Stress is a problem that we all face at school, work, and in our day-to-day lives. In honour of National Stress Awareness Day, I wanted to share some tips on how to de-stress and relax during stressful times. These are a bunch of my favourite things to de-stress when I need a break. Be sure to take the opportunity today to remove the stress from your life.
1. Pamper Yourself
Take some time to pamper yourself, whether that’s by taking a luxurious bubble bath full of Lush products, or doing a face and/or a hair mask. You could also pamper yourself by taking the time to paint your nails or going and get them done. Remember, “when you look good, you feel good.” I always find that playing around with makeup, or doing my hair makes me feel happy, confident, and reduces my stress immediately.
2. Get Active
Another thing I enjoy doing is going for a hike or jog in cool air (evenings and mornings are the best time). It is both refreshing and calming when you feel the cool crisp air on your face and it helps calm your body down. Other things you can do to be active and increase your blood flow: doing yoga, a workout, some simple stretches, and even dancing. It’s always a good idea to blast your favourite song and break out into dance in order to relieve stress.
3. Meditate
Listening to relaxing music or even noises of the ocean can help your body calm down and relieve stress. There are plenty of meditation-type videos on YouTube that you can follow along with to help further reduce stress while simultaneously listening to the calming music. And to help set the atmosphere even more, you can also light some scented candles for aromatherapy.
4. Connect with others
When you are stressed, it’s really easy to wrap yourself into a cocoon. Instead, message your friends or family and make social connections. Social interaction is a good stress reliever as it is a distraction where your friends and family can provide support to help you through your highs and lows. So go hang out with your friends that make you feel comfortable. Laugh with them. Go do something fun! An alternative to hanging out with friends: hang out with animals instead, i.e. cats and dogs. Pet therapy is the best form of therapy in my books!
5. Relax
This category is probably the easiest because it requires the least amount of effort – HOORAY! Lay in bed, watch some Netflix, YouTube videos, read, write, and just escape from the outside world. Once your mind is distracted from the thing that is causing you stress, you feel so relieved and it truly is amazing.
Always make time for yourself everyday to relax and de-stress. It is important to make YOURSELF feel good. Maybe find out where the stressors come from and find ways to remove or reduce them. Remember to do anything that makes you happy whenever you are stressed and give yourself a day of freedom today.