How to learn to relax and ways to relax

Food and drink

1. Drink green tea

Do you feel filled with anger? Stop and brew yourself a cup of herbal tea. Green tea contains L-theanine, a chemical that helps relieve irritability. Boil water, add a pinch of tea and enjoy a soothing drink!

2. Eat a piece of chocolate

A small portion (about 10 grams) of sweets significantly calms the nerves. Dark chocolate also regulates the level of stress hormone (cortisol) and stabilizes metabolism.

3. Enjoy with a spoonful of honey

Eliminate stress with sweets and a spoonful of honey! Honey is not only a natural skin moisturizer and antibiotic. It contains substances that reduce inflammation and suppress depressive and anxious moods.

4. Eat a mango

Take a tropical break right from your desk. Five minutes is enough time to peel, cut and eat a juicy mango. It is an excellent source of linalool, which reduces stress levels. Let the juice drip from your chin! For something like this, you can wash your face afterwards.

5. Chew gum

Mint or fruit gum is an amazing remedy in the fight against stress. Chew it for a few minutes and you will feel your anxiety subside and your cortisol levels return to normal.

6. Find a snack you like

There's nothing better than chewing on something, especially when you're stressed, right? One study found that adults prefer salty, crunchy snacks to candy bars. Some snacks (like dried fruit or celery sticks) are good for your figure!

Concentration and isolation of attention as a way to relax at home

Activities that involve fine motor skills and require concentration of attention and thoughts on their implementation are widely used both in the recommendations of psychologists and unconsciously by people in a state of chronic stress. When all the work of the brain is aimed at solving a problem for a long time, the activity of other nerve centers is involuntarily blocked. This technique is good in countless ways, among which you can choose the most comfortable one for any person:

• Knitting, embroidery and any kind of handmade;
• Modeling of aircraft, ships;
• Collecting puzzles;
• Modeling from clay, cold porcelain, pottery.

Only a small part of activities of this nature is proposed here, but, following the analogy, choosing a similar task for yourself will not be difficult. Transforming this type of activity into a hobby will not only allow you to relax and calm down, but will also prevent the occurrence of chronic stress reactions in the future.

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Another undoubted advantage of focusing on fine motor skills is that performing such actions uses the hands, not allowing them to be combined with other movements. This is relevant for those who tend to drink or eat away their stress, since you can relax without alcohol by keeping your hands and thoughts busy with something else.

Pacification

7. Meditate

If you want to calm down, you don't have to climb mountains. Five minutes of meditation and you're back on track! There is a lot of evidence that a couple of quick mantras a day reduces stress levels and lifts you out of depression. Find a quiet, comfortable place, focus on your breathing and push away the anxiety.

8. Lie down on a pillow

Sometimes people need a little sleep, but those who suddenly start snoring in the middle of the workday are usually looked at with bewilderment. If you have already brought a pillow from home, you are on the right track. Try to lie down on it and imagine how it sucks all the sorrows and hardships out of you.

9. Breathe deeply

Breathing - what could be simpler? Slow, deep breathing lowers blood pressure and heart rate. If this is not enough for you, try the pranayama technique, which involves alternate breathing from one nostril to the other. This technique works in a similar way to acupuncture, balancing the mind and body (and likely reducing the need for handkerchiefs).

10. Try progressive relaxation techniques

Are you nervous? Tighten, relax and repeat the cycle again. The progressive relaxation technique suggests alternately tensing different muscle groups to achieve inner peace. By the way, it helps many (including some famous actors) to fall asleep after a hard day.

11. Count backwards

No, this is not an IQ test, but just another way to relax. If your problems seem endless, slowly count to 10 and back to calm down. You'll have a harder time worrying about an upcoming date or job interview when you remember what number comes before the seven. (We hope you did well in elementary school and remember mental arithmetic!)

12. Use creative visualization techniques

Doorbell. Imagine that this is Ryan Gosling... well, or Elizabeth Banks, and one of them has come to offer you his hand and heart. "Yes!" - you shout enthusiastically, and that’s where the fantasy ends. Also called “creative visualization,” these daydreams create imaginary situations for people in which they feel happy. Dreaming instantly lifts your spirits even on the most stressful days.

