5 Very Healthy Ways to Relax

You will agree with me that today’s modern lifestyle is stressful. Having to deal with work, family, and other obligations can make it difficult for you to make time for yourself, let alone relax. However, it’s very crucial to find the time to relax. But how do you relax? This article discusses some healthy ways to relax.

Relaxing will keep both your body and mind healthy. It helps you recover the daily, weekly, or monthly stress you go through. Therefore, no matter how busy you are, it’s imperative that you create time to chill out and relax. To further convince you, we will look at a few health benefits of relaxing, and then some healthy ways to relax.

Health Benefits of Relaxing

• It reduces the risk of heart diseases, headaches, stress-related illnesses, and mental health problems.
• It helps to think straight and make right decisions.
• It helps your brain to remain healthy.
• It improves your productivity and performance.

5 Very Healthy Ways to Relax

Finding ways to relax can be an issue for some people. Many Nigerians have different ways of relaxing, and some are unhealthy. For example, clubbing all night, smoking or drinking in bars are not healthy ways to relax. So, it is better to choose a healthy way to relax, because it will only impact positively on you.

1. Take a warm bath

After a long, tiring and hectic day at work, a warm bath would be a perfect way to relax your nerves. Hot water relaxes the body and helps the body to fall asleep. When you are tense and bathe with hot water, the hot water will increase the body temperature and relax the muscles. When the muscles are relaxed, it soothes you not only physically, but also mentally. [1]

2. Perform Breathing Exercises

Quite a few Nigerians know much about breathing exercises. However, breathing exercises are one of the most powerful ways to relax and stay healthy. It is also one of the simplest relaxation techniques and will calm your body and mind anywhere, any time.

Some health benefits of breathing exercises are that it helps you relax, lowers the bad effects of the stress hormone cortisol in your body, lowers your heart rate and blood pressure.

It is also a great way to cope with the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). [2]

How to perform a simple breathing exercise:

There are so many different kinds of breathing exercises you can learn about, however, here’s an easy one to do:

1. Sit up straight.
2. Breathe out until you can’t exhale any more.
3. Hold your breath for about 5 seconds.
4. Breathe in slowly take in as much air as possible until you can’t inhale anymore.
5. Hold your breath for about 10 seconds.
6. Breathe out slowly, but this time, through your mouth.

3. Get a Massage

If you are looking for a great way to relieve tension and relax, then you should get a massage. Massage increases and enhances circulation, which eases the pain. Some people are dealing with postural stress due to sitting for prolonged periods and working too much. A massage would help you get rid of postural stress by reducing back pain and neck pain. [3]

4. Practice Meditation

When many Nigerians hear meditation, they think of Indian gurus or Chinese monks. However, meditation can be beneficial to you personally. Meditation will reduce stress and lead to an overall sense of calm.

Meditation is the process of making your mind to focus and calming your thoughts. A scientific study on meditation found out that mindful meditation reduces inflammation response caused by stress. It also fights anxiety, enhances concentration, and boosts your emotional health. [4] [5]

You should definitely learn more about it and make meditation a habitual effort.

5. Listen to soothing music

Listening to soothing music relaxes your body and relaxes your mind, which, in turn, decreases stress. Soothing music will help you achieve inner peace and calmness.
Additionally, listening to soothing music before sleep can help you forget the day’s worries, quiet your thoughts, and fall asleep faster. [6]

Thus, you should try to listen to a relaxing, soothing, and enjoyable music to relax.

Other healthy ways to relax:

Connect with nature: Staying around nature has been proven to reduce stress and calm the body. Spending time with nature and greenery can be good for you.

Look outside your window or veranda for some minutes.

Take a short walk

Sip a warm drink

Talk to a loved one.

Now you have learned that relaxation is very important to your health and overall well-being. You have also learned about some healthy ways to relax. However, do you know any other healthy way to relax, please let us know below.