Whether it is your career, family, or home maintenance, various shades of work take up so much of our waking time that we rarely have any left for relaxing. It’s no wonder we get stressed and burnt out time and again. Whenever you feel the stress coming on, take a break with one or all of these tested and trusted stress relieving strategies.
Watch Television
This is one of the go-to ways for most people looking to relieve stress, and with good reasons. Watching television – comedy, movie, sports etc. – is a relaxing activity that requires little to no energy. It’s the perfect mindless way to put your mind in laid-back mode. Simply relax on your favorite sofa and lose yourself in whatever is going on on the screen!
Spend time alone
Most times, the reason for a build-up of stress comes down to other people. As such spending some time alone can be a great stress reliever, which leads to a healthier lifestyle. Being by yourself automatically takes the pressure off and allows you space to relax. Because most people feel uncomfortable when left to themselves, you might get the urge to fill that free time with some activity. Resist this urge and use your time alone to focus on relaxing your mind and body. You can try a few meditation techniques to clear your mind completely and just be. While this will be difficult to achieve at first, once mastered it is a sure way of reducing stress and recharging both your mental and physical batteries.
Read a book
Next to doing absolutely nothing, reading is perhaps the most relaxing of activities. It hardly matters what book you choose to read or for how long, just a few minutes of reading provides an escape from your immediate concerns. Comics and children’s literature are popular casual options that not only help reduce stress but also enhances mood in general. An additional advantage of books is that they’re easy to carry and can be read just about anywhere, especially now that most smartphones are capable of storing hundreds.
Play games
There are countless kinds of games that help lower stress levels. In fact, some games are designed for the sole purpose of relieving stress. Board and video games are both good options if you know which particular ones to play. Online video games can be particularly relaxing as it provides the opportunity to ‘hang out’ with friends at the same time. If the cause of stress is mostly mental it might be advisable to forgo the overly competitive games and give the brain a rest by engaging in more casual games. Just stay away from scandalous games.
Cultivating a healthy lifestyle is mostly about getting the right balance between work and leisure. As a perpetually stressed person will be both unproductive and sad, it is necessary not just to incorporate leisure activities into our schedules but to take them as seriously as we do work.