📘 Part 3: Relaxing

This episode's vocabulary

To make up something (phrasal verb) - to form a particular thing, amount, or number as a whole.

Relaxin (noun) - a reproductive hormone produced by your ovaries and the placenta.

To relieve (verb) - to make an unpleasant feeling, such as pain or worry, less strong.

Tension (noun) - anxiety and worry.

To unwind (verb) - if you unwind something that is wrapped around an object, you unfasten it, and if it unwinds, it becomes unfastened.

Costly (adverb) - expensive, especially too expensive.

Boundary (noun) - a real or imagined line that marks the edge or limit of something.

Off the top of my head (idiom) - from the knowledge you have in your memory.

To tailor (verb) - to adjust something to suit a particular need or situation.

Committee (noun) - a small group of people chosen to represent a larger organization and either make decisions or collect information for it.

Panel (noun) - a small group of people chosen to give advice, make a decision, or publicly discuss their opinions as entertainment.

Questions and Answers

M: Do people have enough places to relax in your country?

R: I would say so. Our country makes up about a third of the UK's landmass but only has a fraction of the population. So there's lots of space to move. In fact, I asked someone what they liked about Scotland the most recently, and they said the space. So there must be something to that. We have national parks, huge gardens, big libraries. So there's a lot of space.

M: And where do people relax?

R: Other than the places I described? I think a lot of people relax in their homes too. I mean, if I think about my home, it's got quite high ceilings and lots of space to move. So that's quite relaxing for people.

M: What do people often do to relax?

R: Anything that helps them release the relaxation hormones in their heads. Actually, I think women actually have a specific one called relaxin, which is a pretty funny name when you think about it. To give you more specific examples, people usually do something quiet, like lying down, reading a book or getting a massage. I think all those things help relieve tension.

M: Do you think spending too much time on the screen is good for relaxing?

R: Well, too much of anything is probably not good for you. But if you mean a lot of time, I think it would be good for that purpose, if not necessarily other more positive ones. As long as you have access to screen time and the things you want to watch, then you should be fine.

M: Do people have to spend a lot of money on relaxing?

R: I don't think so. But it might depend on what you need to relax. If it's just reading or lying down, you can pretty much do that for free. If you need to drink to help you unwind, then that might be a little bit more costly.

M: How can people achieve a balance between work and relaxation?

R: Having things like fixed work times. So there is a time in the day when you just stop working, and no more is getting done until later. And sticking to that is probably the most important thing. And of course, you decide where that boundary is. So that there's a balance between these things. I can't think of another way that would be more effective, to be honest. At least not off the top of my head, sorry.

M: How has technology affected the way people relax in the modern world?

R: I suppose it's given them more options. So whereas before, you just had the choice of socializing or being by yourself in a quiet space. Now you can do all kinds of things like watch TV, read a book, listen to a book or watch videos. And, of course, that's all in the comfort of your home. It's also expanded the possibilities for socializing because you can meet people randomly now with the aid of certain apps. So it's had a huge influence.

M: What do you think will be the future trends in the relaxation and leisure activities?

R: Well, it's like with everything, there's more personalization than ever before. So you can expect people to tailor or, well, they should tailor the experiences or have them tailored for their specific preferences by specialist companies and applications. If I'm asked to think of a specific example, I think there is a service that offers you guided meditation and relaxation services. But it's targeted to your specific preferences to make it more effective. And so this is one example of this personalization in practice.

M: Should governments play a role in ensuring their citizens have enough time to relax?

R: I mean, they could set limits on work, or working hours, to make sure that people have this time. But having enough time to relax is a very personal thing. I don't know if that's something that can be decided by some sort of central committee or government panel, because they could give an average but then there will be people that need more, and how are they supposed to get that without the government protection, and there will be people who need less and by not having the chance to fill their life with work if they want to do that, because these rules might be in place, then they've actually managed to stress more people out than relax them. If you see what I mean. So that's a problem.

M: Thank you, Rory, for your answers!

Discussion

M: So, dear listener, relax. Right? So synonyms. Do you remember the synonyms from the previous episode? Unwind. So people usually unwind in a park. They calm down.

R: They chill out.

M: They chill out.

R: They become one with nature, Maria.

M: Ooh, yes. And people usually relax in like where, in national parks, gardens, libraries and in their homes. Okay, dear listener? You can also speak about some land mass that you have in your country and in Scotland there is a lot of space. You know, like forests and castles and...

R: Oh, I forgot the castles.

M: Valleys with sheep roaming the fields. Like this. Yeah? So a lot of like a green space for people to relax.

R: Yes.

M: Also, dear listener, you can speak about spa zones.

R: Oh, what are they?

M: Well, spa salons? What do you call them? Spa places.

R: I have absolutely no idea. This is a new concept for me.

M: Well, Rory, where do you go to get a massage?

R: I have never had a massage so I don't know.

M: You've never ever had a massage? Are you joking?

R: Never.

M: Jesus Christ.

R: Sorry, it's not my fault.

M: Well, luxury spa centre, dear listener. So spa centres, where or you get all these, you know, like spa procedures. Like massages, like aromatherapy things. Scrubs. Well, you know, all the girl stuff. But also there are some procedures for men. Like saunas, Turkish hammams, swimming pools, and jacuzzi, dear listener. You see? Rory has never had a massage.

