In today’s world, where we’re constantly plugged in, it’s easy to think that truly unwinding means putting our devices down completely. But the truth is, you don’t have to go offline entirely to find peace and relaxation.

The challenge is learning how to switch off from the constant buzz of notifications, emails and social media while still using your devices in ways that support your wellbeing. It’s also about balancing screentime with other hobbies.

Low-effort, high-reward hobbies

You don’t need to take up something elaborate or time-consuming to get a sense of relaxation. For example, colouring in an adult colouring book can be a surprisingly therapeutic way to disconnect. It requires just enough concentration to pull you away from your phone but not so much that it feels like another task. Or you could try knitting or simple jigsaw puzzles.

The beauty of these hobbies lies in their simplicity. You can fit them into any part of your day and do them at your own pace.

Playing for fun

Remember the days when you played games just for the fun of it? In a world where everything seems to come with a goal or outcome, it’s refreshing to bring back play for play’s sake.

You don’t need to commit to competitive gaming. Sometimes, simple activities like a casual game can be an ideal way to let your mind switch off. It’s light-hearted, fun and offers a break from your regular digital routine. Online bingo is easy to play, requires minimal brainpower and doesn’t drag you into any high-stress scenarios.

The key to unwinding here is the lack of pressure. Play simply for enjoyment, without worrying about winning or impressing anyone.

Evening rituals

Establishing a relaxing evening ritual is one of the best ways to gradually transition from the fast pace of your day to a peaceful night’s sleep. The aim is to create a routine that signals to your body that it’s time to unwind, without digital distractions.

Set a time to switch off your devices. Instead of scrolling through your phone, choose a book, listen to calming music or meditate for a few minutes.

Balancing online and offline hobbies

Finding the balance between online and offline hobbies is essential to staying mentally healthy in a hyperconnected world. It’s easy to get caught up in the vast world of digital entertainment, but it’s also important to make space for offline activities that can recharge you in different ways.

Incorporate something tactile into your routine, like gardening, cooking or painting. These offline activities pull your attention away from screens and offer a much-needed sensory experience that helps you reconnect with the present.

If you enjoy your online hobbies but feel the need to take a step back, try limiting screen time or setting specific boundaries around how long you’ll engage in digital activities.

BNP Paribas is preparing a major reshuffle of its insurance footprint in Belgium, announcing a €3 billion two-part transaction that will lift its stake in Ageas — the country’s largest insurer — to 22.5% from 14.9%.

The move, confirmed by both companies on Monday, positions Europe’s biggest bank by assets as the dominant anchor shareholder in one of Belgium’s most influential financial firms.

At the center of the deal is a swap that effectively consolidates Ageas’ control over its core insurance engine while giving BNP Paribas a firmer hold on the parent company. BNP Paribas will sell its 25% stake in AG Insurance to Ageas for €1.9 billion. To simultaneously deepen its influence at the group level, the French bank — acting through its insurance arm, BNP Paribas Cardif — will invest €1.1 billion into Ageas at an agreed price of €60 per share.

Ageas’ stock closed at €56.9 on Friday, giving BNP a slight premium but also securing its position with enough heft to shape the company’s future.

For Ageas, this is a transformative moment. AG Insurance is the beating heart of its Belgian operations, and full control of the unit gives it maximum autonomy to push ahead with long-term strategic plans, particularly in life insurance, pensions, and corporate risk. The transaction also allows Ageas to reorganize capital allocation across the group, which it signaled by raising its 2027 free cash flow target from €2.3 billion to €2.6 billion and lifting its shareholder distribution goal from €2 billion to €2.2 billion.

BNP Paribas, meanwhile, is betting on the long runway of bancassurance growth in Belgium — a segment that combines banking and insurance products under a single distribution umbrella and has been a profitable pillar for the group for years through BNP Paribas Fortis.

“We see significant potential in the growth prospects of BNP Paribas Fortis’ bancassurance business through the partnership with AG Insurance,” CEO Jean-Laurent Bonnafé said, casting the deal as a pivot toward influence rather than direct operational ownership.

The pivot includes a renewed exclusive bancassurance agreement between BNP Paribas Fortis and AG Insurance, locking in future distribution and revenue streams. On top of that, AG Insurance and BNP Paribas Asset Management will form a new investment partnership, extending the collaboration deeper into the group’s asset-gathering machinery. Ageas also confirmed the bank will gain the right to nominate one director to its board.

A Strategic Reset Years in the Making

This transaction caps years of repositioning by BNP Paribas in Belgium. The bank has steadily strengthened its influence in Ageas, becoming the largest shareholder last year after acquiring a 9% stake from China’s Fosun Group — a divestment that reflected Beijing’s tightening capital controls and Fosun’s global retrenchment.

For Ageas, the journey back to full control of AG Insurance is equally significant as the company has spent more than a decade rebuilding its global footprint after the collapse of its predecessor, Fortis Group, during the 2008 financial crisis — an event that eventually led to the breakup of the Fortis banking and insurance businesses. Ageas emerged from that restructuring carrying strong Belgian roots but with a need to stretch beyond its home market.

Monday’s deals show Ageas refocusing and strengthening at home, even as it continues running major businesses in Asia and Europe.

