Find your Zen moment
Relax. You deserve it, it’s good for you, and it takes less time than you think.
Relaxation isn’t only about peace of mind or enjoying a hobby. Relaxation is a process that decreases the effects of stress on your mind and body.
Relaxation techniques can help you cope with everyday stress and prevent illness and depression.
Explore these simple relaxation techniques and get started on de-stressing your life and improving your health.
When practised regularly these techniques may have many benefits like, reducing anger and frustration, reducing muscle tension and chronic pain, improving concentration, improving sleep quality and lowering fatigue.
- Breathe deeply
Close your eyes. Place one hand on your belly. Slowly inhale for 4 seconds through your nose, feeling the breath in your abdomen. Reverse the process as you exhale through your mouth. Repeat several times.
- Meditate
Close your eyes. Focus your attention on reciting a positive mantra such as “I feel at peace” or “I love myself.” Place one hand on your belly to sync the mantra with your breaths. Repeat for about 5 minutes.
- Decompress
Place a warm heat wrap around your neck and shoulders for 10 minutes. Close your eyes and relax your face, neck, upper chest, and back muscles. Then slightly massage neck and head for a few minutes.
- Laugh out loud
A good belly laugh doesn’t just lighten the load mentally. It lowers cortisol, your body’s stress hormone, and boosts brain chemicals called endorphins, which help your mood.
- Sound and music
Listen to soothing music can lower blood pressure, heart rate, and anxiety. Create a playlist of songs or nature sounds (the ocean, birds chirping, etc.), and allow your mind to focus on it.
- Muscle tensing and release
Lay down and start by tensing and relaxing the muscles in your toes, then your legs and progressively working your way up to your arms, neck and head. Tense your muscles for about five seconds and then relax for 30 seconds.
