Active chilling: the art of taking it easy

The world loves go-hard-or-go-home mentality: Extreme workouts. Side hustles. Productivity hacks. But between the burnout and the blue light headaches, we’re starting to clock onto something our grandparents always knew: relaxation can be an active pursuit.

This isn’t about collapsing onto the sofa and scrolling into oblivion. Active chilling is about doing things that engage the mind, ease the body, and don’t leave you feeling like an overstimulated shell of yourself. It’s not a wellness trend—it’s just good sense.

What Even Is Active Chilling?

It’s the sweet spot between doing nothing and doing too much. It’s not about maxing out your heart rate, but it’s also not about total inertia (though we fully respect the art of il dolce far niente—the pleasure of doing nothing). Active chilling is about low-stakes, high-satisfaction activities that bring focus, flow, and the kind of relaxation that actually restores you.

It’s a solo hike with no fitness tracker in sight. It’s getting lost in a jigsaw puzzle. It’s the hypnotic rhythm of knitting, the quiet focus of fly fishing, the analogue joy of a board game. It’s anything that lets you exhale and enjoy the moment without turning it into a performance.

The Science Bit: Why Active Chilling Works

Your nervous system runs in two main modes:

• Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS): The fight-or-flight setting. Great for emergencies, not so great for everyday existence.

• Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS): The rest-and-digest mode. This is where the good stuff happens—lower cortisol, deeper breaths, actual recovery.

Active chilling nudges you into that PNS state, the one where your body and mind get to reset instead of running on fumes. Low-key engagement (think: pottery, reading, forest bathing) helps keep the stress response dialled down, leaving you feeling actually relaxed rather than just exhausted in a different way.

Why We’re Just Figuring This Out Now

For a long time, these activities got a bad rap. Knitting? For grannies. Birdwatching? Bit weird. Playing board games instead of binge-watching Netflix? Suspicious.

But people are wising up: the constant notifications, the hustle culture, the pressure to turn everything into a side gig—it’s exhausting. As Johann Hari writes in Stolen Focus, "The antidote to distraction is not more willpower but creating a life where you can focus." Active chilling is a way to take back control from the chaos. It’s the quietest form of rebellion.

What’s the Point?

• It Calms the Mind – Engaged but not overwhelmed is the sweet spot for relaxation.

• It Restores the Body – No post-exercise inflammation, no productivity hangover—just recovery.

• It Cultivates Presence – You can’t doomscroll while playing chess.

• It Boosts Creativity – Your best ideas don’t come when you’re stressed out.

• It Builds Resilience – Resting well makes handling life easier.

What Does Active Chilling Look Like?

If you need some inspiration, here are a few ways to opt into the slow lane:

• Board Games – Chess, Backgammon, Catan—anything that isn’t on a screen.

• Rock Balancing – Like Jenga, but with actual stones.

• Fly Fishing – Meditative. Scenic. Slightly mysterious.

• Calligraphy – Making words look nice. Deeply satisfying.

• Forest Bathing – Walk. Breathe. Look at trees. It’s a thing.

• Pottery – Hands in clay, mind at peace.

• Swimming in a Lake – No lanes. No timers. Just water.

• Croquet or Lawn Bowls – More fun than it looks.

• Knitting or Embroidery – The original fidget toy.

These aren’t just hobbies—they’re a counterbalance to the overstimulated, overcaffeinated, overcommitted lifestyles we’ve been sold. Speaking of less caffeine…

Why Does Nolo Care?

Because we’re over fake energy. Hustle culture. The constant need to go harder. We like things that make sense for how we actually want to feel. And the truth is, these so-called old-school activities deserve a second look—because they work. They always have.

And, yes, they go perfectly with a chilled can of Nolo.

Timeless, Not Trendy

Active chilling isn’t a gimmick. It’s not about biohacking your nervous system or gamifying your downtime. It’s just about giving yourself permission to do something absorbing, enjoyable, and actually restorative.

So pick up a paintbrush. Set up a chessboard. Head out for a slow walk. There’s no wrong way to do it—just choose your lane and let the calm take over.

Enjoy the slow life.

The Nolo Team