Relaxation is essential for peace of mind and a healthy body and soul, yet with so much going on in our lives, finding the time to truly relax becomes more and more difficult (even though being so busy means we need that relaxation time more than ever!). So what can be done? Well, there are a number of ways that you can relax in just a few minutes. It means you can relieve stress during your lunch break, on a short walk around the block, or even on the commute home. Here are some examples of the kinds of things you can do.
Eat Chocolate
We’re not advocating that you go and eat an entire family sized bar of sugary chocolate when you’re feeling stressed (even if the idea does appeal), but dark chocolate is known to regulate your metabolism and reduce the amount of cortisol (the stress hormone) which your body produces. Therefore, having just one square of good quality dark chocolate before a meeting or when you’ve been stuck in traffic, for example, can calm you down considerably.
Breathe Slowly
When you’re stressed your breathing becomes short and shallow which doesn’t allow enough oxygen into your body and, more importantly, into your brain. It can make you feel light-headed, give you a tension headache, and generally make everything feel a lot worse than it really is.
Practice slow, deep breathing when you’re feeling stressed, and your blood pressure and heart rate will return to normal quickly. You’ll be able to calm yourself down, and your brain will get back to work coming up with a solution to the problem at hand.
Put Cold Water On Your Wrists
When you’re feel overly stressed out and need to relax, you should take yourself to the nearest bathroom and drip some cold water onto your wrists. You can even dab some behind your earlobes too. Beneath the skin in exactly these spots are some important major arteries – if you can cool them down they’ll do their job more efficiently, making sure that oxygenated blood gets where it needs to go. You’ll feel a lot better for it, and it only takes a couple of minutes.
Play A Game
Playing a game will take your mind off your problem and the reason for your stress and help you focus elsewhere. You can pull out a deck of cards, play a game on your smartphone, or go online with your phone or tablet and play slot games at sites such as www.mobilewinners.co.uk. You’ll find that when you’ve finished your game, you can return to what you were doing with a re-energized mind and a fresh approach.
Look Out Of The Window
If you need to take some time out but you can’t really go outside because you have a meeting to go to or a work schedule to keep to, go to the window and look out of it. Looking at nature, even if you have to do it through a pane of glass, is extremely relaxing.