Relaxation Tips: Top 3
Your ability to relax plays a major role in your health and well-being. With stress being such a major part of everyday life, it’s important to know how to deal with it effectively.
Over the years, I’ve learned that relaxation depends on your physical health just as much as your mental health. Getting healthier in either respect will improve your ability to relax and handle stress, whether through things like diet and exercise or techniques aimed at calming your mind.
The research is pretty clear on this – stress can take a serious toll on your health over time. Without the right tools at your disposal, chronic stress can lead to things like high blood pressure, heart disease, chronic sleep disorders, and depression.
But there’s a lot you can do to beat stress and relax more often. Let’s look at my top 3 relaxation tips.
Relaxation Tips: Top 3
Relaxation Tip #1 – Learn to Breathe
This is absolutely your first step towards relaxation, and it’s the easiest! Studies have shown that breathing more deeply and more frequently has an immediate physiological reaction, including lowering blood pressure, calming your mind, and slowing your heart rate.
Taking a series of deep breaths will give you the best results, which is why meditation and yoga have become such popular methods of relaxation. But if you only have a minute, one or two extended deep breaths will still make a big difference.
When you do have a few minutes to spare, here is an easy breathing exercise to help you relax and destress:
- Lie down or get more comfortable.
- Close your eyes and focus your attention on your breathing.
- With your mouth closed, take a slow and deep breath in through your nose.
- Hold your breath for a few seconds.
- Slowly and quietly, breathe out through your nose, expelling all air from your lungs.
- Repeat for a few minutes, until you let go of your anxious thoughts and worries.
Relaxation Tip #2 – Do Rhythmic Exercise
Cardiovascular exercise, particularly that which repeats the same sequence of movements, is perfect for helping you relax. Repetitive movements can effectively help you zone out, redirecting your attention away from the stressors of your day.
Whether it’s using a piece of cardio equipment at the gym, going for a run, or simply jumping rope for 10 minutes, moving your body in this way will help calm your mind and release all those feel-good hormones. An easy piece of equipment to keep on hand is this LCD Digital Jump Rope. Just 10 minutes is enough to destress!
Relaxation Tip #3 – Have a Cup of Tea
If you’re a coffee drinker, consider a cup of tea as a healthy alternative. Although coffee isn’t all bad, it does raise your level of cortisol (the stress hormone). Many teas like green tea, black tea, and chamomile tea contain chemical properties that actually calm your mind and help you destress.
Matcha green tea, like this Magic Matcha Green Tea, may be one of your best ways to relax and unwind after a long day. In addition to boosting your energy levels with its own natural caffeine, matcha green tea has been shown to improve relaxation when consumed on a regular basis. It’s another easy, affordable relaxation fix!
Looking for other great tips for fighting stress and improving relaxation? Check out my previous article on Stress & Anxiety Relief here.
Have any questions or feedback about these Top 3 Relaxation Tips? Please leave a comment below…
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Thank you for visiting! Weight Loss and Training is a health blog which features all the best weight loss tips that I have learned over my 20 years of training. My background includes a degree in Kinesiology from the world renown Simon Fraser University, certification in nutritional sciences from UBC, and Personal Trainer Specialist certification from Can Fit Pro.