I don't know anything about high-brow circles, but I am a big fan of swordfighting and weapon martial arts and would suggest trying that out. There's been some resurfacing of the pasttime/art/practice in historical recreation groups though I got interested in it after getting a quarter of the way through Musashi's Book of Nine Spheres and reading his assertion that it would be impossible to understand his book without practicing swordfighting yourself.

I've tried out rapier-fencing and kali stick fighting (a stick in each hand) and have found it very intellectually stimulating. It's also been interesting to explore the areas of my personality and body that involve high physical activity, mobility, agression, and composure under pressure. Fighting effectively while using a weapon in each hand has been described to me as similar to a combination of chess and tennis. (I don't think it's quite that difficult, but I'm also not the best swordfighter in the world nor do I practice against said greatest swordfighters.)

Exposure to stimuli that add additional perspectives to everyday life helps as well. Real pressure in life doesn't involve a spreadsheet deadline. It involves an angry large human attempting to painfully whack you over the head with a large stick (a remarkably refreshing experience) and attempting to deal with that situation as optimally as possible.