How to relax after a stressful day at work, a busy family gathering, or a day watching the kids. This sounds easier said than done when you have a million tasks that need to be done and must take care of your family simultaneously.
Some people seem to feel no stress while others can’t seem to spend one minute without feeling stressed out. When you spend your whole day stressing about things, you will be worn out when the evening comes.
Are you feeling like your mind is exploding and you just can’t take it anymore? Do you need a break like right now?
Whenever I work hard at work, I always enjoy an unwinding evening filled with relaxation. Don’t instantly grab a chill pill, but try these relaxation ideas when you are stressed out and need to relax.
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13 Ideas on How to Relax
Whatever made you stressed in the first place, it’s time for you to kick back and relax. Let the stress of the day melt away as you ease into the following activities.
1. Put On Your Comfiest Clothes
Whenever I get home from a day at work or another exhausting activity, I immediately change into something more comfy. The bra is the first thing that goes out followed by my skinny jeans and tight shoes. Changing from your work clothes into a chill outfit really changes the vibe.
Comfy clothes are also pampering for your senses. The way they feel on your skin is just amazing! You will feel more relaxed from the moment you feel a soft touch on your body. Tight clothes will keep more tension in your body. Let it all go and dress nice and loose.
You don’t have to look like a model sitting at home, remove all your makeup so you can rub your eyes freely without creating a panda face. It feels great to have a clean face and you can stop thinking of mascara smudges here and foundation marks there.
2. Cup of Tea
A cup of tea is always a good idea, whether it is for waking up, getting more energized, or relaxing.
This particular post is all about relaxing so therefore we will skip the tea that contains caffeine and talk about the more soothing ones. So to get more relaxed, skip the green and black teas.
Herbal teas are the best for relaxing. I love to drink chamomile tea to unwind after a busy day. Chamomile tea also has a lot of benefits other than relaxation. Check them out in this article.
If tea is not really your thing, you could also go for another hot beverage that works soothing for you. The thing about hot beverages is that they have a comforting effect, the warmth works in a calming way. Of course, if you want to be sleeping any time soon, stay away from beverages that contain caffeine, even if they are warm!
3. Spa Night
How can you not relax when you are taking a bath? Treat yourself to a pampering spa night! Go all in with scented candles, face masks, and bath bombs!
Another treat that is really bringing pleasure to your senses. The nice smells and the hot water from the bath feel so good. You could bring a book to read, a show to watch or just some relaxing music to listen to. The warmth of the water will also relax your muscles so this will feel extra nice.
If you don’t have a bath, go for a long and hot shower! This also works very comforting and you can put on some music as well.
Be aware that you don’t fall asleep while bathing if you feel tired!
4. Writing Things Down
Journaling pops up in many of my blog posts because this really has a lot of benefits for you. It can help alleviate stress by getting all your worries out of your head and onto paper. Get yourself a nice journal and let the words flow out of your mind onto the paper.
When you write all your thoughts down, you will feel lighter and more clear. It can also help to see what you are worrying about on paper. If you look at it written down, it may seem silly that you are worried about these things. Or if it’s still some serious business, you can start thinking about solutions instead of keeping the same loop of thought in your head repeating itself.
Writing to-do lists and reminders is also great to help you relax. Whenever you think of something that needs to be done, write it down so it doesn’t occupy any headspace. Now you can also be sure that you won’t forget it. Always having to remember everything brings a lot of stress with it.
5. Listening to Music
How to create a playlist for when you need to wind down and relax? Create a playlist with a lot of slow songs. It could also be a playlist with all your favorite songs on it, upbeat songs as well as more slow-paced ones. Just choose songs that you love and that will help you release the stress you build up during the day.
Dancing it out on uptempo songs is also a great way to dump your stress!
Singing along with your favorite music is another way of relieving your stress. There are so many ways to enjoy music while you get rid of all your nervous energy.
If listening, dancing, or singing to music isn’t your thing and you want a more engaging activity, try playing a musical instrument! In the beginning, this won’t be very unstressing. But when you start to have some skills, it can be really fun to play songs that you are already familiar with. Jam session anyone?
If you are good at multi-tasking you can even combine playing an instrument with singing.
6. Watching your Favorite Show
Do you like to watch TV shows or movies, or are you more of a YouTube enthusiast? Pick whatever you enjoy watching!
When you worked hard all day or all week, treat yourself to a good binge-watch session. If the shows are entertaining enough, they will occupy your mind instead of the things you are stressed about. It’s a great distraction.
Take a look at your ‘Shows to Watch’ list or follow Netflix’s advice on your next favorite show. You could also check out this blog post about great binge-worthy Netflix shows.
Getting sucked into your favorite show really works to forget all about the world for now and enjoy the moment.
7. Draw or Color
A lot of people don’t draw because they don’t know what to draw. Don’t let this be you if you like to draw or used to do this as a kid all the time! If you love drawing but can’t seem to find inspiration you can always google things to draw. There are also a lot of great tutorials on YouTube. But remember that you don’t have to create the next Picasso in order to enjoy it! It’s about relaxing and enjoying yourself while doing it. Even if it looks like total crap, it doesn’t matter as long as you enjoy it.