R: Yeah, I think I've just, I've not really been to many of those things you just described. So I feel like I'm missing out.

M: You are missing out, mister. So this year Rory Fergus something something has to go to a luxury spa centre for the first time in his life. People do different things to relax. And Rory said like anything, they can do anything that helps them release relaxation hormones. So according to Rory, there are some special relaxation hormones. And women have a certain hormone, which is called relaxin. Relaxin is the name of a hormone, which is responsible for relaxation. So when people lie down, or read a book, or get a massage, this hormone is released. And these things help us to relieve tension. Tension is one that we get tense, and stressed. So these activities help us to relieve tension. Also, dear listener, you should mention, people do deep breathing to relax. People meditate to relax.

R: Do you do that?

M: Well, sometimes I do, yeah.

R: Oh, really?

M: Yeah. So most people take a bath, get a massage or do yoga to relax. Now, breathing exercises are very popular. Aroma therapy, dear listener, is really popular these days. Also sound therapy, dear listener. So being exposed to different kinds of sounds. Let me, let me demonstrate one sound.

R: Oh, is that... What do you call them?

M: Singing bowls. There we go.

R: Does it work?

M: Oh, yeah. For me, it totally does work. Oh my gosh. I've been to two sound therapy sessions where they played different musical instruments. And also they did this bowl thing, this thing. But the bowls were massive. They were really big and they put a bowl on your body and they play... Yeah. And also to say if you want some super vocabulary, you can talk about spa treatments. Okay? So you go to a luxury spa centre. So you get some treatments on your face or body. Different massages.

R: So this is what I should do after taking my IELTS test or before perhaps?

M: Also, you can talk about this treatment, which is called floating.

R: Maria knows more about relaxation than I do.

M: Totally.

R: How do you relax? I lift weights. Maria's like I go to a spa, and have a nice time and listen to the singing bowl.

M: Yeah, it's like floatation therapy it's called, dear listener. So they put you in a certain tank. So it's like a capsule, okay? It can be open or it could be closed, and you're experiencing sensory deprivation, no sounds, nothing. And there's water there, and you float, you don't sink, just like the water has this special thing in it, you are on the surface, you don't go down. So it's some special water. It's very salty. And you kind of like, if you relax, because some people have difficulties relaxing in this capsule, because they are afraid of drowning, of going down in this water. But the water kind of holds you up. It's special water. So if you do it properly, you kind of disappear. And your body disappears and you kind of float in space, dear listener. And they say that one hour in such an isolation tank is like several hours of deep sleep. So floating. Could you research this? So this is a very common and nice procedure and treatment. Float therapy or floating. And if you've never done it, oh my god, you should do it. Then you can kind of like say relaxation exercises, like guided mindful meditation. Take a walk in a green space, dear listener. You know, listening to music. Well, yeah. Listening to our podcast.

R: Someone said that they listened to us and found us quite relaxing the other day. That was nice.

M: We are quite relaxing.

R: We are. We're very chilled-out people.

M: People spend too much time on their computers staring at the screen, which is not good for relaxing at all. And you can say it like, like too much screen time is not good. Some people spend a lot of money on relaxing, and so on like different spa procedures. But if it's just reading or lying down, this is cheap. Yeah? You can always lie down pretty much everywhere. And read. And this could help you unwind. But you can invest in something more costly. Costly? More expensive or more pricey. Sticking to a fixed working timetable could be the solution. You stick to something or you stick to a fixed routine. And then if you don't have any ideas, you can say, oh, I can't give you the answer off the top of my head. So I can't give you an answer right now.

R: Yeah, I don't think like... Nothing came to my mind. Even now that we've been sitting talking about it for a while. I think that's the best thing that you can do. Just have a fixed time when you stop working. And that's it and you stick to that time. And if you can, then you will be able to have that balance. And if you cannot, then you have a bigger problem.

M: Yeah, like nothing comes to mind. Ooh, I don't have any other ideas off the top of my head. The government could set limits on work, or on working hours. The government cannot allow people to overwork.

R: Yeah, so the government says this is the time. And that's it. I think we have this in our country for doctors, but I don't know if it's like this in other countries. Does it work in Russia? Are there any limits on how long people can work?

M: Yeah, I think in some companies, well, at least like they used to block your entrance. Or you kind of had to leave the premises till 11 o'clock. And that's it. Like everybody has to leave the office. The building closes down and everyone has to leave before 11. But 11 In the evening. Yeah?

R: Oh, right.

M: But maybe in some companies, it's like 9 pm in the evening. Yeah? So... But these could stress people out more. So...

R: Yeah.

M: This policy could stress people out.

R: So lots of modal verbs and modal structures to kind of stop us from saying the government should or the government does this and everything is fine. You have to think the government could do this. But there are consequences. There are always consequences.

M: Right, dear listener. Thank you very much for listening! Hopefully, now you do know more things about relaxation. On such a relaxing note stay relaxed, whatever you are doing. Okay, Rory?

R: Chill out.

M: Go to a freaking spa. Have a massage, foot massage, or face massage.

R: Maybe when I get back from Italy.

M: Crazy. Do it in Italy.

R: I don't think I'll have time.

M: You don't have time to relax?

R: Yes. Busy. Busy, busy, busy.

M: Bye!

R: Bye!

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