Are you often in bad need of relaxation? Small wonder, if the tempo of your life is faster than you would have thought possible in your childhood. As the tension grows, it becomes difficult to imagine that you can wind down in a matter of minutes. But you can, and here are some time-proven methods.
Control your breathing
Break away from work for about 5-10 minutes, close your eyes, straighten your spine. Inhale through the nose, feel the air travel through your body, then let it out through the mouth. You can place your hand on the chest or on the stomach to feel your breathing better. Your heart will slow down and your blood pressure will come down, too.
Scan the whole body
Lie down, or if you cannot, sit resting your both feet on the floor and begin to mentally go through your body. Starting with your toes and working your way upward, try to feel what spots of your body are tense, and send your breath there helping it loosen up. Go all the way to your crown and repeat it if your body is very uptight.
Use music
Listening to quiet music can set your heart beating normally and relieve anxiety. Let your mind go blank, concentrate on the tune, on the voice or one of the instruments; if your mood requires livelier music, play rock. If the situation allows, let your hair down and move to the music or sing your heart out.
Amusing distractions
Laughter is known to diminish stress and increase endorphins thereby brightening your mood. Take time out for a sitcom, entertaining videos on YouTube, or a comic book if you go for those. Have a good hearty laugh over funny stories.
Gaming distractions
You can’t very well sing aloud right now, watch a sitcom or sink into meditating? There are free roulette games all over the Internet which also have a great relaxing power. Half an hour’s playing is sure to get your mind off depressing things of this world.
Exercise
Get up and move – especially if you have been sitting most of the day. Get out and run around the building, if you can’t – take a sprint up and down some stairs or work with your shoulders and roll your head around taking the strain off the neck. If you can do some yoga, that’s even better!
Talk to yourself
Explain yourself that you cannot be expected to control everything in your life, and probably you are not to blame for what is going wrong. A clearer understanding of the situation may lessen your worries.
Make a pause
Count to ten before you answer an important email or have to make a phone call.
