8 Effective Ways To Relax

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Startling statistics from the Daily Mail and The Washington Post reveal a concerning trend-75% of people surveyed reported no downtime or relaxation during the day, while American adults only felt relaxed for a mere 40 minutes daily. These figures underscore the prevalent lack of relaxation in our lives, making it a pressing issue to address.

It’s no wonder that relaxation seems like a luxury these days. With the ever-increasing demands of our lives-from juggling hectic jobs to managing demanding family responsibilities-finding time for ourselves can feel like an impossible task. This struggle to balance home life, health conditions, and mental health issues such as anxiety is a reality for many of us. Yet, paradoxically, it’s precisely in the face of these challenges that the need for downtime becomes even more crucial. It’s a catch-22 situation, isn’t it? We understand your struggle.

If you need some relaxation and you’re at a loss as to how to find time or what you can do to relax, this post will explore some tried-and-true suggestions you can use to help you unwind and release the stress and worry of the day.

Finding Time To Relax

If time is a barrier to relaxation, then you need to get strategic about your day and find little pockets of time in your life that can be dedicated to you and what you want.

Look at your day or week and write down everything you need to do. Include cooking times, commutes, dog walks, helping kids with homework, socialising, etc. Be as specific as possible about what you need to do during each day and the times you usually do these things. This will give you a better idea of how busy you are and where, if anywhere, you have free time.

Once you have a better idea for where you have time to relax you can then look at what you can fit into these time blocks. Relaxation comes in many different forms and can be taken for as long as you need it even if it’s just 5 minutes per day to practise deep breathing techniques to ground you.

How To Relax

Relaxation means giving yourself the opportunity to become calm and comfortable and releasing anxiety and stress until you feel better. For some people, this can be achieved quickly and easily, but for others, it means dedicating a huge chunk of time to shaking off the mental and physical load and giving yourself the chance to take a time out.

Essentially you simply need to stop and do something that helps you regain your equilibrium. If you need some suggestions, read on.

Take A Bath

A simple but effective method of relaxing is to run yourself a hot bath and use your favourite bath products, scents etc and create a welcoming atmosphere that encourages relaxation and helps you to unwind. You can lie in the bath and do nothing but close your eyes and soak, or you can take a book with you, a glass of wine, watch a tv show or play some games on your phone such as sudoku, Candy Crush, anagram games, or your favourite video games in app form such as World of Warcraft, it’s entirely up to you what you if anything when soaking in the tub but taking some time form your day to immerse yourself in hot water and close the door on the world can be exactly what you need.

Go For A Walk

Walking aids relaxation by improving blood flow and circulation to the body and brain. This, in turn, has a positive effect on your central nervous system, helping to reduce anxiety. On top of these physical benefits, exercise, including walking, releases feel-good hormones that can boost your mental health, making you feel happier and more relaxed. So, rest assured, these techniques are not just suggestions, they are effective and can make a real difference in your life.

Nature also has a remarkable ability to help clear your head and reduce stress levels. Try taking a walk in the parks or along the coast to get maximum benefits from your environment, too. Plants and greenery have proven benefits for your health, and being in the presence of plants can boost your mental health and help you relax.

Talk To Friends

Talking with good friends about anything, everything or nothing in particular can be extremely therapeutic and can be all the relaxation you need. A nice relaxed vibe with no agenda, no need to do much, just connect and chat cna be a great mood booster. Whether you meet up in person, chat over the phone or via video call or you correspond by text, get chatting and enjoy some good company to help you release stress and bring osem enjoyment back to your day.

Focus on Breathing and Meditation

If you’re too wound up and find you can’t relax or your body is holding physical tension, you need to find ways to help you breathe easier, and this is where deep breathing techniques come into play.

There are many deep breathing techniques for you to try, but the most common and easiest one is pursed lip breathing. Breathe in slowly through your nose and then purse your lips as if you’re blowing out a candle. Then slowly exhale through your mouth and repeat until you feel calmer. Other types of deep breathing techniques you can try include diaphragmatic breathing, the box technique and paced breathing. Remember, these techniques are simple and can be done anywhere, anytime, to help you relax.

Meditation is the act of using a specific technique to allow you to focus your mind on one thing. You can meditate on many different things. Gut meditation for relaxation can be done in a few minutes or longer if you need to. It takes some items to get there, practice makes perfect.

Exercise

Exercise is one of the best things you can do for your physical and mental health. When you exercise and raise your heart rate, your body benefits from feeling good hormones being released which can help you relax once you’ve finished exercising.

Exercising can be done in so many different ways but the best form of exercise you can do is one that makes you feel good and you want to do on a regular basis. Experts suggest that you should aim for at least 150 minutes of vigorous activity per week to keep your heart healthy but anything you can manage cna give you that dopamine boost and help you to relax your body.

Get A Massage

If you’re finding you cannot relax properly because your body is too tense, heading off for a massage might be exactly what you need to literally work out your stress and help your body soften and relax. If you’re holding a lot of tension in your body then you might find you cannot relax physically or mentally do opting for a massage can be exactly what you need.

Listen To A Podcast or Audiobook

Pop those headphones in and choose a book to listen to or a podcast to enjoy and let your cares dissolve as you listen to the words coming through your ears. You can listen to anything you wish but doing this activity allows your brain to focus on it . There are many options you can choose from, you can listen in the car, at bed, in the bath, anywhere and everywhere it’s safe to. You can even find guided meditation podcasts for that added relaxation boost too.

Sleep

Improving your sleeping habits and sleep quality of night can allow you to feel more relaxed on a day to day basis rather than one good night sleep being a miracle cure. While a good night’s sleep is incredibly restorative, if its one decent night in a long line of poor night’s sleep then chances are you won’t be getting maximum benefit.

You need around 7-9 hours of good quality sleep per night where possible. Try timing your bedtime and wake up to match your circadian rhythm. You need around 4-6 cycles per night each lasting around 90 minutes. Being able to wake up at the right part of the cycle when you’re in light sleep means you’ll wake up feeling more refreshed than if you’re in a deep sleep. This can take time and practice to get right but it’s definitely worth a try.

And don’t forget not to neglect naptime. A 20 minute power nap through the day can be incredibly relaxing and lhpe you to get that chilled feeling you need for that energy boost to push you through the day.

Relaxation in a busy life isn’t easy to come by these day however its now more essential than ever. Finding the right way for you to relax means you cna reduce stress levels improve your mental health and get more form your life. the more relaxed you are the happier you will be and your body and your mind will thank you in the long run.