10 Ways to Relax Fast

personal development Jul 30, 2021

 

It’s Friday (then Saturday, Sunday)! Time to relax. Yet loads of us really struggle to switch off, to unplug, to walk away from that arsehole on Twitter who’s just so very wrong. Why should you learn how to relax fast? Stress is unpleasant and it’s really not good for you, physically or mentally. It exacerbates the worst things and steals the fun stuff. Try a few of these relaxation techniques, put them in your mental back pocket, and use them whenever you feel that tension coming on. Or when you really need to walk away from that internet argument or calm down after that epic win/tragic loss in Apex Legends.

  1. Have a hot shower – The hot water relaxes your muscles, you can switch your brain off for a while, and maybe blast some of your favourite tunes. Sometimes just taking the break helps too.
  2. Play some music – Play around and which music relaxes you the most. You might benefit from screaming along to some death metal, you know, the kind where the band’s logo is a bunch of almost indecipherable scratches. Or possibly go the other way and have Enya soothing your soul. For me it’s a bit of 80s inspired Synthwave.
  3. Change your environment – Just moving toa different room can help remove the associated stress. If you can work in a different room, or head to a coffee shop or library for a while, you can dissociate those stressful feelings for a bit.
  4. Have a cup of tea – Chamomile seems to have a calming effect on the nerves, and hot drinks in general can help you relax. It’s a massive cup of English breakfast tea for me please, and while the caffeine might not support destressing, just getting a brew helps me relax. Do remember I am British, so American readers, your milage may vary. And gamers, for the love of god, if you are ONLY drinking Monster, please have a bit of water – hydrate or diedrate.
  5. Mind your mind – If you can spot the stressors lurking just below the surface (hunger, worry, a meeting) you can take steps to resolve them and feel more relaxed. Being prepared for what’s coming empowers you.
  1. Have a laugh – Of course, you know from experience that this helps you relax, right? Get on YouTube, watch an episode of something that always does it for you (Season 4, episode 4 of Futurama does it for me – Less Than Hero) or get on those dank memes on reddit.
  1. Breath deep through your nose – Just close your eyes and pay attention only to your breathing while doing this. Five slow deep breaths is like a mini-meditation. You can get apps to guide you, or wearables like Apple Watch have it built in.
  1. Take a walk – Walking is a brilliant relaxation technique, if you have at least ten minutes to spare. Get some air, move your body, and you even hark back to point 6 and have a comedy podcast on (My Dad Wrote a Porno works for me) or an audiobook.
  1. Give someone a hug – As long as it’s from somebody you don’t mind hugging, and as long as you have consent (please don’t go glomping a stranger) this really can be very relaxing. And after 2020 we could all probably use a little more human contact.
  1. Interrupt your routine – Eat your lunch somewhere different, walk a different way to the office, sit in a park. Anything that breaks you out of your habitual patterns can relieve stress by adding flexibility into you. The more flexible you are, the easier you’ll find the challenges of life to be.

None of these should be too hard but putting them into practice is a different matter. Add reminders, print this off and stick it on the wall, get some post its stuck up around the room.

With a bit of practice you’ll find yourself managing your stress that little bit better.

Now that I’m all chill again… back to that Twitter fight!

 

 

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