Following a hard, stressful day at work, relaxation is essential – but not always so easy to achieve. These are five ways of helping you to switch off at the end of a long working day.
1. The Alexander Technique
This is a way of lying down that sees you flat on your back with your knees bent and feet on the floor. The ideal time to spend doing this is 10 minutes, and the great thing is that you can do it absolutely anywhere, with no special equipment of any kind required. It has several relaxation benefits, easing tension, stress and an aching back and giving you time to reenergise yourself for the remainder of your day.
2. A bubble bath
The relaxation benefits of this have long been recognised, making it a favourite method of unwinding at the end of the day for many people. For the best results, add high quality bubble bath, preferably of the sort you would find at a spa resort, as you want plenty of bubbles for soothing away aches and pains. A combination of soft bubbles and hot water is perfect for achieving this – following a half-hour soak, you’ll have forgotten about work completely.
3. Scented candles
This can be another fairly simple way of unwinding, as the scent from the candles is designed to soothe and relax you. You can get effective scented candles for not much money, and your focus should be less on the price and more on the scent – palm, soy or beeswax candles are the best ones to go for. The time that you should spend on this relaxation activity is essentially the time it takes for the candles to burn down, and by the end of this time you should be ready to drift off to a perfect night’s sleep.
4. Yoga
For those who prefer something a little more physical to help them relax, there are yoga poses which are specifically designed for this purpose. A particularly good one is the child pose, which sees you kneeling with your arms by your sides and your head down on the ground in front of you. This has a relaxing, restorative effect on both the body and the mind, and should be maintained for as long as you need. Ideally, use a proper yoga mat for greater comfort.
5. Online gaming
Although this is a pretty adrenaline-fuelled activity, it can actually be a fantastic way to unwind, and help you to forget about the worries of the working day. All you need is a computer or mobile device to be able to sign up to one of these sites and places that have games to suit both first time players, like online slots, and experienced players, like baccarat or poker. Set yourself a limit of a couple of hours a time though, so you don’t spend more than you can afford.
Any one of these activities will help you to ease your mind and body at the end of a hard day at work.