Great activities for relaxation and stress reduction.
Life can sometimes be a busy and stressful experience. Effective relaxation is a vital aspect of helping you deal with what life throws at you from time to time. We’ve built this list of the best ways to relax to help you deal with anxiety and reduce stress levels.
Fitting some relaxation time into your busy schedule can improve both physical and mental wellbeing. In turn, this leads to you living a healthier and happier life.
Listen to music
Listening to music has been shown to relieve stress and anxiety. If you’ve had a hard day at work, or something is getting under your skin, just pop on some of your favourite music.
Take a hot bath
There is nothing better than relaxing into a hot bath and letting the stress fall away. You can load it up with bath salts or bubble bath. For greater effect, you can even put on your favourite music playlist and light a scented candle whilst you soak.
Meditate
Meditation is about training your mind to better manage stress rather than eliminate it. Consistent practice of meditation can help relieve long-term stress and improve your ability to cope with stressful situations. Whilst sitting still and doing nothing can be difficult during period of stress, the building of mindfulness will have long-term benefits.
Deep Breathing
Practicing breathing techniques can be an excellent way to relax and calm your mind. The breathing techniques focus your attention on the internal, leaving no space for external worries. They can be a good way to re-centre yourself and be more able to deal with stressful situations.
Massage
There is nothing better a relaxing massage. Whether this is a small self-massage whilst you sit at a desk or a full-body massage working out all those knotted muscles, it doesn’t really matter.
Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy is the technique of using scented oils or perfumes to promote physiological or emotional changes. Pleasant scents can affect feelings of positive wellbeing. Even better, this can happen whilst continuing with other activities.
Create art or just doodle
The creation of art can be a wonderfully cathartic process, often helping people deal with difficult situations or emotions. Even just doodling in a notebook can help pull you out of a negative headspace and relieve stress. Get your creative brain into play and relax!
Yoga / Tai Chi
Both Yoga and Tai Chi involve a combination of physical stretching, deep breathing techniques and focussed concentration. In some way each are akin to meditation and both have been shown to be effective in reducing stress. Take a class and learn some Tai Chi and Yoga techniques.
Visualise your calm
Visualising your calm is a useful mental technique similar to daydreaming. Focus your mind’s eye on somewhere that you have experienced peace and contentment and spend a few minutes visiting that place again. This is commonly known as “guided imagery”. There are also other techniques of visualisation such as “progressive muscle relaxation” and “colour breathing”. Visualisation can contain elements similar to deep breathing and meditation.
Watch or look at something funny
“Laughter is the best medicine”, so the saying goes. Studies have shown that laughter release endorphins, boosts blood flow and decreases stress hormones. It can help boost your immune system and immunity to disease. It can help relax your whole body and increase your overall sense of wellbeing. All this can be yours for the great price of a good joke…
Light a scented candle
Lighting a scented candle sets the mood for you to relax. Watching the gentle flicker of the candlelight or breathing in the lovely fragrance can help those muscles unwind. You can even use a fragrant candle as a form of aromatherapy or whilst reading or listening to music.
Stretch
As we become stressed or anxious, our muscles can often tighten. Our shoulders rise up to our ears, hands and arms become clenched or your whole body tenses up. Stretching exercises can help release stress and muscle tension and thereby leave you in a better frame of mind.
Take a nap
Lack of sleep can be a strong contributor to stress and the lowering of mental wellbeing. If you are tired, take a short nap – you’ll usually feel better for it.
Buy a plant
In many cases, people have found the process of cultivating a plant to be extremely relaxing. If you’ve not yet tried this, you should have a go. Just a small plant that sits on your desk or windowsill is enough. Any time you are feeling stressed, just give your plant a little love and attention.
Turn of your electronic devices
Our electronic devices can be a definite source of stress and anxiety, especially when connected to social media. In this modern world it can feel like we can’t do without them. Whilst it can sometimes be difficult to do, learn to let go and turn off your devices occasionally.
Pet a pet
When you are feeling stressed out, focus some attention on your animal companion. They’ll love it and respond in kind, and you’ll feel your stress levels reducing.
Write a gratitude list
Be thankful for the positive elements in your life. Write a gratitude list of the things you are grateful for and that bring you joy. These can be as large or small as you like. These can be anything from taking the first sip of coffee in the morning, to the experiences you have with your family or a great friend. By writing out your list you prompt yourself to focus on the positive rather than the negative.
Read a book or listen to an audio book
Find a comfortable sofa, get settled in, and read a book (or listen to an audiobook). Books have the amazing ability to draw you away from the here-and-now and into (quite literally at times) another world.
Time Tamer 101 Scented Candles
Why not light one of our Peony and Lychee Scented Jar Candles to help you destress. Use by themselves or in tandem with any of the other suggestions here. Enjoy our scented candles with a massage or hot bath, whilst meditating or stretching, or curled up listening to music or reading a book.