13. Close your eyes

James Taylor once said, “When we close our eyes, everything is right.” It doesn't matter where you are - in a busy office or in a house full of screaming children. Take a short break by simply closing your eyes. This will help you calm down and focus on the important things.

A selection of ways to relax

• Breath! Do not breath!

Photo: @burst
It’s not for nothing that you’ve heard the word “breathe” so many times. Breathing is life, and with its help we can effectively relax. Proper breathing will remove anxiety and restlessness. And this is super relevant for a person in a modern accelerated society.

Because: the better you rest, the better you will work. So, how to restore your resources and relax with the help of breathing? There are different ways, here is one of them. Sit comfortably, straighten your back, or you can lie down. Inhale to the count of one-two-three-four, then exhale, also mentally counting to four.

Try to focus on your breathing and dissociate from your own thoughts. Yes, thoughts come and go, but your goal is to focus on proper breathing and relax. You can vary this type of breathing by pausing between inhalation and exhalation.

Then you can pause between the inhalation and exhalation cycles. Pause also for the count of one-two-three-four. Give this type of breathing about 5 minutes. And do it throughout the day if possible. You will feel the effect in the form of relaxation and calm.

How to learn to relax?

• Strike, freeze, run!

Physical activity. Don’t be surprised, but in order to properly relax, you sometimes need to tense up a lot. “Hit, freeze, run,” evolution told us. And this is a common reaction to stress. You either run from danger, or fight the enemy, or freeze in fear.

Running away or fighting is a way to release adrenaline. A hormone that is produced when the autonomic nervous system is excited. Well, that is, at the sight of danger. What can be done in real conditions? Go to the gym, run a couple of kilometers on a treadmill or do a set of other exercises.

Whether it will be squats or exercises for all muscle groups, this is already specific. And, by the way, I’ll take this opportunity to remind you of the benefits of running. But not entirely in your own words, but through folk wisdom. “If you want to be strong, run, if you want to be beautiful, run, if you want to be smart, run.”

• Your favorite meditation

Conscious breathing is akin to meditation. And here you go, meditation is one of the ways to get relaxation. And for some advanced ones, find harmony. You can also start with your breathing, focusing only on it.

You observe your thoughts in a detached manner and then you can use your imagination. Imagine that you are on the sea coast or an alpine green meadow. Or choose musical accompaniment with meditative music or sounds of nature. The effect will be the same - you will slow down, anxiety and worry will go away.

• If you don't know how to draw - great

In order to learn how to relax, you do not need to be able to draw. It is enough to have paints, brushes, pencils, markers and a couple of sheets of paper. A4 or A5 format. By the way, the more space in which you draw, the more likely you are to throw out the whole gamut of emotions.

Photo by Helena Lopes from Pexels

And you will be freed from the feelings and fears that torment you. And in this case, along with devastation, you will not notice how relaxation comes. You can use effective techniques from art therapy or take the initiative and trust your intuition. Take paper, pencil and draw. And you can deal with the result at your own discretion - crumple it, tear it, throw it away. As your heart desires.

• Psychologist, my dear psychologist

If we already remembered about art therapy, then let’s talk about the support of a psychologist. The effect of talking through your problem at an appointment with a specialist, his emotional response, support and approval will not keep you waiting. All this together helps relieve tension. Take care of yourself and thus, agreed?

• Massage = self-massage

Agree, massage is not only a pleasure, but also a necessity. You can trust the skillful hands of a specialist or master some techniques yourself. Typically, a sedentary lifestyle causes tension in the neck, shoulders and lower back.

Photo by Sora Shimazaki from Pexels

Properly stretching these muscle groups means improving blood circulation and gaining relaxation. And the plus is to be sure that there is a way that will help relieve the constraining tension at any time.

• Foam bath

Well, listen, this can be not only a bath with lavender or rosemary foam, but also a swimming section in Fizkult. In general, let's go to the maximum and fantasize the Cote d'Azur in the sunny haze.

Well, let it be the Black Sea coast, a pebble or sandy beach. What do you like? Salty sea water relieves stress, you drift in the gentle waves, and the goal is achieved. You're relaxed.