Coloring on the other hand is a bit easier because you already have the pictures to start. Not everyone enjoys coloring as much so it’s important to know yourself. If you never liked coloring, you probably won’t like coloring for adults either. Check out this mindfulness coloring book for relaxation. The artwork is very detailed and beautiful.
Another thing that’s a little related to drawing and coloring is hand lettering. I tried this myself with brush pens from Ecoline and really liked doing it. This skill also comes in handy whenever I have to make seating cards or invitations and you can find plenty of free tutorials on YouTube.
Whether you draw, color, hand letter, or doodle, letting go of your stress most of the time happens by entering a flow state. This is a state when you feel like time flies by when you are focused on doing something you enjoy. Try to reach your flow state and enjoy the benefits that come with it!
8. Massage
Yes, please! Massages are so nice and relaxing but they can be a little expensive if you get them from a professional.
You could treat yourself to a massage once in a while but I wouldn’t recommend it every evening after work or your wallet will be empty pretty quickly. If you have a partner, you could also ask them very nicely if they want to give you one. You might have to return the favor then of course.
Alternate getting a massage from a professional by massaging yourself! Here is a great article about self-massage techniques to ease stress and pain.
Massages are great when you are feeling all tense or sore. It’s a well-known relaxation technique you should definitely try!
9. Yoga
Include some yoga time into your day to keep all the pain and stress away!
There are a lot of different types of yoga so make sure to pick the right one for how to relax when you are stressed.
Here is an awesome anti-stress playlist from Yoga With Adriene on YouTube. She’s my all-time favorite online yoga instructor!
Yoga for relaxation focuses more on deep stretching than it does on creating more power and muscles. Stretching your body is so important to feel good. You don’t know that you need it until you stretch your body and feel like, yes, this is what my body needs! Get yourself a good yoga mat and start your new yoga routine today!
10. Spend Time Outside
Spending time in nature, breathing in fresh air, and looking at all that nature has to offer you.
Did you know that you even feel calmer just by looking at a picture of green nature?
Nature itself gives you a sense of calm and ease. No stress, nothing to hurry for, just be there and do nothing.
You could also go for a walk in nature to have a double effect. Walking is very good for your general health and will help you de-stress as well. Do you want a triple effect? Ask a good friend, relative, or dog with you. This company can have a positive effect on you as well if they are positive-minded.
Taking a walk in nature is also good for taking a break between work tasks. It will help you start with new and fresh energy and help you focus better!
11. Read a Book
When you read a good book, you can be taken into a whole new world. This works a lot like watching shows or movies but you will have to use your own imagination to paint a picture in your head. It works as a distraction from your own reality.
Apart from being a distraction from your day-to-day life, it’s also very enjoyable to learn something new while reading or just fantasizing about the great stories written in books.
It’s also very relaxing if the book isn’t too exciting, it can help you fall asleep as well! Make a trip to your local bookstore and gather some books you might find interesting.
If you need to learn how to relax while reading, reading might not be the best relaxation tool for you. Books, you love them or you hate them.
12. Digital Detox
There is such a thing as too much screen time. When you look at a screen all day while doing your job, you should really try to lay off it at least for a while to give your brain and eyes some rest.
It’s good to take regular off-screen breaks during the day but also try to do this in the evening when you are latched to your TV.
How does a digital detox work and how will it help you relax?
A detox is removing the toxins out of something and a digital detox is like giving your body and mind a break from all the stimuli coming from digital appliances. When you are doing a digital detox, you set yourself a period of time where you don’t use anything digital at all. Digital appliances to avoid during this detox are your smartphone, laptop, tablet, TV, etc.
It will help you relax because you don’t expose your body to all the stimuli that come with these digital products. When you are overly stimulated you will feel stressed out so you would want to reduce or eliminate all these stimuli from your environment for a while.
Going back to the basics and not being available all the time really helps to take a good break.
13. Comfort Food
Yum, delicious! I could eat comfort food all day every day but this of course isn’t always the best for your health.
When you have a bad day, or you are totally stressed out and need some downtime, comfort food is there for you! You can order takeout and pick it up yourself or even order it with door delivery! This way you won’t even have to leave your house and can eat anything you fancy at that particular moment.
You could also buy some yummy food from the grocery store that you only have to pop into the microwave for even more convenience. This option is also a lot cheaper!
Don’t order takeout for every single meal to stay healthy and keep having money. But treat yourself once in a while! It’s really delicious.
Conclusion
Everyday life is filled with stressors and depending on how sensitive you are towards stress, this will have a bigger impact on your overall energy levels and well-being. Everyone needs to spend some time relaxing as well.
How you can relax doesn’t have to be very complicated if you allow yourself some downtime where you don’t have to do stuff.
Do the things you like, eat the things you love, and enjoy yourself!
Of course, when you have the time and the money, you can also treat yourself to a nice holiday away from the day-to-day stress! Sipping cocktails on a beach sounds great!
