All of us have some good days and some bad days. Some days are incredibly relaxing and peaceful, while others are extremely stressful.
If you are a school/college student, a stressful day for you can look like you working on your pending homework which is too much, you having a fight with your parents regarding career choices or parental pressure regarding various other things, peer pressure and so much more!
If you are a grown-up, have a job, and work 24/7, your stressful day can look like being stuck in crazy traffic for hours, a fight with a boss, constant professional competition, or just having done too much work. A stressful day for everyone can be so different but what we do after a stressful day is almost similar for everyone.
Don’t we all try to ignore or try to just not think about what happened throughout the day? Of course, we are so tired and frustrated to even spend 1 more minute going through the stress again by thinking about it but then does escaping those uncomfortable and stressful thoughts do any good to us?
For most of us, No.
We try to escape those thoughts by just going to bed. We try to sleep and forget about them. But either, we are not able to sleep due to mental exhaustion or sleep too easily due to mentally being tired, but in the second case too, don’t all those stressful thoughts come back to us the very next morning and you again feel the same? Stressed and burdened?
Therefore, it is very important to relax and feel what you are feeling before calling it a day! Everyone has their ways of relaxing and calming themselves, but we have gathered some extremely effective ways of relaxing after a stressful day!
6 Best Ways To Relax After a Stressful Day
1. Take a bath
Imagine you come home after a very stressful day at work and head straight into the shower to take a hot or a cold bath, during winter and summer respectively. How do you feel?
Even thinking about it makes us feel so relaxed. All the exhaustion seems to wash away. Though it will not reduce stress completely, it will surely lift your mood and make you feel better. Taking a hot bath can activate our parasympathetic nervous system which is responsible for relaxation in our body.
2. Dive into your comfort, but healthy meal!
After a long day, one of the best ways to relax is by delving into your comfort food. Having your favorite food is like a gateway to your soul which eventually relaxes you to a great extent. Comfort foods such as warm oatmeal, soup, a plate of rice and pulses, etc. can cause an increase in serotonin levels which is a relaxing brain chemical.
Along with the food, you can also take sips of hot coffee or tea which again can help fight symptoms of stress and anxiety.
If you love a hot bowl of ramen, just have it!
3. Exercise
Another excellent way to unwind is to exercise. Exercise can provide to be an outlet for pent-up energy and emotions. When we are feeling stressed or anxious, our bodies may naturally respond with tension and tightness. Engaging in physical activity can help to release this tension, and can also serve as a distraction from negative thoughts and emotions.
In addition to the physical benefits of exercise, it also provides a great opportunity to clear your mind and focus on something other than your stressors. Going for a run or hitting the gym can be a great way to take a break from work or other responsibilities and give your mind a chance to relax.
4. Meditate
Meditation is the most powerful tool when it comes to achieving deep relaxation and reducing stress. The practice of meditation involves focusing the mind on a specific object, thought, or activity to achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm state. Meditation can help to lower stress levels by slowing down the body’s fight-or-flight response and promoting feelings of calm and relaxation.
So, after every day, take a few minutes each day to sit quietly and focus on your breath, and experience the many benefits of meditation for yourself.
If you want to know more about meditation, check out our blog!
5. Journal what’s bothering you
Sometimes, we find it difficult to communicate our feelings to others. We simply want to keep it to ourselves, although doing so affects us terribly. So, writing them down is the best method to let go of those emotions. Writing down your feelings and storing them safely in your diaries helps you to relieve a lot of stress and relax you!
6. 8 hours of sleep
Finally, to relax completely and feel refreshed, one needs to sleep adequately after a stressful day. Sleeping is an essential part of our daily routine that helps our bodies and minds to relax and rejuvenate.
When we sleep, our body goes through a process of relaxation, which is essential for our physical and mental well-being. During sleep, our muscles relax, our breathing slows down, and our heart rate decreases. This helps to reduce tension and anxiety and promotes a feeling of calmness and serenity. When we sleep, our bodies also produce more of the hormone melatonin, which further helps to promote relaxation and reduce stress.
If we don’t unwind when a tough day is over, the stress will build up, leaving us restless, demotivated, and unproductive for the coming days. Relaxation is a time when you don’t try to escape how you are feeling, but try to comfort yourself by doing things you love and things that help you mentally and physically.
When you are relaxed, you can think better and regulate your thoughts better. A relaxed mind can deal with different emotions in a better way!
If you are having a difficult time dealing with stress, try speaking to a professional now!
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