The world is as fast-paced as ever and it’s important to distance yourself from a busy schedule, even if this is just momentary. There are a variety of ways in which you can bring a sense of calm and a special ‘you time’ to a day, making for a much more productive rest of the day. Sometimes all you need is a moment to yourself and then you can get on with achieving during the day.
Breath Work
There is a great sense of calm that comes with breathing properly. Most people go about their day without once consciously inhaling deeply and exhaling deeply. Breathing is an automatic thing that people do and its power is highly undervalued.
A great way to increase breath work and cleanse the breathing canals is by putting your head over a hot water pot and allowing the steam to enter through your nose and out through your mouth.
Some people also use vaping or smoking as a way to allow breath work to de-stress, which is more controversial but it falls within the act of decompressing. If going this route, aim for a less invasive method with perhaps a water pipe, you can browse water pipes on the internet or do some research around them beforehand.
Yoga and Stretching
Moving your body and allowing it to stretch is one of the most fundamental ways that you can decompress. The body holds a lot of stress and tension in the muscles and joints. Many people voice feeling pain in their shoulders and neck which can lead to severe migraines. The best thing to do is to stretch the body to avoid these negative symptoms.
If you work in an office and spend a lot of time seated, it is a good idea to do some lower back stretches or even some wrist stretches to give yourself both a moment of peace but also a moment to do something that improves your well-being. If you spend a lot of time standing, consider doing a common yoga stretch called ‘Salutation to the Sun’. This allows the blood to flow back to the rest of your body. Alternatively, lie down somewhere with your feet propped up against a wall to relieve pressure in the legs and encourage blood flow.
You don’t need any equipment for this, all you need is a bit of free time. Some great YouTube videos offer free yoga or stretching tutorials that you can easily follow, some only 5 or 10 minutes long for those in a rush.
A Self-Care Routine
Take care of your skin and give yourself a few minutes to spoil yourself.
After a long day at work, take some time to pamper yourself. There are ample skin care products out there created to bring a sense of calm to the end of the day. Many of these include essential oils targeted at bringing serenity. Scented candles and specific aromatic bath salts are a stellar way to calm the body.
Take this time to not think about anything else but yourself. Don’t plan your day, don’t rush the routine to suit anyone else – simply own these moments and allow it to be a habit that you build to decompress at the end of a long day.
Meditation
A wonderful way to decompress and a practice that you can apply at any moment in your day.
Whether you are in the morning commute, after a long board meeting or simply during a stressful day. Close your eyes and still your mind. There are guided meditations that you can listen to that help calm brain activity and bring you to the present moment. These are especially beneficial if you are in a loud environment and need something to drown out the noises around you. This will give you some time to re-align within yourself and bring peace into the day.
Mindlessly Walking
Movement is a superpower. Take a moment to go for a walk, it does not need to be long.
One of the best and easiest ways to decompress is through movement. If you do not have time to go for a run or cycle, then simply incorporate a short walk into your day. This can be only a few minutes during your lunch break. It can be slow or fast depending on your mood. Try not to stimulate yourself too much during this walk. If you must listen to music, try to find a lovely classical tune by Beethoven or Mozart to still your soul for those moments. Days can already feel so chaotic, no need to add to it with busy music. This moment is meant to be quiet and personal so that your stress levels may calm down.
