How to Relax

Our lives seem to be getting busier and busier these days and moving home is one of the things that can boost our stress levels to maximum, no matter how smoothly the process goes. In this article we will give you some simple yet effective ways to relax and de-stress which will be useful at any time.

Be Active

Before you start rolling your eyes at the prospect of another article telling you that you need to get to the gym 5 times per week, that’s not what we are looking at here. Something as simple as going for a walk can have great effects on stress levels and you can do it anytime you want; during your lunch break, walk to work, get off the bus two stops early or even an evening stroll. Try to absorb yourself into the surrounding sounds, smells and sights and feel the day’s stresses disappear as you focus on something else entirely. Whilst it might be tough to start with, once you get it into your routine it will become much easier and studies have shown that a lack of physical activity and stress are linked together.

Hobbies

Taking up a hobby is a great way to relieve stress and allow you to relax. This could be as simple as starting an arts and crafts course, learning to play an instrument or doing jigsaws. The main aim is to give you something to focus on, something you enjoy doing which you can absorb yourself into. This will allow you to forget about the worries of the day and help you to relax

Me Time

According to the NHS we work the longest hours in Europe here in the UK which means that, along with all the other things we have to do means we don’t get a lot of “me time”. They recommend that we all take a couple of evenings a week for ourselves. Take yourself away from everything as much as you can and simply listen to some music or read a book, or both. If you don’t have a couple of evenings free then take whatever time you can to just check in with yourself say BUPA

Mindfulness

Mindfulness is a term that is becoming increasingly common these days and although it might sound like a fad, it is actually a very good way of relieving stress and allowing you to “be in the moment”. Quite simply mindfulness is being aware of ourselves and the world around us at any one given moment. It is using our senses to absorb the world around us. Quite often, in the hustle and bustle of life, we are totally unaware of what is happening around us. Next time you do something, no matter how simple or basic, take the time to focus your senses on that task such as listening to the noise of the kettle boiling, watching the steam as it comes out of the spout and smelling the coffee or tea as you make your drink.

Time Management

One major cause of stress is time. We simply don’t seem to have enough of it to do all we need to do. This tends to result in us going faster or even tagging on a few extra hours of work at the end of the day to catch up. If you manage your time better, then you will feel less stressed. Simply by having a clear, realistic plan of what you need to achieve will help enormously. The aim is to achieve that perfect lifestyle balance. So set your priorities, make a list of your tasks for the day, focus on the quality of your tasks and not how long you spend on them, take a break from your tasks to help you recover and be more effective, why not take that walk?

With just a few small changes to your lifestyle and taking some time for yourself, no matter how short, you will find that you can start to manage your stress levels a lot more effectively and this will have a really positive impact on your life.