• Everyone - into the forest!

Have you heard of this method of relaxation called forest therapy? Contemplation of the green color, but most importantly, these are phytoncides, biologically active substances. These are volatile substances that are released by plants.

Breathing in the forest is easy and pleasant, because these same phytoncides have dealt with all pathogenic bacteria. Greater effect in warm, sunny weather, but good in winter too. A few minutes of such walks and you will be in full shape.

Photo by Monstera: Pexels

• Laughter is our everything

No one has canceled laughter therapy either. There is even such a thing as a laugh plane. This is when you deliberately choose films, books, YouTube videos for the purpose of... laughing. When you laugh, endorphin is produced - the hormone of happiness. And it, in turn, eliminates pain, leads to relaxation and gives a lot of pleasure.

Whole body relaxation

14. Massage yourself

If you don't have a professional massage therapist nearby, give yourself a hand massage to instantly relax and calm your heart rate. Massage is a good help for those who spend a lot of time at the computer keyboard. In almost any work we have to strain our hands a lot. Apply cream or lovyon to your palms and properly knead the muscle next to your thumb to relieve tension in your shoulders, neck and head.

15. Try acupuncture therapy

Tight deadlines always put a lot of pressure on your psyche, but you can help yourself with acupuncture. Acupuncture is a type of therapy that balances the flow of fluid and energy in the body. Massage the fold of skin between the thumb and index finger of one hand with the thumb and index finger of the other hand. Use lavender oil if necessary.

16. Roll a golf ball with your feet.

Leave the clubs at home and take your golf ball to work. In your free minute, roll the ball on the floor with your feet, after taking off your shoes. Great massage, isn't it?

17. Squeeze a stress ball in your hands

If you want to strangle one of your colleagues, family or strangers on your way to work right now, turn your anger on a stress ball. It's simple and... it doesn't hurt anyone.

18. Wipe your wrists with cold water

Give up perfume in favor of water! If you're feeling stressed, go to the bathroom and run cold water over your wrists and earlobes. Significant arteries pass under the skin in these places, and if they are cooled, the whole body will also feel cool.

19. Comb your hair

Oh, what's that on your head? Crow's nest? Even if your hair looks great, repetitive activities (like brushing, washing dishes, or knitting) can help your body relax.

Ways to quickly relieve psycho-emotional and muscle tension

“The human mind is such that it can make hell heavenly and heaven hell”

D. Milton, “Paradise Lost”

Emotional tension is often confused with stress, although these concepts should be separated. We can say that emotional tension is the cause, but the state of stress is the consequence. Emotions, undoubtedly, decorate our lives and make it more complete. Joy, love, surprise, gratitude - all these are emotions that we experience constantly. It’s good if a person knows how to throw out his emotions from time to time. Someone goes to a psychologist to talk about their difficulties, about what is “boiling.” Someone shares their problems, fears and grievances with friends and loved ones. But how can you cope with tension if you are left alone with yourself? I offer 10 express methods for relieving mental stress, accessible to everyone.

1. Deep breathing exercises

Inhale slowly and deeply through your nose, filling your stomach and then your chest with air. Slowly count to four 1-2-3-4. Go at your own pace. Exhale through your mouth as slowly as possible, pursing your lips as if you are about to whistle. When your lungs feel empty, count to four again. Start the exercise again and repeat 3-4 times.

1. Quick relaxation

In a stressful situation, the ability to quickly relax. At the beginning, you will need to apply the previous method of relieving emotional stress, deep breathing exercises two or three times, counting the inhalation and exhalation to yourself... After achieving general relaxation, you need to feel all the muscles of your body. Focus on your facial expression and body position. If you feel excessive muscle tension in any part of the body (for example, in the right arm), then tense and then relax various muscle groups in this part of the body (tighten and relax the biceps, forearm muscles, etc.). Try to feel your body and how it relaxes. This technique can also be practiced in an imaginary stressful situation. Repeat the exercise once a week.

