem for people since the modern age, nor is it an outgrowth of industrialization, capitalism and digitalization. It has always plagued them: "Man is already condemned to restlessness in the Bible, when Yahweh punishes Cain after the fratricide: 'Restless and restless you will be on the earth'," says Konersmann.
How can we counteract restlessness?
In pre-modern times, people took precautions to counteract the restlessness of the world. "Take the work-free Sunday or the monasteries. For a long time, these counter-spaces were undisputed, as if everyone understood that there had to be places of refuge that allowed people to step out of the hustle and bustle," says Konersmann. Since modern times, however, people have increasingly erased these quiet zones. "Restlessness has become a passion, we suffer from it, but we also love it."
However, if restlessness is not an individual but a cultural phenomenon, if it is not me who is stressed but society, that is comforting on the one hand, but what is the way out? Ralf Konersmann answers with a quote from Hölderlin: "So hurry up and be content." And: "We should take a step back and ask ourselves: why all this effort? What social constraints have we accepted that curtail our contentment?"
In the following pieces, the stern editorial team gives tips on how to hurry through the world contentedly in Hölderlin's sense - or to find peace for a moment. We also learn that the search for peace and quiet can sometimes be stressful.
Time out at the end of the year: The best places and destinations to blow off steam
Time out at the end of the year: The best ideas for relaxing at home
Time out at the end of the year: The best ideas for active relaxation
Time out at the end of the year: A self-experiment with floating
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After a year filled with restlessness and stress, it's time to consider taking a "Time out at the end of the year." This period can be spent in various tranquil destinations, enhancing our relaxing experiences. As the year draws to a close and New Year approaches, let's not forget to unwind and find peace once more before embracing the new chapter.
In the comfort of our homes, we can create our personal "Time out spaces" that allow us to achieve a state of relaxation and reduce the effects of modern-day restlessness. By adopting this practice, we can rediscover the essence of peace and contentment as we welcome a fresh start in the New Year.
Source: www.stern.de
