Karting

Having out-of-town visitors comes with some unobvious advantages – for one, you get to feel as a tourist in your own hometown and do things you might not have normally done. That’s how this month I, having nothing more than NFS driving experience, ended up trying karting for the first time. And that was a lot of fun – against all the odds; them being a way too concise instruction, an 8-minute session, and a shamingly high amount of bumps when showing off my drifting skills. Our choice fell on one of the nearby karting tracks at a shopping mall; and we got to race up and down a four-level, lit-up circuit in the style of the cyberpunk game Atomic Heart. But there are plenty of other, even better tracks in and around St. Petersburg, including outdoor ones. – Marina

Acrobatics 

Out of all sports, I especially appreciate those that bring pure, almost childlike joy. For me, it’s when you do things so unusual you couldn't help giggling through the workout and the dopamine rush leaves you on cloud nine afterwards. My latest discovery of that kind is acrobatics, which my friend and I tried last week. It was both fun and challenging! This activity requires strength and flexibility – not exactly the qualities that years of age and a sedentary 5/2 job helped me develop. Nevertheless, after a warm-up we managed to perform cartwheels and round-offs, and even try tricks on trampolines. All credit goes to the instructor, who was incredibly patient and willing to explain simple things multiple times. This experience pushed me slightly beyond the physical limits I had set by my own fears. – Elizaveta

Working & talking

Remote work can be liberating, but it can also feel like what you’re doing isn’t exactly “real.” Having worked remotely pretty much since 2020 (yes, COVID really was that long ago!), I've only now re-discovered the joy of being seen. Recently, I discovered a random group of strangers who get together once a week to work alongside one another. We share our work plans for the day at the start and boast our accomplishments at the end.

Our professions have almost no overlap: some are creatives, some are in tech, and others still are something else entirely. The better you know each other, the more you want to impress your “colleagues” with how productive you’ve been today. And yet, being of different walks means there’s no intra-office dynamics to deal with. So, if you’re struggling with self-responsibility in your work, consider starting a group of your own: with your dorm mates, people next to you at the campus cafeteria, or just anyone you meet at the co-working space! It’s a real game changer. – Vadim

Meditation & journalling

This year, the fall blues hit me hard almost on the same day we lost the sun to nonstop gloomy, gray skies. Even though the yellow-auburn-red leaves are quite pretty and that earthy autumn smell is what September-born me lives for, I couldn’t help but feel very down morning to night. So, I decided to give these feelings some space. Now, every morning I sit for 10 minutes in silence, focusing on my breathing with guided meditations – a habit I used to have but dropped months ago. What I love most is that it reminds me that I am not my feelings or thoughts, even though they might seem all-encompassing. 

And in the evening, I journal. I used to think it has to be some profound thing with insights every night – and that’s why this never did stick as a habit for me. But it actually turns out that just a paragraph of reflection on the day or whatever troubles me can be quite helpful. With these two techniques, I feel that I can accept the autumnal gloom now and also see the joy beside it. – Catherine