Financial Impact and Long-Term Implications

BNP Paribas expects the transaction to deliver a net capital gain after tax of €820 million in 2026, along with €40 million in additional recurring net income annually. Though modest in the context of a banking giant that posts several billion euros in yearly profit, the move deepens the bank’s long-term insurance profitability and secures a strategic position in one of Europe’s most robust insurance markets.

Ageas’ new cash flow targets signal confidence that greater control of AG Insurance will drive stronger returns across the group. The Belgian firm has traditionally been conservative in its forward guidance, so the upward revisions underscore how central AG Insurance is to its earnings engine.

However, the deal still needs regulatory approval and is expected to close in the second quarter of 2026. If completed, it will formalize a new era in the long-running relationship between Belgium’s dominant bank and its dominant insurer — a partnership reshaped to give both sides more focus, more flexibility, and a firmer footing in a shifting European financial industry.

BNP Paribas will sit deeper inside Ageas’ shareholding structure, Ageas will fully command its core insurance subsidiary, and both will tighten their alliance in bancassurance and asset management — a structure that could influence Belgian financial services for years.

Netflix’s sweeping bid for Warner Bros. Discovery has taken on an unmistakable political undertone, after co-CEO Ted Sarandos revealed he personally pitched President Donald Trump on the deal before it was announced.

Sarandos, speaking Monday at the UBS media conference, said Netflix and the White House had found unusual alignment, even as analysts warn that the streaming giant still faces a bruising regulatory test.

Sarandos said their conversations went beyond courtesy calls, noting that he had spoken with Trump “many times since the election about the different challenges facing the entertainment industry.” He framed the administration’s view as practical and centered on employment.

“The president’s interests in this are the same as ours, which is to create and protect jobs,” he said, presenting Netflix as a stabilizing force at a time when Hollywood remains uneasy over consolidation.

Trump reinforced that cordiality on Sunday, calling Sarandos a “great person” who had done “one of the greatest jobs in the history of movies.” At the same time, he signaled that Netflix’s enormous footprint could still trigger antitrust scrutiny, saying the platform’s “big market share” might be “a problem” as it tries to acquire one of Hollywood’s oldest studios.

The deal, valued at $82.7 billion including $72 billion in equity, covers Warner Bros.’ film and streaming assets but leaves out WBD’s declining cable networks like CNN and HGTV.

Those networks are precisely what Netflix avoided, and Paramount Skydance embraced. On Monday, Paramount fired back with a hostile $30-per-share, all-cash offer to buy the entirety of WBD, including the legacy networks that investors have increasingly treated as liabilities. Netflix’s $27.75-per-share proposal mixes cash with some stock and hinges on the idea that Warner Bros.’ core studio and Max streaming service are the crown jewels worth salvaging.

Sarandos shrugged off Paramount’s counter, saying the move “was entirely expected.” Yet the fight escalated quickly, with Paramount CEO David Ellison taking to CNBC hours after the market opened to call his company’s offer “pro-consumer, pro-creative talent,” and “pro-competition.” He insisted that Paramount’s bid would breeze through regulatory review faster than Netflix’s, which he implied would face more skepticism given Netflix’s scale.

Ellison’s confidence also reflects a degree of political cover. His father, Oracle cofounder Larry Ellison, is one of Trump’s closest allies, and that relationship has been noted in market circles since the moment Paramount entered the bidding war.

Still, Netflix appears to be building a channel of goodwill with Trump as well. Co-CEO Greg Peters said he is “very confident that regulators should, and will, approve” the transaction, pointing to Netflix’s commitment to keep Warner Bros.’ theatrical pipeline intact. Sarandos went even further, insisting Netflix would handle Warner Bros.’ movies “exactly the way they’ve released those movies today,” an assurance that appears aimed partly at the White House and partly at unions still nursing resentment from the last round of industry consolidation.

Sarandos also sought to cast Netflix as the protector of Hollywood employment, a sensitive issue in an industry rattled by recent strikes, studio cutbacks, and a historic contraction in cable advertising. He contrasted Netflix’s approach directly with Ellison’s. Paramount has promised roughly $6 billion in “synergies” from any merger with WBD. Sarandos interpreted that as a coded guarantee of massive layoffs.

“Where do you think synergies come from? Cutting jobs,” he said. “We’re not cutting jobs — we’re making jobs.”

What Sarandos did not highlight is that Netflix itself has pledged between $2 billion and $3 billion in cost savings tied to its own offer for Warner Bros. Discovery. Investors expect those reductions to come from overlapping marketing, tech, back-office functions, and real estate. Sarandos argued that any restructuring Netflix undertakes would not jeopardize the creative workforce, though analysts say the distinction may be difficult to sustain if the merger closes.

Warner Bros. Discovery, a company born from a previous megamerger, remains weighed down by heavy debt, a struggling cable portfolio, and a streaming division that has been retooled repeatedly. The battle now underway — Netflix’s cleaner, asset-focused bid versus Paramount’s all-in sweep — will shape the future of one of Hollywood’s most storied studios, determine which streaming platform holds the next wave of bargaining power, and test how the Trump administration approaches the entertainment industry during a period of rapid upheaval.