Celebrated on August 15 every year since it was first recognized in 1985, National Relaxation Day “advocates chilling out and promotes stress relief through meditation and other relaxation techniques,” according to National Today. Relaxing can reduce stress and its negative effects on your health including its detrimental effect on your sleep.
Relaxing is good for your days and your nights
We don’t want relaxation to become another item to be checked off your to-do list, so we’ve collected a few activities that work for us, but you should do what works for you. Everybody relaxes in their own way.
Relax your body
Focused breathing is a simple, no-cost way to relax in preparation for the day to come, to deal with particular moments of stress throughout the day, and to calm your body (and mind) as part of your bedtime routine. In our blog “Breathwork for Better Sleep,” which is linked below, we describe the way focusing on your breathing through the 4-7-8 method can quiet your mind and calm your body. According to the Cleveland Clinic’s health essentials website, breathwork like this “can help you tap into your inner calm, benefitting everything from your stressed-out nervous system to how well you sleep at night.” You get better at breathwork with practice and National Relaxation Day is a perfect excuse to get started.
Calm your mind
Like breathwork, gentle yoga can relax your mind (and body) at the beginning and end of the day. In “Can Beginning Yoga Practice Improve Your Sleep?” we identify the benefits of yoga from helping you to clear your mind to keeping your brain sharp. Relaxation techniques like breathwork and yoga can improve your physical and mental health in ways ranging from lowering blood pressure to improving focus and mood, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Escape for a while
When was the last time you ran away by yourself to the movie theater, escaped from your life, and hid out for the length of a feature film? Yes, it’s become easy to access entertainment via streaming services, but they come without the physical escape, comforting darkness, and required eating of popcorn and candy you get at the movie theater.
Another option is to simply stop and take in the view. Watch the world go by for a while from a comfortable spot. If nature is what feeds your soul, go where you can enjoy it. However, you can simply sit on your patio and watch the birds at the feeder or enjoy the results of your toil in the garden. Ignore the errant weed and relax. If people watching is your thing, set yourself up where you can watch them pass by, live or through the window of your favorite coffee shop. It’s National Relaxation Day, so take a mental break from thoughts of yourself and your relationships.
Browse around
Although bookstores are fewer and farther between than they were a decade ago, those still standing offer a relaxing experience you just can’t get from ordering books online. Grab a cup of coffee and peruse the shelves for a while. If something grabs your eye, find a chair and read a few pages. If music is your thing, find the closest thing you can to a record store. If it’s walking the mall, go for it.
Treat yourself
What takes your mind off your everyday stress? Is it calling the friend you can talk to for hours but can’t really describe what you discussed to anyone else when asked? Maybe, it’s watching the streaming show you like to watch alone so you don’t have to explain it, or why you enjoy it, to anyone else? Perhaps, it’s sitting down to the birthday cake the bakery is selling by the slice after a customer failed to pick it up? No one else needs to know or understand what you do to unwind.
We’re firm believers in self-care. If you’re trying to figure out ways to treat yourself at home, check out our “5 Tips for a Perfect Day of Self-Care,” which is linked below. At the end of the day, a bedtime routine that includes relaxation techniques can improve the amount and quality of your sleep.
We wish you a day of relaxation done in your own way.
-The Team at down etc
Read more:
Consider Your 5 Senses to Make Bathing at Home a Spa-like Experience
Bedtime Rituals for Better Sleep
Can Beginning Yoga Practice Improve Your Sleep?
5 Tips for a Perfect Day of Self-Care
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