Sometimes life gets a little stressful and we just want to do something which can help us to unwind. Whilst many people believe they have to take a trip to give themselves a break from their busy lives, you may not always have the time or money to do so. Fortunately, there are a lot of effective things you can do to relax and relieve stress in your own home. It’s so important to give yourself opportunities to relax and take some time for yourself. This article is a guide on ways to unwind around your house after a stressful day.
1. Take a Bath or Shower and Put on Some Comfy Clothes
As soon as you get home from a stressful day, the first thing you should do is to take a bath or shower. This will help you to metaphorically wash the day away and start to unwind. There are some really amazing bath salts and lotions which you can add to your bath water which will relax all your muscles and clear your mind of stress. If you take a shower, use a luxurious aromatherapy shower gel to loosen up and relax your thoughts. After you finish, throw on some comfy clothes or pajamas. This will help you to feel more comfortable as you settle down for your evening of rest and relaxation.
2. Have a cup of tea and read a book
This is the perfect way for so many people to relax and unwind after a stressful day. Many people like to drink coffee while they are reading a book but coffee has so much caffeine and especially when you are already agitated and stressed out, it can cause increased anxiety and tension. There are so many different kinds of tea that don’t contain any caffeine and that are really great for helping to relax and create a feeling of peacefulness. Try drinking camomile or lavender tea to really put you in a relaxed mood. Every home should have a little nook where you can just settle down and relax with a book.
This nook should have some relaxing lighting, a few houseplants and a comfy chair. The folks at chairinstitute.com told us that a comfortable chair is so vital for helping you to unwind. A good chair should promote good posture but should also be suitable for curling up under a blanket. Add lots of squishy cushions to your chair and flick through the pages of your favorite novel. Make sure that you use a lamp that doesn’t emit blue light as this can affect your eyes and stop you from being able to relax well.
3. Meditate
Meditation doesn’t have to mean sitting cross-legged and humming a mantra with your eyes closed. Meditation is any activity that helps you to relax your body and quiet your mind for a while. If you have a form of meditation that you practice regularly then that is a perfect way to unwind after a stressful day, but if you have never meditated before, just sit somewhere quiet, close your eyes and focus on your breathing. Try to slow your breathing down and elongate both your breath in and your breath out.
Shifting your focus to your breath will take your focus away from your mind which may be running wild about your day and away from your muscles and nerves which may be really tense. Try to stop yourself from thinking altogether by watching your mind and seeing what pops in there. Let go of any negative thoughts about your day and any worries or thoughts you are having about what will happen tomorrow. Stay in the moment, focus on your breath and you will find that your stress is dramatically reduced.
4. Do Some Yoga Practice
Yoga is an amazing way to relax and to promote a positive mood as well as well mental and emotional health. Many people use yoga as a way to deal with the stress of their daily lives as well as to help them to stay calm and happy during periods of hardship or anxiety. It is really great to do yoga in your own home because you can practice wearing whatever clothes are most comfortable for you and you don’t have to worry about anyone else watching you or distracting you.
If you are already experienced at yoga, practice a slower routine that focuses on deep breathing and stretches and which will allow you to work out the kinks that have formed during your stressful day. If you don’t know how to put together a yoga routine, there are so many on YouTube that you can follow along with and that will help to relieve your stress and help you to relax.
5. Go to Bed Early
One of the best ways to unwind and move on from a stressful day is to go to bed early so that you can wake up the next day refreshed and rested. It can be really hard to get to sleep when you have had a hard day so the best thing you can do is to follow some of the other steps in this guide to relax before you lay down in bed. It’s really important that you create an environment that is conducive for sleeping so make sure that you turn off all screens at least an hour before you want to sleep and avoid all caffeine in the evening. If you live somewhere noisy or that is too bright then earplugs and a sleeping mask can help to desensitize you so that you can fall asleep more easily.
We all have those days that just leave us totally burned out and it is so important that we are able to relax and unwind when we get home. Taking the right steps to chill out and recuperate is vital for helping you to put a stressful day behind you and prepare for a new day tomorrow. If you have had one of those days and need help unwinding, follow this guide and it will help you to start fresh again tomorrow.
