We all need to rest, relax, and sleep to recharge our mental and physical batteries, and invest in our health and well-being. Our brains are not hard-wired to function twenty four hours a day, seven days a week, and 365 days a year. Rest is not an idle waste of time. We all need to rest our bodies, minds, and spirits in order to survive and thrive in life.
Modern life is a crazy ride, a rollercoaster of emotions, actions, and decisions. These are strange, stressful, and uncertain times. Many people feel uneasy, stressed, and overwhelmed at work or school.
Relaxation is a state of being free from tension and anxiety. It is a state where you feel calm, in which both the mind and body are in deep rest. It is used to experience tranquility, inner peace, and wellbeing. It is being free of worries and problems in your mind, and free of tension in your body. It is the key to a healthy mind and body, to unlocking our body’s self-healing mechanism. It lets you think with more clarity and make better decisions. It increases energy, focus, and alleviates stress.
Previous steps
- Take extra care of your body. You should sleep and rest well. Eat a balanced and healthy diet. Live a more active lifestyle, get out, engage in regular exercise and outdoor activities. Avoid alcohol, caffeine, tobacco, and drugs. Maintain good personal hygiene and drink enough water.
- Simplify your life, live a more minimalistic lifestyle, remove junk from your life (get rid of superfluous and unnecessary stuff), and declutter your desktop, home, and life.
- Learn to balance your work and personal life, set limits on the number of hours and attention you devote to your job. Disconnect and unplug for a more mindful living and immerse yourself in something that brings you joy, rest, meaning/sense of purpose, and relaxation.
How to relax and meditate
- Learning to relax is not easy to do and takes practice, but there are many relaxation techniques available that one can use.
- Deep, relaxed breathing is a simple method of relaxation.
- Get cozy in a safe, quiet place. Sit upright comfortably or lie down on the floor.
- Close your eyes and begin focusing on your breath. Focus on the sensation of the air filling your lungs and belly, and then emptying them out.
- Inhale slowly and deeply through your nose into your abdomen.
- Hold your breath for three or three and a half seconds.
- Exhale slowly and feel your belly contract. Start with four or five minutes, then move up to six minutes, and you may extend it up to 20 minutes.
Gently breathe out, empty your lungs and clear your mind. Bit by bit, try to slow down the pace of your breathing as much as you comfortably can.
- Progressive or deep muscle relaxation involves the tightening as you breathe in and releasing of muscle groups as you breathe out. You can work from your forehead to your toes, or the other way around.
- Get cozy in a safe, quiet place. Sit upright comfortably or lie down on the floor.
- Close your eyes and begin focusing on your breath. Focus on the sensation of the air filling your lungs and belly, and then emptying them out.
- Gentle breathe in and tense your face by opening your mouth as wide as you can while closing your eyes as tightly as possible for 5 to 12 seconds.
- Exhale and let your face relax quickly and completely.
- Notice the difference between the tension and the relaxation, pay attention how your muscles feel when they are tensed and when they are relaxed for 10, 20 or 30 seconds. Then, move on to your neck, back, buttocks, chest, stomach, arms, forearms, hands, thighs, lower legs, and feet.
- Body Scan is another form of mindfulness meditation where you very slowly move your attention from one end of your body to the other.
- Get cozy in a safe, quiet place. Sit upright comfortably or lie down on the floor.
- Close your eyes and begin focusing on your breath. Focus on the sensation of the air filling your lungs and belly, and then emptying them out.
- Breathe in, move your focus to your head and neck and picture them relaxing. As you exhale, release all the tension in the muscles in that area. Alternatively, focus on that area or spot as you breath slowly, calmly, and deeply. Pay attention, be fully aware of any sensations, emotions or thoughts associated with or originated from this part of your body.
- Repeat the same process to your shoulders, chest, back, arms, etc., gradually moving down your body by releasing your mental awareness of that specific part of your body and redirecting it to the next one.
- Go slowly, don’t worry about wandering thoughts. When random thoughts pop into your mind, notice them, and return your awareness to breathing, the present, and where you left off scanning. Let your thoughts flow and go, like clouds moving across the sky.
- Stretching is a simple and easy way to unwind and keep your body healthy and moving. It is an effective way to maintain and increase flexibility, reduce your risk of injury, and relieve the tension in both your body and mind. It releases a whole bunch of stress. Here are some simple stretches for stress relief (verywellfit, Fitness, Yoga. BetterMe, How To Relax? Meditation Techniques To Release Tension In Body And Mind):
- Child’s pose. Spread your knees to create a V shape, and sit back, taking your butt towards your heels. Then, bring your belly to rest between your thighs and place your forehead on the floor or mat, and your arms stretched out in front of you.
- Shoulder Stretch. Sit or stand straight. Raise one arm overhead, bend the elbow, and place your hand behind your neck. With your other hand, grasp your elbow and gently pull it behind your head. Hold the position, relax, and repeat with the opposite arm.
- Seated Spinal Twist. Sit on the floor, with your legs straight out in front of you. Bend your right knee, then cross your right leg over so the right foot comes near the left knee or thigh. Bend your left knee and position your left ankle near your right buttock. Reach your right hand behind you for support and place your fingertips on the floor, gently twisting your body to the right. Place your left arm just over your right knee.
- Seated Hip Stretch. Seat on a chair, cross one ankle over the opposite knee, and sit up straight and tall. Gently lean forward, trying to keep the back straight and reaching out with the torso until you feel a stretch in the glute and hip.
- Quad Stretch. Stand still, one knee touching the other. Then, bend your left knee, grab your left foot using your left hand behind you and pull it towards your butt slowly. Hold the position, then repeat, switching from your left leg to the right.
- Low lunge. It is performed by stretching one leg behind and placing the other one in front with the knee bent and the foot on the floor. The arms are raised up with palms joined or alternatively, you could bring the hands to the sides of the front foot.
- Music is the art of thinking and dreaming with sounds, the strongest form of magic (Marilyn Manson), the divine way to tell beautiful, poetic things to the heart (Pablo Casals).It is the world most famous, popular, and universal language that crosses boundaries, breaks walls, builds bridges, and brings all people together. It has been used for relaxation and healing for thousands of years.
- Transcendental Meditation is an easy type of meditation during which a person repeats a Sanskrit mantra, saying, or prayer (“Be still, and know that I am God,” Psalm 46:10) in their mind. It removes unwanted and repetitive thoughts and helps you to stop worrying, clears your mind, and releases stress. It is one way to find inner peace and tranquility.
- Visualization meditation is a type of mindfulness meditation that focuses on creating a specific mental image, scenery or picture.
- Get cozy in a safe, quiet place. Sit upright comfortably or lie down on the floor.
- Close your eyes and begin focusing on your breath. Focus on the sensation of the air filling your lungs and belly, and then emptying them out.
- Visualize yourself in a calm, peaceful, and safe place like an empty beach, a summer meadow, a forest, or any other place you would like to find yourself in at this particular moment.
- Imagine the scene vividly. Use all your senses to add as much details as possible.
- Others: Practice Yoga, Tai chi, or Qigong. Spend some time reading a book or soaking in a warm bath while listening to relaxing music. Count your blessings, not your problems by writing a Gratitude Journal. Take a vacation. Watch a funny movie. Get a massage, take a slow walk in the sunshine, or try aromatherapy. Create a painting, drawing or sculpture, play an instrument, or write a poem or novel. If toxic people are making your life miserable in your workplace, it’s time to head for greener pastures.