These days we all are weighed down with our work and stressed out about deadlines and targets to achieve. It’s hard to just take a couple of days off and relax without having to worry about work and other issues that come along with being an adult.
The holiday season is now upon us and this is the only time to just disconnect from the world and work and simply kick back and relax. You might be wondering how to enjoy these holidays without spending a boatload of money for traveling or paying a ridiculous amount for watching a movie at the cinema.
Well, luckily there are a ton of applications to help you enjoy these holidays and even block out work-related applications from pestering you with notifications. Since you probably only have a limited amount of days to get back to work, we’d suggest spending time with your friends and family as much as possible and here’s how to do so.
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- 7 best Android apps to watch movies and TV shows free legally
Time to get the Netflix subscription
You’ve probably already heard about Netflix and might already have subscribed to the video streaming service, however, if you’re still on the edge and haven’t yet made up your mind to subscribe yet, then we’d say now is the perfect time to do so.
While not all content on the video streaming service is family friendly, there’s an option to filter out adult content and only show family-friendly movies and shows. Most Netflix Originals and other movies or shows available are absolutely great.
Just find a movie or show to watch with your family and get the popcorn ready. If Netflix isn’t available in your country or you aren’t willing to pay the slightly high subscription price, then any other local video streaming service should do the job too.
Quit the stress with the Pacifica application
Stress affects us both mentally as well as physically and since now’s the only time you’d probably get to relax until next years holiday season, we’d suggest using the Pacifica application to reduce your stress and anxiety and have a happier time at home without having to burden yourself with work-related stress or other issues.
The Pacifica application even helps you meditate with relaxing sounds and also lets you track your sleeping habits, thoughts, and activities. So if you’re looking for an app to help you zone out and improve your overall mental and physical health over the holidays, then give the Pacifica application a shot.
Plan a vacation with Google Trips – Travel Planner
If you’re someone who loves traveling and visiting new places, then we’re sure staying at home in bed won’t be the best way for you to spend your holidays. Luckily, the Google Trips application is absolutely perfect for such situations.
The application is useful even if you want to plan a trip within the country itself if you aren’t planning on going abroad for your holidays.
→ Download Google Trips – Travel Planner
Cook yourself a meal using the Yummly Recipes & Shopping List app
Cooking up some mouth-watering food is one of the best ways to spend time at home. Not only is this a cool way to pass some time, but you also learn how to cook better.
Having some delicious home cooked food is the best way to spend some time with the family. The Yummly Recipes & Shopping List application is super useful and lets you check out recipes for delicious dishes and also lets you create a shopping list to make sure you pick up all the right stuff needed to begin cooking.
→ Download Yummly Recipes & Shopping List
Use the Stay Focused application
While the purpose of the app is to make you focus on work or studies, it can also be used to help you stop spending to much time on your smartphone during the holidays. These days social media applications and smartphone games have become so addictive that we constantly find ourselves scrolling through the feeds on different social media applications, checking our e-mail, or playing games for a few hours straight.
The Stay Focused application lets you set a time limit per day for applications to help you track how much time you’ve been spending on an application. The app lets you block application usage after a certain time which is absolutely great if you find it hard to put down your phone and enjoy life without your smartphone.
Read a book over the holidays with the Kindle application
Reading a good book can be really relaxing at times; however, you might not have the time to visit a bookstore to purchase books. This is where the Amazon Kindel E-book reader application comes in handy. The application offers a vast variety of books and would most certainly have almost any book you think of.
Usually, purchasing physical books is way more expensive than buying the e-book version on the Kindle app so you’d be saving a few bucks as well by downloading books on the Kindel app.
Use Google Duo to catch up with family and friends
Given our hectic fast-paced lives and long working hours, we tend to forget about our family and friends and are unable to find the time to reach out and ask ‘how’s everything’. Holidays are usually the time we get around to contact family and friends but since most of us own a smartphone, it would be way better to use the Google Duo application to video call rather than place a traditional call.
The only downside is that the person whom you’d like to call should have the Google Duo application installed on their device too.
Disconnect from the Internet
These days we rely on the Internet for almost everything; however, simply turning off your mobile data or Wi-Fi on your smartphone would relieve you from the habit of checking your smartphone for new notifications after every few minutes.
If you want to take this a step further and enjoy your holidays to the fullest then check out the next option.
Turn off electronic devices especially your smartphone
Smartphones have slowly become a part of us, most of us never go anywhere without our smartphone in our hands or pocket. These devices have literally taken over our lives, mostly in a useful way but at times it’s important to switch off our smartphones and give more attention to the ones around us.
No application on your smartphone would give you a better experience or memories than simply spending quality time with your family over the holidays.
Best wishes for a wonderful holiday season and a new year. Let us know what’s your go-to application for the holiday season in the comments below.
