There’s no doubt that today’s modern lifestyle can be stressful. Between work, family, and social obligations, it can be hard to make time for yourself. But it’s important to find the time.
Relaxing can help keep you healthy, in both your body and mind, helping you recover from the everyday stresses that life throws at you. Luckily, no matter how busy you are, it’s simple to learn how to create time for chilling and also how to best relax. Here are some easy ways to help relax:
1. Listen to music
If you want to know how to relax, then all you need to do is plug in your earphones and listen to your favorite music. Experts have found that music can have an instant calming effect on our mind and body. According to a 2017 study, “a minimum of 20 min of music listening” can lower stress levels remarkably. Another 2015 study found that listening to music is highly effective in reducing stress. The research stated, “Results revealed that mere music listening was effective in reducing subjective stress levels. The most profound effects were found when ‘relaxation’ was stated as the reason for music listening, with subsequent decreases in subjective stress levels and lower cortisol concentrations.” Moreover, listening to your favorite music can also reduce your anxiety, heart rate, and blood pressure.
2. Log off Twitter
The more often people check social media accounts, texts, and email, the higher their level of stress, revealed the American Psychological Association's 2017 Stress in America report. Findings from the Pew Research Center underline another negative Facebook effect: Women are particularly vulnerable to stress from social media due to being aware of lousy stuff happening to friends.
3. Connect to nature
pending just a few minutes in nature when you feel stressed may help you relax. When you’re feeling stressed, take a step outside and go for a short walk, or simply sit in nature. But you don’t necessarily need to be in nature to feel its stress-reducing effects. Scientists have found that simply looking at images of natureTrusted Source with greenery for five minutes on a computer screen can help calm you down. So, thanks to technology, even people living and working in big cities far from nature can still experience its calming effects.
4. Try hydrotherapy
Splashing some cold water on your face and pulse points can help you cool your body temperature and make you feel energized. Running cold water or putting ice on your wrists can help you calm down quickly as major arteries run through the wrists.
5. Get creative
It can help you achieve flow, a state in which you're so mindfully immersed in what you're doing that all else recedes into the background. Try your hand at knitting or check out one of those ubiquitous adult coloring books—and resist the urge to simultaneously rewatch Big Little Lies.
6. Visualize your calm
Have you ever heard the expression “find your happy place”? Sit in a quiet and safe place, such as your bedroom, and begin to think about a place in the world where you feel most calm. Close your eyes and imagine all the details linked to that place: the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and tactile feelings. For example, if you think of the beach, you might imagine calm waves, the sound of children playing in the sand, the smell of sunscreen, the taste of cool ice cream and the feel of gritty sand under your feet. The more you get into your visualization, the more you can relax.