1. Concentration

For this exercise, it is good to concentrate on the things that surround you at the moment. Look around and carefully examine the room you are in. Concentrate on broadcasting the same color, for example, remember everything is white. Fix the color white with the association of white milk, white clouds, etc. Afterwards, collect all the items one by one, stopping at each item separately. Exercise will help you take your mind off emotional stress. Attention will be diverted to the rational perception of the environment.

1. A change of scenery

A change of environment is a good help to relieve stress. If you are in a bad mood, feel tense, or the situation is depressing, then leave the room where acute stress occurred. You can just go outside, if you can, take a walk in the park, where you can be alone with your thoughts. Look around, see what surrounds you, observe nature. If it's the weekend, then be sure to go out into nature (when the weather permits), go to the movies, meet friends, do something unusual.

Be sure to plan an unforgettable trip on your vacation. The trip will allow you to meet new people and immerse yourself in a new culture. Unfamiliar places allow you to see the world around you in all its glory. Be sure to take a notepad and camera with you. Observe everything new and write down everything that comes to mind. New impressions will prolong the positive emotions from the trip for a long time.

1. Relaxation

Lie on your back. Concentrate on your breathing. Slowly relax your body. Begin to inhale slowly through your nose. Fill the lower chest, then the middle and upper chest and lungs. Remember to do this slowly. Hold your breath for a second or two. Then you need to calmly and easily release the air. Wait a few seconds and repeat the exercise. Imagine that you are in a calm situation, surrounded by palm trees and a warm, gentle ocean. You can continue this breathing technique as long as you like until you feel sleepy.

1. Abstraction

Engage in some kind of activity - no matter what: start washing clothes, washing dishes or cleaning. It doesn't matter, any activity you choose will help you take your mind off things.

1. Music

Choose your favorite quiet, soothing music. Make yourself comfortable and listen in a relaxed environment.

1. Arithmetic

Calculate how many days are left until the significant days in your life. For example, how many days are left until your birthday, until the significant dates in your life that you are waiting for. Good memories, when they were, and how much has passed since then.

1. Communication

Talk about an abstract topic with anyone you know. He may be next to you, or you can call him on the phone. This will give you a distraction at this stage.

1. Warm shower

Warm water has a relaxing effect on the muscles, thereby relieving tension. Water jets also promote relaxation and relaxation through a gentle massaging effect. The shower can also be contrasting, it all depends on your personal preferences.

All these recommendations will help you quickly get rid of psycho-emotional stress and allow you to look at the world from a different perspective. Don't let your emotions rule your life. Remember that it depends only on you whether your life will be a continuous holiday or a series of failures.

List of used literature:

When preparing the article, data from Internet resources was used.

Timoshenko G., Leonenko E., “Working with the body in psychotherapy.”

Prepared by psychotherapist D.A. Ignatovich,

medical and psychological department

New environment

20. Be alone

Not everyone wants to live somewhere in the mountains, but five minutes of solitude has never harmed anyone. Collect your thoughts and regain your clear mind.

21. Create a meditation area

Find (or create) a secluded corner where there are no irritating factors. Find yourself a comfortable chair, light some incense, and disconnect from the world around you for a few minutes.

22. Bask in the sun

The warmth and light of the sun are great stress relievers. If the sun is shining outside, go for a walk to lift your spirits. Bright light has a beneficial effect on people who suffer from depression, and on healthy people too.

23. Look out the window

But don't spy on your neighbors! If everything around you is going wrong, take a short break and allow yourself to stare out the window for a while. The greenery of the parks is much more relaxing than television programs!

24. Get organized

A stack of papers, three rolls of tape, a handful of paper clips... And all this is lying on your desk? No wonder you're stressed! Take a few minutes to tidy up your workspace, leaving only the essentials.

What is the ability to relax?

Sometimes the most productive thing we can do for ourselves is to relax.

Sometimes we get so caught up in our hectic lifestyles of deadlines and work and work that we forget to relax. However, occasionally relaxing for just 5 minutes, away from whatever is causing our stress levels to rise, can give us the energy we need to tackle our workload or problem we are facing.

Stress is not bad! A certain amount of stress is necessary in order to cope with difficult situations in everyday life. Physical changes occur in our bodies that allow us to act. And they disappear after the problem is resolved. However, if we are under extreme stress for too long, it can be detrimental to our health.

