How to Joyfully Relax Your Way to Self-Renewal

In previous articles we covered using core values in your self-renewal and how to recharge yourself. This article continues our self-renewal series with How to Joyfully Relax Your Way to Self-Renewal. Certainly doing something fun will be part of it.

When I was a child, we made the first day of May special. We made and received May baskets. They included wonderful little treats left at your door by friends. Some popcorn, some jellybeans or M&Ms, a stick of gum, a sucker, all in a Dixie cup. One year I got a cupcake in an ice cream cone with jellybeans on top. We enjoyed rushing home from school to create our May baskets and then rushing out to deliver them. It seems like we don’t do enough of that anymore–to stop and do something just for fun.

Begin to Relax Your Way to Self-Renewal

Research shows that relaxation benefits both your mind and body. It keeps your heart healthier, reduces muscle tension, improves brain function and memory, and helps you lower your stress level. It can also help with depression, anxiety, and obesity. Do you want to boost your immune system and help other medical and/or other psychological problems? Put relaxation on your schedule.

The last thing you need to do: stress out about how to refresh your day or how to put some relaxation into your week. It’s not important what you do. It’s important that you do. Maybe you just stop, have a coffee or tea and take time to call someone. Maybe you take a walk and refresh in nature. Perhaps you can do a bit of meditation. At least walk away from your desk, or your house or your responsibilities for 5 minutes. Eat an apple (an apple can keep blood sugar steady for up to 4hours.) Just take some time for you.

Even during the busiest days, it’s important to set aside a bit of time to recharge. Play a game with your kids. Bake something (if it’s relaxing.) Or sit out in the sun and be an example to your kids that it’s ok to come first.

Relaxation Techniques

Here are just a few of the easiest relaxation methods that you can do almost anywhere:

Deep Breathing

Deep breathing is just what it says. Take slow, deep breaths, inhaling through the nose, and exhaling gradually through the mouth to let the whole body relax a little more with each breath.

Progressive (Deep) Muscle Relaxation

Easy to accomplish and you can do it at your desk. Just start alternately tensing, and then releasing, groups of muscles throughout the body. Start with your facial muscles then move on to other muscle groups—neck, shoulders, arms, chest, stomach, legs and feet—for full-body relaxation. This also works great when in the middle of the night you have counted to 9,999 sheep and are still awake.

Meditation

There are many ways to meditate. Focus your attention on only one thing. This can be a word or phrase, focus on your breathing, a sound or an image. Re-focus your attention each time you become distracted. (For those who need help getting started with meditation, check out my 3-Minute Meditation on my website.)

Visualization

Visualization involves using your imagination to create a visual image of a favorite place. A relaxing, soothing or healing place. Imagine every part of this image involve all of your senses, sight, sound, taste, motion and texture—to make it real as possible.

Rest

Rest goes hand-in-hand with relaxation. Finding that delicate balance between the demands of every day and prioritizing time to rest, is not easy, but important. Discovering opportunities for both mental and physical rest is essential but might not be as hard a task as you think.

If you are feeling tired or worn down you think you need sleep and maybe you do, but rest is more than your nightly beauty sleep. Rest involves your whole self, and complete and regular rest can make you feel better mentally, emotionally and physically.

Sleep

According to research adults need 7-9 hours every night of uninterrupted sleep. Contrary to popular opinion, you can make up some sleep on the weekends. If you have trouble sleeping, consult a medical professional.

Nap

The little sister to sleep is a nap. Napping is the culture in many parts of the world and while napping might not seem right for you at least not every day, there’s a lot of evidence suggesting you should sneak in that nap when you can. A nap can:

Refresh you overall
Boost memory and alertness
Decrease stress and strengthen your immune system.
Improve your mood and tolerance
Enhance productivity and creativity
Enliven problem solving and partnership
Improve health and wellness

Mindfulness with Gratitude

This is my favorite way to take a mental break. Living in the moment is easier said than done. But if you are overwhelmed, worrying about the future and a million what-ifs, take a mental break. Think about the moment, connect with your present, see the beauty around you now at this moment and celebrate where you are today. Let your gratitude surround you. This mental break can help restore balance and peace.

Hobbies

Sounds counterintuitive, huh. Hobbies keep us busy, but if you have a mentally satisfying hobby, it can be very emotionally engaging. It need not involve anything physical. You can listen to a pod-cast, start journaling, do puzzles or crosswords. Hobbies and leisurely activities can improve your mood, and self-esteem. A hobby enhances your daily life and strengthens your mental health.

Give Back

If your days consist of work, home, sleep, repeat, you might be feeling unrest of another sort. Spiritual rest relates to the need to belong. Your need to be a part of something bigger, to be involved in the community, to find a purpose. These can give you a deeper more soul-satisfying rest.

Plan a Vacation

Almost half the people in the US leave vacation days on the table. Now may be the time to plan a get-away.

Vacations help us to put daily stressors on hold and celebrate our lives. A staycation, a family vacation or a bucket-list-dream-trip can open our eyes to new perspectives. Make the planning a family affair. Everyone, including you, getting to pick one thing they want to do (within the budget) makes this a true family vacation.

Just Relax Your Way to Self-Renewal

Taking time to relax, to catch our breath, to put you first, is a necessity.

Living in a world packed with work and so much else makes it difficult to find time to relax. Taking the time to relax your way to self-renewal can help your mental as well as your physical health. It can improve your work relationships and your family relationships. Isn’t it time to take time for you?

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