Ten (10) ideas for relaxing

 

Are you on edge or feel fearful as a result of the coronavirus, and all the uncertainty of this year? Or did you have a hard time at school or work, whether it’s online or not? Maybe you’re sick of quarantine and just tired of feeling anxious and tense all the time. If your answer is YES, then stop what you’re doing take a deep breath and try these 10 ideas for relaxing.

1. Drawing

So, there really is no excuse for not drawing. Drawing is a creative way to express yourself, and finding a new hobby while you have the extra time can prove very rewarding and save you from feeling stuck or bored during these dreary days. So try drawing your favourite cartoon characters, or anime characters, find simple drawings on Pinterest and try recreating them. While drawing you are focused on your piece, thus you don’t have to worry about the problems. You have the power to create your own world while drawing.

2. Laugh

I’m not saying you should burst out laughing… instead watch something hilarious, find funny memes, recall a past event that made you extremely happy, make your own jokes and laugh at them, stick around friends and family that make you laugh. Laughter is, without a doubt, one of the greatest medicines of all time. The laughter that cripples your inside, the one that loses sound, it might not fix everything, but it’s a great start, and you’ll definitely feel relaxed afterwards.

Benefits of laughter

Burn Calories

According to a research, 15 minutes of laughter a day can burn 10 to 40 calories a day, however here are factors to be considered such as a person’s weight and strength of laughter.

Better Sleep

I can definitely remember nights when I’ve had a good laugh and felt somewhat refreshed, and honestly had better sleep, and even woke up feeling recharged.

It’s Contagious

Your laughter might just trigger those around you to laugh. Thus you’re happy and those around you, are happy and what’s a better feeling than that.

3. Music

You can never go wrong with music, as long as find the right music that speaks to you. So if you’re feeling sad find some empowering music that will make you sing aloud and dance off the tension, thus uplifting your mood, or try some soothing music that will sail you off to a relaxing slumber

4. Meditate

The definition for ‘meditate’ is to focus one’s mind, for a period of time in silence. Hence, meditating is arguably the ultimate way to relax, just sitting in silence without being overwhelmed by the stresses of everyday life. However, it might not be as easy as it sounds, given that it can be hard sometimes to block out everything. But here’s a wonderful video I found on YouTube that explains the process really well for beginners.

5. Pray

In Matthew 11:28 Jesus says, “Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Jesus offers to take your problems, and the best way to give them to him is through prayer. So pray, it doesn’t have to be the regular hands clasped eyes closed format, try sitting down and just talking or writing. And you’ll see how relaxing it can be to just let your problems go. In addition letting out your emotions is so much better than keeping them bottled up. Therefore, trust God when he says he will take your problems, so that you can relax.

6. Poetry

I believe we all have our inner poet, and writing poems can be a great way to relax. It’s another way of letting out emotions but with the chance to employ alliterations, metaphors and such. You’ll find that there is something liberating and relaxing when writing poetry, and even if you think you’re not a good writer nothing beats trying. Additionally, if you feel like writing and sharing your art, there’s  a great app for writing poems and short stories, known as Commaful, which has a friendly and welcoming community.

7. Focus on the Good

I remember watching a video once, there was a professor who gave a sheet of paper with a black spot to each of his students, confused they all wrote about the black dot on the paper and completely ignored the rest of the paper. Like those students we oftentimes direct most of our focus on all the bad things, however, it is so much better to focus on the good than waste time stressing over what can’t be controlled. The things that cause you to lose sleep and feel melancholic should not control you, instead fix your thoughts on the things that make you smile and feel at ease.

8. Bask in earth’s beauty

You don’t have to plan a trip around the world to explore, the weird, beautiful and breathtaking places on earth, as a matter of fact now is not an ideal time to travel. Instead, take a walk outside and enjoy the array of colours that take over the sky during sunsets or just sit for five minutes and lose your eyes in the stars, take a deep breath and enjoy the air. There is something about outside that will compel you to relax.

 9. Read a book

With a good book you can forget about daily stresses. So find something that really interests you, and if you are able to, try reading a physical book instead of a softcopy.

10. Take a break from social media

Instead of spending hours mindlessly scrolling, put your phone down for a while and try the ideas above for relaxing.

 

We self-care so that our mind, body and spirit may feel relaxed. Therefore, it is important that we do things that will assuage feelings of tension and anxiety. So how do you plan on relaxing today?