Taking care of your health, both mental and physical, in the long term is an essential part of stress management. However, there isn’t always time to read a novel or take a nap. Luckily, there are simple ways to find moments of relaxation in everyday life. To help you de-stress and unwind, try using these eight tips.
Connect With Your Breath
Breathing exercises are one of the easiest relaxation strategies that can effectively soothe your stressed-out body and mind anywhere, anytime. As fast breathing is common with anxiety, the deliberate process of taking slow, even, deep breaths can help diminish blood pressure and heart rate and get to a more relaxed state.
To do so, breathe in to the count of three, hold in for three and then slowly breathe out while counting to three again. Repeat a few times, and enjoy the instant calm! Also, as you get more comfortable with the exercise, you can try increasing the number of breaths or slowing your breathing even more by counting to four, five, six and so on.
Take A Brisk Walk
Going outdoors and connecting to nature when you feel stressed may also help you relax and make you calmer and more energised. Try walking through the forest and listening to the birds in the trees and the water in the stream to fully immerse yourself in nature and feel refreshed.
However, you don’t necessarily have to be outdoors to experience its stress-relieving benefits. Simply looking at pictures of nature for a couple of minutes can help calm you down. Thus, thanks to technology, you can still feel its calming effects, even if you are living and working in a big city far from nature.
Listen To Some Music
Listening to music always seems like a good idea, but you can also use music as a relaxation technique to help lower stress levels. No matter what the song, oftentimes belting out your favourite tune can melt your worry in a matter of seconds and makes everything seem alright.
So, make sure to keep some songs that you know make you feel good on your phone, so you can put on your headphones and unwind at a moment’s notice. Alternatively, you can always refer to Spotify and look for a relaxing playlist to bust a bad mood.
Eat Some Chocolate
If you need a quick break, make sure to break off a piece of dark chocolate to boost brain health and relieve stress. Just a square of this sweet treat can not only help you fight your sugar cravings but also calm your nerves. Dark chocolate is known to activate the brain to release beta-endorphins (aka ‘happy chemicals’). As an added bonus, dark chocolate is packed with antioxidants and has less sugar than milk chocolate, so you don’t need to worry about unnecessary calories.
Try Out CBD Oil
As a natural supplement, using CBD can also help provide needed relief, whether it is anxiety or stress. Cannabidiol (commonly known as CBD) is a non-psychoactive, chemical compound found in cannabis plants. Due to the interaction with various receptors found throughout your body, taking CBD for anxiety can help to reduce worry, leaving you more calmed and focused.
When it comes to receiving its benefits, vaping is considered one of the effective and fastest ways to deliver cannabidiol into your system. You can buy CBD oil in the form of e-liquids for your vape pen or opt for pre-filled options like disposable and reusable vape pens, cartridges and pods. CBD market also offers a wide variety of other products like oral sprays, tinctures, edibles like CBD chocolate, gummies and many others.
Write It Down
When you feel stressed or overwhelmed, taking a few minutes to express your feelings on paper can help you relax. Whether it is in a notebook or a notes app on your smartphone, try to get things off your mind by writing down some short notes about how you are feeling, what are you thinking about or how your day is going.
You don’t have to start your writing with some hackneyed phrases like ‘Dear Diary’ and worry about spelling everything correctly or being poetic. Simply focus on channelling all your thoughts to a journal to connect with yourself and relieve some of your stress.
In fact, keeping a journal can help you look for patterns and identify what makes you anxious. Work? Family events? Or just too much caffeine? Once you understand what the main reason for your anxiety is, you might be able to manage it better.
Engage In Meditation
The main goal of meditation is to get rid of chaotic thoughts and replace them with a sense of calmness and mindfulness in the present moment. In fact, 30 minutes of daily meditation can relieve some of the symptoms of anxiety and work as an antidepressant.
Try starting with 5-10 minutes daily and then gradually increase the time of your mindfulness practice. There are also many different apps to help you get started and stick with your habit, such as Headspace, Breathe and Let’s Meditate. It can be difficult at first, but very useful!
Talk To A Friend
There are times when sometimes all you need is to talk to an old friend and catch up. When something is really bothering you, or you are feeling overwhelmed, make sure to call your loved ones or, even better, try to spend some time with them.
Communicating on a deep level and talking about your feelings can help to reduce stress and put your mind at ease. The person you are talking to can even help you see things from a different perspective, making it easier for you to come up with a solution and deal with the problem that is causing your stress. In case you are short on time, even quick text messaging can be a lifesaver.