When you get back home after a stressful day at work, what do you do?
You may jump on the couch, grab the TV remote and start surfing the channels until you are sleepy, but does this really help you relax from the zombie feelings after a long day at work?
Relaxing is all about getting stress out of your mind. Watching TV might give you the false feelings of relaxation, but it often doesn’t help you to fully unwind.
10 Most Effective Ways to Relax
Here are the 10 most effective tips to relax, whenever you may need it most!
1. Meditation
Meditation is the best relaxation technique. It is one of the most effective ways to fight stress and day-long exhaustion. Meditation can lower your heart rate and blood pressure to normal levels.
To meditate at home, just find a comfortable place in your living room. Dim the lights, close your eyes, relax your muscles, and focus your mind on one thing (like a flower, painting, or a sweet memory).
Relax. Calm your mind. Take deep breaths and try to blend yourself with the calm environment. The purpose of meditation is to stay focused, live beyond distraction and relieve inner stress from your mind. Do this for 8-10 minutes regularly after getting back home from work.
2. Self Massage
It is said that the stress you bear in your mind is stored in the muscles. It then makes you feel exhausted and doesn’t allow you to do anything else.
So, relaxing your muscles can help you to relax your mind at a greater extent. Here, self massaging technique can be very helpful in muscle relaxation. When you get back home, try self-massage on your shoulders, neck, head, and back. You can ask your partner, family member, or friend to help you too, or go to a massage therapist once a week!
3. Take A Long Bath
The bathroom can be a great place de-stress and relax. When you feel too much stress, a fresh, warm, long bath can help you escape and freshen yourself up.
Showers are also very calming. Feel the touch of water flowing down from your head to your feet. Listen to soft music, and hang some eucalyptus leaves from the shower head to infuse the bathroom with a beautiful relaxing aroma.
4. Eat Mood-Boosting Foods
Infusing your cells with proper foods will not only improve your mood, but it will help alleviate stress and built up tension in the body. Eating greens is important to keep your mind steady, and calm. Fruits like mangoes, dates and bananas as well as beets, seaweed, almonds, sunflower and pumpkin seeds are high in tryptophan. This chemical gets converted to serotonin in the brain and makes us happy!
So, when you are feeling down after getting home from work, grab one of these foods and enjoy!
5. Listen To Your Favorite Music
Listening to music is an effective way to relax your mind when you are feeling stressed. Particularly, slow tempo songs are very helpful in this case. However, listening to your favourite songs is usually the best way to improve your mood! Organize your evening playlist with your favourite sound tracks, so that when you get home from the outside world, you have something to unwind to.
6. Remove The Clutter
Coming home to a cluttered home can badly amplify your stress and make you feel as if you’re out of control. Make your living room tidy and clean before going to bed every day. It will help keep your mind in a naturally calm state. Coming home to a clean environment will achieve greater relaxation and reduces any priorities on YOU to clean up.
7. Take Aromatherapy or Light A Candle!
Taking aromatherapy or lighting up a candle can have a relaxing effect on your mind. Avoid the candles which emit poisonous fumes, and instead opt for beeswax candles over petroleum or tallow candles.
8. Have A Good Read
Reading your favourite book is one effective way to calm and relax your mind after getting home from work. Grab a paperback of your favourite author and dive in the world of imagination. Avoid reading books on your lap top, tablet or any other gadget. Give your eyes some rest from the bright emission of the electronic screens.
9. Start Gardening Activity
Gardening is a very nice way to make yourself feel closer to nature. Though it needs some physical involvement, I can guarantee that you will not feel stressed! Researchers suggest that gardening has the power to eliminate stress. So, why waste time worrying about the little things? Put on your hand gloves and start tending your garden!
10. Exercise
There is no doubt that exercise is one of the best ways to help you escape from stress and relax. Exercising regularly helps your body increase the good hormones that keep you feel lively. It also increases the circulation of blood in your body.
Taking a 30-minute walk rather than doing heavy workouts is usually the best for relaxation. Exercising regularly will allow you to more effectively fight stress and prevent any stress related dysfunction.
So, how do you relax? What special techniques you follow to keep yourself cool and calm after a hectic day? Let me know in the comments below!
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