Ultimate Relaxation: Top Tips for Effective Unwinding
Hannah
19/10/18
If you had a device attached to you that could detect when you entered a state of complete relaxation, how many times would it have tracked over the past week? Honestly. How about in the past month?
For many of us, the number would likely be low and in some cases zero. We must take heed of the fact that not allowing ourselves adequate time for relaxation can have a devastating effect on our health and wellbeing.
Energy is a finite resource and we can literally run out, or in other words burn out. The fact is our bodies require rest to perform at their best and much of the time what we consider to be relaxing, either doesn't serve to effectively calm our nervous systems or fails to even materialise.
It's time we started taking relaxation more seriously and made a conscious effort to lower the amount of cortisol (stress hormone) in our bodies. These top tips won't come as a revelation, but perhaps they will act as a reminder to do one or all of them over the coming days.
Listen to some soothing music
Music makes you feel things. It has been scientifically proven, and you will know it from your own experience of watching a film, or hearing a song you love come on radio. The level of emotion that music can evoke within us is sometimes quite profound. Time to employ the power of music for the pursuit of relaxation.
Soak in a deep, relaxing bathBaths can be deeply soothing for physically tired bodies and emotionally drained minds. Use essential oils for aromatherapy, bath salts for achy muscles and create a relaxing atmosphere with candles and a bit of softly playing music. Allow yourself enough time to properly soak and feel the stress melt away.
Practice breathing & meditation
How often do you allow your body and mind to be completely still, while you are awake and fully conscious. I'm going to hazard a guess and say that it's pretty rare. Visualise your emotional state like a pool of water. When you are stressed out the water is choppy, with sediment from the bottom disturbed and brought to the surface.
When you meditate, or consciously bring about a state of tranquillity within the mind and the body, then the water has a chance to settle properly. The ripples subside, the sediment drifts down to rest on the bottom and the pool becomes like the surface of a mirror. This is equivalent to entering a state of complete serenity and one of the most powerful ways of rejuvenating body and soul.
Take a walk in nature
Immersing yourself in nature is a powerful tonic for the stresses of modern day life. Countless studies have backed this up and it's quickly apparent when you try it for yourself. Inhaling deep lungfuls of fresh air and marvelling at the world in its natural form resets overthinking brains and refreshes positive emotions.
Make time for something you enjoy
We don't always prioritise spending time doing things that make us happy and bring about a sense of innate calm. It can be regarded as a waste of time or pointless, however this could not be further from the truth. Time spent in this way provides us with the clarity, self assurance and mental stability to be of real use in our endeavours and to those around us.
Hannah
Hannah
19/10/18
If you had a device attached to you that could detect when you entered a state of complete relaxation, how many times would it have tracked over the past week? Honestly. How about in the past month?
For many of us, the number would likely be low and in some cases zero. We must take heed of the fact that not allowing ourselves adequate time for relaxation can have a devastating effect on our health and wellbeing.
Energy is a finite resource and we can literally run out, or in other words burn out. The fact is our bodies require rest to perform at their best and much of the time what we consider to be relaxing, either doesn't serve to effectively calm our nervous systems or fails to even materialise.
It's time we started taking relaxation more seriously and made a conscious effort to lower the amount of cortisol (stress hormone) in our bodies. These top tips won't come as a revelation, but perhaps they will act as a reminder to do one or all of them over the coming days.
Listen to some soothing music
Music makes you feel things. It has been scientifically proven, and you will know it from your own experience of watching a film, or hearing a song you love come on radio. The level of emotion that music can evoke within us is sometimes quite profound. Time to employ the power of music for the pursuit of relaxation.
Soak in a deep, relaxing bathBaths can be deeply soothing for physically tired bodies and emotionally drained minds. Use essential oils for aromatherapy, bath salts for achy muscles and create a relaxing atmosphere with candles and a bit of softly playing music. Allow yourself enough time to properly soak and feel the stress melt away.
Practice breathing & meditation
How often do you allow your body and mind to be completely still, while you are awake and fully conscious. I'm going to hazard a guess and say that it's pretty rare. Visualise your emotional state like a pool of water. When you are stressed out the water is choppy, with sediment from the bottom disturbed and brought to the surface.
When you meditate, or consciously bring about a state of tranquillity within the mind and the body, then the water has a chance to settle properly. The ripples subside, the sediment drifts down to rest on the bottom and the pool becomes like the surface of a mirror. This is equivalent to entering a state of complete serenity and one of the most powerful ways of rejuvenating body and soul.
Take a walk in nature
Immersing yourself in nature is a powerful tonic for the stresses of modern day life. Countless studies have backed this up and it's quickly apparent when you try it for yourself. Inhaling deep lungfuls of fresh air and marvelling at the world in its natural form resets overthinking brains and refreshes positive emotions.
Make time for something you enjoy
We don't always prioritise spending time doing things that make us happy and bring about a sense of innate calm. It can be regarded as a waste of time or pointless, however this could not be further from the truth. Time spent in this way provides us with the clarity, self assurance and mental stability to be of real use in our endeavours and to those around us.
Hannah
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