Our phones are a constant reminder that work is just a click away, and for some the temptation is just too great. People who send emails and text messages to work colleagues on weekends and public holidays and late at night absolutely astounds me. Social media can have us spending hours attached to our phones, with hours spent each day without us even being aware.
Family and life commitments can sometimes feel overwhelming and you feel like you are on a hamster wheel just running through life.
Too much work and not enough rest and play can send our nervous system and immune system into overdrive. Some people feel guilty if they take time out to rest, or sit for half an hour with a cup of tea, and some people don’t know how to stop and rest.
However busy your life is, it’s important for your health and wellbeing to take time out for yourself, to nurture, relax and recharge your batteries on a weekly basis.
4 suggestions to help you relax and take a break.
- Take a warm bath with your favourite essential oil. Mine would be five drops of lavender oil with some magnesium bath salts added as well. Both are great for their relaxing properties and the lavender smells divine. Even lighting a candle and putting on some relaxing music creates a relaxed soft ambience.
- Walking in nature. Walking releases “feel good” endorphins, it also helps you to switch off from the busyness of life. In fact there is clear evidence that people who appreciate nature, and make the effort to spend time in it, are happier, healthier and more creative.
I love nothing more than walking in nature, listening to the birds, the wind in the trees and looking at the colours from the leaves and flowers. I also love the feel of the earth beneath my feet, it feels very different to walking on a concrete footpath around the streets. So a drive on the weekend to walk in nature is a gift to yourself.
- Switch off the screens. Let’s face it technology is everywhere, but the more we depend on it, and the more we use it when we don’t really need it, the harder it is to be present to life and the people around you.
Turn off your phone, tablet and computer and go and do something else that doesn’t involve tech gadgets instead. Some of you may find this really challenging, but once you break the habit, you are opening up to life and really living in the present moment.
- Listen to your favourite music. Go and listen to your favourite music in a relaxed space. There is nothing better than singing or humming along to music, it can boost your mood, reduce stress and even improve sleep.
If you feel like it, even have a dance around your home while it’s playing and burn off some calories to boot. I have many playlists on Spotify and depending on how I’m feeling as to which one I play. I will confess to having a great dance playlist and I love nothing more than dancing around my house when nobody is home to “Love Is In The Air”.