Tips for Relaxing

It can be difficult to unwind after a stressful encounter or a hectic workweek. Try out these methods to help you loosen up and let go for a while.

• Identify the source of your stress, and write about it. Putting it down on paper helps to gain perspective over stress.

• Make a list of your daily tasks and responsibilities and anything else weighing on your mind. Then set the list aside.

• Turn off your computer, TV, and phone. You don’t want to be jarred by a depressing news story or by a ringing phone.

  Being amongst the natural world is a great source of calm.

• Breathe deeply, slowly. Close your eyes and listen to your breaths going in and out. Picture an idyllic scene – waterfalls, beaches, warm sunlight.

• Take a walk: this is a good way to release stress as well as endorphins.

• Watch a flowing river, or trees blowing in the wind. Listen to the singing of birds and the rustle of leaves. Being amongst the natural world is a great source of calm.

• Take a warm bath. Massage yourself. Relax any tensed muscles you find. 

• Listen to calming classical music. Try Beethoven’s Für Elise or Debussy’s Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun.

• Brew a cup of tea. Try chamomile, passionflower, or kava kava for easing anxiety. 

• Don’t beat up on yourself for messing up in the past. Tell yourself, “Tomorrow is another day” – because it is.