Many people simply don't know how to relax. Relaxation is a skill, but it is actually a set of skills that integrate our body, attitude and emotions.

Although there are no specific guidelines on how much relaxation time a person should include in their lifestyle to relax and enjoy life, it is an important part of maintaining good health.

Deep relaxation such as meditation, when practiced regularly, not only relieves stress and anxiety, but also improves mood.

Deep relaxation also has many other potential benefits—it can lower blood pressure, relieve pain, and improve your immune and cardiovascular systems.

Taking time to enjoy yourself is also an important element of relaxation. Laughter reduces pain, can help your heart and lungs, promotes muscle relaxation, and can reduce anxiety.

If you don't have enough time to relax, you may feel tense and stressed.

Long-term stress, if left untreated, can cause a variety of health problems, including chest pain, headaches, digestive problems, persistent anxiety, depression, changes in sexual desire and ability to concentrate.

Sport

25. Do yoga

Put your feet up against the wall—literally! The Viparita Karani yoga pose looks like this: you need to lie on the floor with your feet resting on the wall. It not only provides stretching to the muscles, but also gives peace.

26. Stretch

Get up from your chair and do a couple of simple exercises to relieve muscle tension. Some exercises don't even require you to stand up!

27. Run in place

Of course, you won’t run away from stress, but running itself won’t hurt you. Try running in place to get your endorphin fix. A short burst of physical activity will significantly help you combat stress.

28. Take a walk

Take your stress out! If you feel like the clouds are gathering, take a short walk around the nearest neighborhood. You will enjoy solitude and physical activity and will be able to organize your thoughts.

Reviews and comments

You can express your opinion about the article, relaxation exercises, as well as share your own knowledge on the topic and experience, using the comment form.

We also recommend reading:

• Storytelling
• How to learn to relax: effective relaxation techniques
• Stress and burnout: a large practical digest
• Methods of mental self-regulation
• How to sleep and relax more
• Breathing and thinking: a way to calm down in a stressful situation
• Stress Diary
• 10 Popular Exercises to Relieve Stress
• Anger management: a selection of useful materials
• Is it hard to be a yogi?
• Systematic desensitization method to combat fears

Key words:1Psychoregulation

Entertainment and creativity

29. Write down your thoughts

“Dear diary, I am under terrible STRESS.” By pouring out emotions onto paper, we increase our self-esteem. Try journaling before an important exam. This will help you get better grades!

30. Listen to your favorite music

Beyoncé, Blondie or Bieber - anything goes! Singing along to your favorite artist will make sure that everything is fine. If you are in a public place (excluding the opera), just listen to music to improve your mood. Classical music is best listened to before bed.

31. Dance

To the same music! Research suggests that people who practice modern dance for at least 2 months do much better than others, but if that's not your style, you can do the "little duckling dance" and that will work too! After all, dancing is a great workout for the heart.

32. Solve the crossword puzzle

Number 10 horizontally: “State of anxiety, overload and loss of self-control (7 letters).” If you know what this word is, you can probably solve some crossword puzzle. Puzzles require a lot of concentration and crowd out all other worries from your mind.

Muscle relaxation

Our body is closely connected to our thoughts and emotions. If we are stressed, nervous and worried, our muscles involuntarily tense. To calm down, you need to relax your muscles, and the result will be stabilization of your emotional state.

We offer you simple ways to relax, unwind and relieve stress that you should remember and apply if necessary:

