Everyone experiences stress. Kids may feel stressed by their subjects in school or from their friends. Adults get stressed from work or from juggling their responsibilities at home. Sometimes, stress may come from negative events happening in their community or their countries, like a pandemic or a natural disaster. This makes avoiding stress impossible, and people have to find ways to relax.
Finding ways to de-stress is crucial to a person’s health. According to the Mayo Clinic, relaxation activities help people cope well from everyday stress and avoid serious health problems, like heart disease. So, take this time to try this list of activities for stress management, to help improve both your physical and mental health today.
1. Connect with your loved ones, even if you’re living together.
How often do you check on your family members? While you may have problems to deal with yourself, you never know if your parents or kids may be having issues, too.
De-stress in 15 minutes or less by setting aside time to talk to them every day. It is one of the hassle-free ways for parents to get rid of stress and may even be beneficial to have closer relationships with your family. Just remember to communicate with them in a way that they prefer, like using handwritten notes or online messaging apps.
2. Find a way to laugh out loud.
There is a medical reason why laughter is indeed the best medicine. Based on WebMD, laughter can help lower our stress hormone and boost our brain chemicals that put us in a good mood. Try one of the ways to have summer fun in your condo, which you can also try in any season, all-year-round.
Pick fun activities to relax with such as watching a late-night movie or organizing a family game night. Go for a marathon of family comedies or compete in exciting and fun games, like a joke-telling contest.
3. Cook delicious yet nutritious meals.
We can’t deny that our bodies need nutritious food to stay healthy. Preparing healthy food doesn’t need to be boring and stressful. Add preparing food with your family, like your kids, to your growing list of relaxing activities.
You can start with no-bake treats that you can make on the weekends, or ask your family members to take part in cutting or washing some ingredients. This way, everyone in the family can get into the excitement of preparing a yummy dish that you can all dig in later.
4. Create a soothing playlist.
Who doesn’t like music? Anyone has their own music preference that they can surely listen to all day. Build your own playlist based on your favorites to help you relax on a stressful day.
Listen to soothing nature sounds or sing your heart out to upbeat or rock songs. You can also choose to share your playlist with your family friends and listen together to beat the rainy day blues or boredom at home.
5. Give a natural vibe to your home.
Adding the feel of nature in your home may help soothe your stressed-out self. Get some succulents or flowers for a visually appealing and soothing home. You may also pick natural landscapes for your wall pictures or paintings in your condo if your building’s surroundings are mainly busy streets or commercial buildings.
Also, one of the easiest ways to make your condo more relaxing is to use essential oils. To feel like you are close to nature, try aromatherapy scents such as lavender and chamomile. These scents will also help you relax in your bedroom and get a good night’s sleep.
6. Pick simple yet stylish colors.
Do you know that loud patterns and colors can also be a source of stress? Maryland psychologist Katherine Grace Morris said that bright colors or contrasting patterns can be too much for your eyes which, in turn, prevents you from relaxing.
Instead, pick similar color schemes and minimal patterns as one of your activities for relaxation through changing your home’s design. After all, there are many color combinations that you can try for your condo, which can be pleasing to the eye while still showcasing your personality.
7. Get up and exercise!
In case you haven’t noticed, this list of activities for relaxation involves a lot of movement and not just simply sitting or lying in bed all day. It’s because as Mental Health America puts it, exercise is also a good way to improve your mood, weight, and your muscles and bones.
Don’t worry, exercise doesn’t have to be about fancy equipment. There are many things you can do inside your condo to stay fit. You can try Zumba, push-ups, jumping jacks, and other simple exercises in the comforts of your condo.
8. Reach out to your trusted friends.
Sometimes, we need help from people outside our family. Connect with your most trusted friends. Talk with them through the phone or do a video call.
You can unload your burdens to them, and you might even gain better solutions compared to the ones you have in mind. Or even if you have problems, it helps to check up on them every once in a while. Who knows? They may be the ones who need help to relax!
9. Keep a journal filled with positive experiences.
Ever had an experience that you wish you can replay all over again? These experiences may not always be grandiose ones, like a fun wedding or a huge salary increase. It can also be small, positive stuff like getting fresh bread in the morning or your partner hugging you.
Keeping a journal to write down or put pictures of these moments is one of the relaxing activities that you can do. You’ll have fun recording the moment, and you’ll also have something to cheer you up whenever you feel down or stressed.
10. Declutter your home.
A messy room may also result in a messy, stressful mind. Stephanie Roberts, the author of Fast Feng Shui: 9 Simple Principles for Transforming Your Life by Energizing Your Home, stated that unorganized clutter, like piles of old newspapers, can make you feel that there is chaos in your home.
So, learn to turn your home into a place to relax, not a source of stress. Find tips on how to declutter your condo unit. You can start by getting rid of old, unused, or expired items at your kitchen counter.
11. Read a good book.
On a hectic day, a good book may just be your friend. Find some time to read a book that you love or even do book discussions with your friends and family who may like the book, as well.
It can be one of those simple yet meaningful ways to relax, and you can turn it into a fun bonding activity with your kids or younger siblings too. While you’re at it, you might as well try ideas to create a mini-library in your condo. In this way, your family will have easy access to their favorite books anytime.
12. Take enough rest.
A good night’s sleep can be your stress buster. According to Michigan State University, individuals who get the recommended amount of sleep are less likely to be stressed, sad, or angry. So make sure to make getting enough sleep a part of your relaxing activities.
You may also try an afternoon nap as part of your sleep routine. However, don’t oversleep for hours to the point that you won’t be able to sleep at night.
13. Take a gadget break.
Have you ever seen stressful content online? It could be a shocking news article or a scary video that automatically played while you were browsing your feed. If you keep feeding yourself with this kind of content, you’ll definitely find it hard to relax.
Take a gadget break and do something else you can control, like household chores. Remember that these things are beyond your control, and you can’t react to everything that you see online.
14. Try mindfulness meditation or other types of meditation.
Mindfulness meditation is one of the most popular types of meditation. With this type of meditation, you simply listen to your thoughts. You could be thinking of food or your favorite book, but whatever it is, you have to simply observe what you think about these things and how they made you feel. According to Healthline, you won’t be involved in these thoughts or react to them. If this type of meditation doesn’t work, you can also try other types of meditation to keep you calm and collected.
We are in an unusual and unexpected situation. It’s alright to feel stressed and worried. No one is sure yet of what’s to come in the next couple of months or how this event will affect us throughout the years the come. But don’t let those feelings bring you down! Keep the quick activities in mind and let’s all hope this too shall pass.