When it comes to work, there are the days when you have it easy, but there are also the hard, stressful days. Even if the day wasn’t all that bad in general, a week, in general, may be quite stressful and affect your overall mood. Such situations tend to happen and are hard to avoid. So, what can you do with all this stress? Instead of looking for ways to avoid it, you can be creative and figure out ways to relax. In this article, we are going to present you with some of the ways that you can use the weekend to unwind.
1. Come up with a relaxing ritual
The simple truth is that there is a wide variety of creative approaches to encouraging the so-called relaxation response. It basically comes down to relaxation rituals that are a solution similar to the way kids relax with bedtime rituals. Avoid relaxing in front of a TV, as it can actually have an opposite effect. What you should go for is a simple solution such as spending time with your loved ones, cuddling a pet, meditation and breathing exercise, going out for a walk, or having a sweet, warm bath. The important part of the ritual is, of course, to find the routine that suits you and do it on a regular basis. It doesn’t take long to turn the ritual into a habit.
2. Enjoy the music
If your way back from work consists of a long bus ride, the best way to spend the last commute of the week is to sit back, choose the right tune on your phone, put the earphones on, and allow yourself to enjoy the beauty of music. While you may be more of a fan of heavy metal or techno, the genre that is actually the best for you to relax is classical music. Research has actually shown that classical music relieves stress and is good for your health. If you don’t have your own collection of mp3 files, you should find one of the local classical music stations, and make the best out of your ride home.
3. Make the best out of a hobby
Having a hobby is the perfect solution for stress. If your work focuses mostly on your mind, then you should choose a physical hobby, such as running or going to the gym. If on the other hand, your job consists mostly of manual labour, then you should find a hobby that relaxes your mind, such as writing or photography. When it comes to music, it does an even better job if you actually have some skill in playing an instrument. It’s a relaxing hobby that combines routine and music, and is bound to help you get your mind off the stressful situation that you had at work. A hobby is more than just an activity – it’s a way to learn something new and grow. It’s a great alternative to what you do as your job.
Painting is a great choice for a hobby, because colours have a soothing effect on us. Another positive side is it’s easy to turn it into a family fun activity. So, let your artistic side out, even if you aren’t the best at it, and allow the colours to take the stress out of you. The idea is to have your mind forget about the work and focus on the canvas and family time instead. It’s a great way to slow everything down and allow yourself to process it.
4. Sweat it out
Sweating your stress out is a great way to unwind after a hard day at work. You may opt for the gym and the exercise there that is bound to relieve stress and improve your health. If the gym is not your first choice, there are various other options. For example, swimming is the perfect way to work out your whole body and have some time out from the outside world. Or, if you feel more like socialising, you could try out Zumba. It’s a fun way to both exercise and spend some time with other people that are into fitness.
If you don’t feel like doing any exercise, you could try out a steam room to cleanse your body. Or, while it is a chore for some people, you may enjoy cleaning up your home, especially when done with a small but significant help of your children. It can also be a great way to relieve stress after a busy work week, as a substitute for working out.
5. Turn stress into a creative energy
There is something about the manual labour that works as a stress-release pill, whether it be gardening, painting, wood chopping or just house cleaning. This can come in handy when we collected huge amounts of stress during the week and can’t seem to meditate it off. Experts suggest putting on your man pants, climbing up the ladders and with a healthy dose of fear tackle a long procrastinated house repair task.
6. Turn off your screen
While a lot of people tend to unwind in front of a TV or a computer screen, it actually has an opposite effect. In fact, it has been proven that too much screen time has a detrimental effect on the quality of your sleep, which of course, results in higher levels of stress, and therefore reduces your ability to deal with daily situations. So opt for other ways to relax, and turn off your screen.
A stressful work week can be battled with good and proper relaxation routines. It’s quite easy to turn these routines into habits if you stick to them. Make the best out of all the ways that you can allow yourself to focus on things that can help you alleviate stress.
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Author: Leila Dorari
Leila Dorari is a freelance writer and a life-improvement enthusiast from Sydney. Currently, she is spreading the word about different ways home owners can benefit from services that ASAP roof painting Sydney-based company offers. When taking a break from making new marketing slogans, she is either window shopping or exploring new ways to make her life more meaningful.
