That we all live a stressful and busy routine is nothing new for anyone! In the midst of so much rush, how to find some peace and relieve the stress accumulated after a tiring week of work, studies, housework and other obligations?
You don't have to wait for the weekend to relieve stress, get your head together and restore your peace. We have prepared a list of 15 small and pleasant activities that will help you to put more tranquility in each of your days.
1. Do breathing exercises
This practice is already an old friend of those who suffer from problems such as anxiety disorder and panic syndrome, for example, but it can be used by anyone, because it only brings benefits. There are a number of different exercises, and the best thing to do is to try out a few of them to see which ones work for you. Here are some suggestions.
Abdominal breathing: when we are relaxed, as when we are sleeping, we breathe in and out very slowly, with the abdomen “extending” and “contracting”. When you can, lie down and focus on breathing deeply, noticing the movement of the abdomen.
Square breathing: This exercise aims to value time. Inhale for four seconds, hold your breath for another four seconds, and finally let it out for four seconds. Repeat the same technique, now inhaling and exhaling through your mouth, then through your nose again, until you feel calmer and more present in the now.
Elongated exhalation: similar to the previous technique, here you will inhale through your nose for four seconds and exhale through your mouth for twice as long: eight seconds. Next time, increase it to five and ten seconds, then to six and twelve seconds, then go back to four seconds the first time and repeat as many times as you like.
2. Practice meditation
You can combine breathing exercises with meditation practice. There are many myths about meditation, so forget everything you've heard about the subject and start practicing. There are two recommendations: find your way to meditate, focusing your breathing and thinking in the now, or using guided meditations that can be found on apps and networks like YouTube, which are great for beginners in the practice.
3. Perform physical activities
If you've never done this, talk to someone who has been doing physical activities for a while, but only for love and leisure, not as a professional athlete. Ask that person what the benefits of the practice are in his or her life. This type of report is more candid than any research on the benefits of physical activity that has been published by the World Health Organization. When we do a physical activity – running, cycling alone, soccer or volleyball with friends – our mind is distracted from all the problems and focuses on the seriousness required by the activity. In addition, you can take the opportunity to do other things during the activity that help you relax, such as listening to music, a podcast or a book.
4. Maintain a balanced diet
It is not news to anyone that what we eat has a direct influence on our emotions. You may have heard that “we are what we eat”, right? If you maintain an unbalanced diet full of excesses, you will certainly also have unbalanced emotions, causing problems that will bring more frustrations, such as obesity and other serious health problems, due to high cholesterol and blood glucose levels. Maintaining a balanced diet, that is, eating a little of everything, including the junk foods that we love because they relieve us of stress, is the best way to live happier with yourself, your body, your health and your emotions.
5. Eat relaxing foods
A passion fruit juice, a chamomile tea, a lemon balm tea… Having any of these drinks at the end of the day is very good to rest from a stressful day, because they all have actives that cure migraines, reduce menstrual cramps and prevent pain. digestive problems, fever, cough and feeling of tiredness, because they act directly by calming the mind.
6. Spend time with your pet
If you have a pet, you know that spending time with them can be very relaxing, whether it's playing with them, petting them, or just being with them. The pet usually gives us that unconditional love, which demands nothing in return, softening all the demands and obligations of relationships and everyday tasks. If you don't have a pet, especially if you live alone and spend a lot of time alone, consider adopting a little friend to fill your days and give and receive affection. But remember: animals are not toys. If adopting one, consider all adoption-related responsibilities and take care of him with all the dedication he deserves and needs.
7. Keep positive thoughts
This advice doesn't mean being a fool who sees the world through tinted glasses! It indicates that if you manage to maintain a certain positivity, even in the midst of everyday chaos and anxieties, life will be lighter and more delicious. As said in the first sentence, this doesn't mean ignoring problems by living as if they don't exist, but that you need to consider the possibilities of things working out for you too. Conquering is cool, but what really matters is knowing that you're trying!
8. Seek therapy
Doing therapy is giving ourselves a great opportunity to get to know each other and understand who we are and what we like or dislike. Also, it's having a judgment-free space where we can talk about all our traumas, anxieties and fears. The psychologist is prepared to help you deal with your problems and promote a lighter life for yourself. Give therapy a chance, especially if you are going through a time of great stress or trauma.
9. Talk about how you feel
Even in therapy, it's very important to have friends, family, or a partner you trust and who gives you attention. Often, focused on our problems, we increase their size and suffocate ourselves with things that we would just say aloud to make them smaller. That's why it's important to have friends who serve as a shoulder and who are available whenever we need it. Keep to yourself what you want, but create and cultivate the habit of talking about what you feel and think with the people you love and who love you.
10. Take time for yourself
Being with friends, family, pet and with your love is very good! But how much of your week do you dedicate to yourself and the activities you most enjoy doing with yourself, like going for a walk, cooking in peace and alone, playing video games, watching a movie, cleaning the house? Being with yourself is essential to building and cultivating the most important relationship in your life: the one you have with yourself. Dedicate time to yourself, because you are the most important person in your life, and if you're not well, everything else won't be either!
11. Enjoy leisure
In the midst of the rush and lack of time, when we have a few minutes or hours left, we tend to cram a lot of activities into that time, avoiding essential rest precisely because of everyday stress. Being productive is good and ending a day with the feeling of having crossed out all the items on the to-do list is cool, but it's also very important to end the day and think: “wow, today I got a lot of rest; Great!". Enjoy your leisure too and dedicate time to the famous “do nothing”.
12. Consume (and produce) art
“Art exists because life is not enough”, said the Spanish poet Ferreira Gullar. When life is suffocating and too hectic, it is in the arts that we find relief and the best antidote to stress. Watching a movie with a glass of wine at the end of the day, walking to the sound of your favorite band, taking a break to read a book… All these activities help us escape, even for a little while, from the frenzy of everyday life. . Then add them to your days. If it's possible and you feel you should, like and need it, do some art too. How about starting to think about a story of yours? Why not come up with a script? Have you ever tried to paint or learn to play a musical instrument? Take a chance!
13. Write about what you think and feel
Keeping a journal seems like a very romantic thing that reminds you of times gone by, but it's a great idea to organize your feelings and thoughts, giving voice to everything that's going through your mind and heart. In addition, you can always go back and read what you wrote some time ago, realizing that the annoyances of the past have been overcome, reinforcing that the problems of the present will also be left behind!
14. Make plans
A good way to combat anxiety and uncertainty about the future is… to plan ahead! Make plans, set goals and set goals. When we have the feeling that we are heading somewhere, the path becomes clearer, even if we change the destination in the middle of the road. But it's important not to overcharge yourself! We know that a lot prevents us from “getting there”, so take it easy and use your goals as a guide. Oh! And don't keep imposing absurd deadlines, because things happen when they have to happen. Just do your part.
You may also like
- This is what happens to your brain when you start a meditation practice: check it out!
- Check out these tips for staying calm in stressful situations!
- Understand how you can turn running practice into a meditation!
15. Disconnect from the online world
How many times have you gone on social media with the aim of resting and ended up feeling even more exhausted, stressed and with a sense of failure and sadness? Social media is a land where people only post their achievements, their best photos and their best sides. So it's normal for you to compare yourself and feel frustrated. When you're feeling stressed and tense, avoid social media, do a digital detox and get on with life. Instead of coming home from work in the late afternoon and opening Instagram, go for a walk in the park. Swap the night on WhatsApp and Facebook for a movie. Oh! And better filter what you consume on the networks! Consume content that makes you feel good and happy, not what makes you feel down.