• Start with a self-test. Ask yourself: are your teeth or fists clenched, is your neck tense, is your forehead furrowed? Give yourself a mental order to relax tense muscles, start with your face and gradually work your way down. You can combine these actions with breathing exercises - with each slow exit, relax another muscle group.
• Do the fly exercise. Take a sitting position, place your hands on your knees, relax your torso, close your eyes. Imagine that an annoying fly is trying to land on your face: first on your forehead, then on your nose, etc. Keeping your eyes closed, try to shoo away the fly.
• When the facial muscles are already relaxed, go lower - do the “lemon” exercise. Take the same pose as in the previous exercise, but place your hands palms up. Imagine that the fruit is in your right hand, and your task is to slowly squeeze all the juice out of it. Gradually clench your fist, straining your arm, then slowly relax the muscles and feel a state of peace. Repeat with the other hand, and then with both hands at the same time.
• The “icicle” exercise will help relieve tension from the muscles of the whole body. While standing, raise your arms up and imagine that you are an icicle. Tighten all the muscles of your body and try not to move for a couple of minutes. Then begin to gradually “melt” - relax the muscles of the face and head, neck, shoulders, arms, torso, legs. If it’s difficult, you can take a lying position and do the same exercise.
• Another way to neutralize physical stress, which, unfortunately, is not available in every situation, is a warm shower. Water has a calming effect on the body, and the shower jets provide massage, which directly relaxes the muscles. If, due to stress, you feel that you are losing energy and have problems concentrating, replace a warm shower with a contrast shower to restore mental clarity.

If you can't relax, get some exercise. Often people, experiencing stress and anxiety, cannot sit still, walk around the room, almost unconsciously grab onto household chores, or, conversely, begin to destroy everything around them.

Direct excess physical stress into a safe direction, for example, walk down the street or go for a run, or do some cleaning.

Smells

33. Smell the flowers

Just stop and smell! Some smells can change our mood. It's hard to be angry when everything smells like roses, right? Place a vase of fresh flowers at work or in your living room and go smell them every time you feel a wave of anxiety.

34. Try aromatherapy

Apply a few drops of lavender or tea tree oil to your palm and inhale deeply. It does not take a lot of time! Calming scents can help relieve stress and anxiety by stimulating receptors located in the nose that connect to the part of the brain that controls emotions.

35. Smell lemons or other citrus fruits

Oranges don't have stress! The smell of citrus fruits helps you relax by influencing the production of the hormone norepinephrine, which is associated with stress.

36. Smell the coffee

Stick your nose in a mug of fresh latte! The mere smell of coffee reduces the production of stress hormones. Drinking coffee is optional. (Try not to get burned though!)

How to learn to relax psychologically

Not everyone has the ability to independently relieve stress without using additional funds. Further confirmation of this is the variety of modern pharmaceutical products presented in the section of sedatives, antidepressants and tranquilizers. And the sales volumes of alcohol of varying degrees of eliteness hint at another favorite way of relaxation, which enjoys undeserved popularity among all segments of the population.

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You shouldn’t rely on such an obvious and accessible way to forget about problems, because, in addition to being expensive, it is fraught with the formation of a stable addiction, which you definitely won’t be able to get rid of without specialized help. The ability to rest and completely relax can be learned, like riding a bike or reading. To do this, it is enough to study the methods recommended by psychologists, choose 1-2 that are most suitable for yourself and apply them if necessary. Psychotherapists advise techniques to relieve stress and relax, such as:

• Cyclic physical activity;
• Receptor stimulation;
• Creating an emotional vacuum;
• Concentration and isolation of attention;
• Dominant responsibility.

The psychological basis for all techniques is the conscious or unconscious redirection of brain activity, with the formation of a neutral dominant focus of activity in the cerebral cortex.

Let's look at the main switching techniques and possible ways to implement them. However, after the mechanism of the method is understood, everyone will be able to choose their own method of similar influence.

You are not alone!

Another little trick is that it’s best to relax with friends or with loved ones. After all, it is communication that helps a person forget about his problems, work and even fatigue. So if you're feeling overwhelmed, call someone and arrange to go on a walk together.

In this case, it does not matter where exactly the meeting will take place: in a bar, park, pizzeria, at a fountain or at home. The main thing is that the people around you bring you happiness. However, remember that on such days it is better to avoid those friends who like to complain about their lives. Otherwise, you won’t be able to relax, since the problems of others will only make the situation worse.

Meditate

It is very difficult for a body and brain that are constantly stressed to completely relax. Meditation helps the body to briefly let go of all worries and relax. You can meditate either in silence or accompanied by calm, soothing music. Follow your breath and try visualizing pleasing images with your eyes closed, or practice guided audio meditations in which following the voice of a guide will help you fall into a more relaxed state.