Taking time to relax is not a waste of time. Relaxing your body and mind can make you feel calm and peaceful. Five minutes of effective relaxation can help you relieve anxiety, stress, and depression. Keep in mind that all these (stress and so on) represent your physical and emotional response to life’s changes and difficulties. When you feel anxious, for instance, your body reacts as if it is under severe attack. Ordinarily, the body responds by releasing hormones that increase heart rate and breathing. This makes your muscles tense. Worse still, stress and all related emotions makes you feel moody, tense, irritated, or depressed. Over time, these emotions can wreck your health.
The good news is that a simple relaxation technique can help your body and mind to relax. At this state, the body does not have the need to release hormones that create stress. 10 best ways to relax are discussed here. We hope you will enjoy reading.
1. Take 3 deep breaths
Sit on a comfortable chair, preferably one with a straight back. It is advisable to have your feet flat on the floor. Make yourself comfortable and close your eyes. Take three, slow abdominal breaths. With your eyes still closed, count from 100 to 1 (count backwards). If you have time, relax each and every muscle of your body. Start with the scalp all the way down to the toes. To relax your muscles, you only need to concentrate your awareness on the muscle you are relaxing. This exercise will take you less than 5 minutes. Its effects are tremendous.
2. Take a nap
If you work from home, you can take a nap after lunch. This should not take more than 30 minutes. Any nap that takes more than this time will make you feel groggy. If you work in an office, you can still create time. After lunch, go to a quiet place (your car or an unused conference room will do) and take a 20 minutes nap.
3. Stretch
Give yourself a break. After every 30 minutes to 1 hour, stand up and try a shoulder roll-out. Alternatively, just stretch the way you know how. A quick stretch will relieve muscle tension and help you to relax.
4. Brush your teeth, and wash your face
The brain has a way of assigning meaning to certain events or activities. Most people brush their teeth and wash their face when starting their day. The brain associates this with starting a new day. If, for that matter, you brush your teeth and wash your face in a hot afternoon, you will be making your mind to believe that you are just starting your day. This will make you feel rejuvenated.
5. Immerse yourself in nature
Head outside and sit on a bench and let your mind get quiet. Engage your sense to all that is happening in nature. Listen to the sounds of nature, sense the smell of flowers, and feel the wind blow.
6. Meditate
Research has shown again and again that meditation can be a great way of helping you to relax, especially if you are under a lot of stress of anxiety. This practice is quiet simple. Just find a comfortable place, sit down, close your eyes, progressively relax your muscles, and focus on one thing (this may be your breathing, a flow, or anything you find appropriate).
7. Drink green tea, and avoid beverages rich in caffeine
Green tea is known to be very soothing. It contains an amino acid called theanine, which promotes relaxation. Theanine is also believed to be a caffeine antagonist, meaning that it counters the stimulating effects of caffeinated beverages.
8. Get a massage
Massage is one of the most effective relaxation techniques. This technique has become quite popular in the recent past. Besides being cost effective, massage therapy delivers prompt relaxation results. The technique does not stop there: it gives you more energy, helps you to become more patient, helps in relieving stress, and helps you to concentrate better. When combined with aromatherapy you will get a sensual massage (known as a Hong Kong massage) that can improve overall well being and boost the immune system.
9. Listen to soothing music
Music has exception relaxation benefits. Slow tempos, in particular, can help in inducing a calm state of mind. Such music can also slow breathing and heart rate, relax tense muscles and even lower pressure.
10. Make moderate exercises part of your daily routine
Exercise can help to induce production of endorphins productions and to reduce stress. You do not have to engage in long, strenuous exercises. Simple brisk walking exercises, rope jumping, bicycling or swimming are fine.
