7 Ways to Instantly Relax

Posted: Thursday 17 November 2011 03:02pm

The inbox is overflowing. The phone won’t stop ringing. The kids need lunch. The house needs a vacuum… Stress is something we can’t avoid, unfortunately. But there are simple and easy (and mostly free) ways to calm yourself when the outlook is overwhelming. Here is our non-chemically enhanced list of ways to feel relaxed, in an instant.

Take A Sniff.  Studies have shown that smelling pleasant aromas can improve your mood. It might be a little difficult (and potentially unsafe) to light a candle at work, but why not place diffusers on your desk or around your work space. Your colleagues will be sure to thank you.
Have you ever smelt something and been instantly transported to a specific place or time, and found yourself smiling? Nostalgic scents have been found to provide a source of comfort especially during stressful times. It could be your first ever perfume or one that your mother used to wear, whenever you smell it, you feel calmed. Try spraying a nostalgic fragrance at times when you feel under pressure.

We love: Ralph Lauren Summer Romance EDP, $99, 50ml, 02 9931 8888. Chanel No. 5 EDP, $159, 100ml, 1300 CHANEL. Crabtree & Evelyn Rosewater Home Fragrance Reed Diffuser, $64.95, 03 8551 1000. Ecoya Six Reed Room Diffuser, $59.95, ecoya.com.au.

Go to Hawaii… In Your Mind. Spend some time thinking about a place you have been that was relaxing. Maybe it is lazing on the beach in Phuket, skiing in Europe or enjoying some wine in the Hunter Valley, pay particular attention to the specific details of your mind-holiday. The more you can envisage the smells, sounds and sights of the place, the better the relaxation effect will be. We hear the Caribbean is quite nice this time of year.

Take a Moment to Meditate. Before you write it off as a ‘hippy only’ pursuit, simply spending a few minutes each day sitting still doing nothing can relax your mind. Meditation has been shown to lower blood pressure and reduce aches and pains. If the idea of being still for that long causes you to stress, try this website: http://www.donothingfor2minutes.com/. They’ve done the hard work for  you!

Breathe Easy. You’ve heard this one before, you know you should do it and you know it’s not hard. So what’s stopping you? Take a moment right now to close your eyes, find your centre (sit so your feet are flat on the ground and you feel stable), engage your core (flex your abdominal muscles) and breathe in through your nose. Inhale slowly expanding your abdomen, continue breathing in and expand you middle and upper chest, hold this for a few seconds. Exhale from your mouth in the reverse order for as long as it feels comfortable. Easy! Now, repeat for two minutes.

Write It Down. The Journal of the American Medical Association conducted a study that saw improvements for arthritis and asthma sufferers in patients who kept a journal and wrote about emotionally traumatic experiences. Not afflicted with either of these? You can still take pause to jot down what happened in your day to help give your mind clarity and, for women, the psychological effect of transferring the thought from the mind to paper has been shown to relieve stress. Why not start a daily habit and write down three things you are grateful for each night before you go to bed.

Light Up Your Desk. Hands up if you have lovely large glass windows letting streams of glorious sunshine fill your desk? Unlikely. For most of us the most sunshine we get is the walk to the morning coffee and perhaps some rays at lunchtime. Sunshine – or the perception of it – is one of the things that helps regulate the body’s biorhythms.  If you don’t get enough sunlight your hormones can be thrown out of whack which in turn can suppress the immune system and increase the chances of mood swings.

Laugh Until Your Stomach Hurts. Watching your favourite funny movie or TV show (or YouTube clip, see below) stimulates your immunoglobulins – the immune system’s hard workers that fight infections. The Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine journal researched the effects of laughter and found that the immunoglobulins effects last 12 hours into recovery from the “initiation of the humour process”. Sounds like a good enough reason to us to rent Bridesmaids!

Your say: How do you de-stress? What ways do you like to relax? Share your ideas below.

by Jessica Swavley

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