Waking up early is itself a soul-destroying idea. Everyone knows how exhausting it is to spend the whole day at work. And we all need some rest after a long and hectic day, but it consumes so much time and energy that eventually we are too tired to do anything other than rest.

But there are many ways that can help you relax. Here are the 10 best options for relaxing after work.

There is nothing more relaxing than a nice warm bath after a tiring day. Take a hot shower or soak in warm water to relax your muscles and increase blood circulation throughout your body, calming your soul and mind.

Add some essential oils to your water to experience the magic of aromatherapy. Light some scented candles, add some bubble bath, play some soothing music if you wish, and let your body go into complete relaxation mode.

Not everyone wants to crawl to bed after a long, tiring day. Because many people don't like the idea of ​​sitting at home doing nothing. They are an active group of people, always looking for something exciting and exciting. For such energetic enthusiasts, the best way to relax is a light workout.

Visit the gym, do some stretching, or go for a run in the park. Even playing your favorite games will relieve fatigue and calm you down; be it badminton, table tennis or football. Swimming is another amazing way to relieve stress. So if you love swimming, you should probably hit the pool for some relaxation!

When you're swamped with work all day, you have little or no time to eat. As they say, a hungry man is an angry man. So, a great way to calm an anxious body is to eat healthy, delicious food! Indulge in nourishing and energizing foods such as chocolate and ice cream.

Prepare a delicious lunch that will satisfy your hunger; if you are too tired, just order food. A cup of herbal tea can also have a magical effect, making you feel more relaxed. If you return home very late, then have a hearty dinner; you will sleep better on a full stomach.

Spending time with your loved ones has a significant impact. It automatically makes you feel better. Spend more time with family and friends, tell them about your day; Sharing with them will make it easier. If you live alone, video chat with friends or family who live far away.

Sitting at home doing nothing can cause laziness and apathy. Leave the house. After all, there are so many places to explore. Go on a picnic with friends, go to the movies, or enjoy a delicious meal at a fancy restaurant.

Get yourself out into nature. Go for a long, quiet walk in the park. Spending time in nature helps restore mental energy. Once you are in the fresh air, you will feel calmer and more collected.

Books are truly our best friends. They will always be there. If you are not very social and you like to read, then immersing yourself in a good book is the best option for you. After a tiring day at work, take a shower, change into comfortable clothes and read a good book or magazine.

Sit comfortably under the blanket, drink a hot cup of coffee and enjoy a nice read. This is also the best way to get ready for bed.

Music is the greatest cure for almost everything. Listening to music has countless health benefits, making it a great stress reliever. Not only can it boost your mood, but it can also improve sleep quality, reduce stress, induce a meditative state, relieve anxiety, and ease any signs of depression.

So make a playlist of your favorite songs, plug in your headphones and listen to the tracks. You can listen to any music you like as long as it promotes positive and calm emotions.

Sometimes you are too tired to do anything after work. In such cases, a short nap is definitely a smart way to rest as it significantly reduces stress levels. Thanks to it, you can wake up feeling refreshed in a very short period of time. If you want to sleep longer without waking up immediately, going to bed early is a smarter option. Make sure you feel comfortable before bed. If possible, do not use the phone, turn off the lights, turn on calm music if you wish. You can also use scented candles for better sleep.

Take some time out of your busy schedule to practice your favorite hobbies. You need to unwind after work and doing something you love will make you happy and help you relax better. If you love to sing, sing with all your heart; bake muffins or pastries; learn pottery or painting; watch your favorite TV shows; take up embroidery; or go on a long trip with friends.

During leisurely activities, there is a significant reduction in stress levels, and you will be in great shape mentally and physically. In fact, such relaxing activities are just as important for your health as exercise. They improve overall health.

You've had a hard day at work. Body aches; you feel lifeless and want to relax. How about pampering yourself with a trip to the spa after such a hectic day? Massage therapy relieves body pain and aches, reduces anxiety and mental exhaustion. Good spa treatments increase immunity, improve beauty and help detoxify the body.

So think no more, just book an appointment at the spa right after work and immerse yourself in a state of complete bliss. Or buy a set of oils and a massage chair. Thus, you can create a spa at home.

We need anxiety and stress to protect ourselves from danger. The brain evaluates the surrounding situation. If something threatens our safety, it puts the body into combat mode to fight and run away. But most of the stressful situations we face every day don't kill us. Maybe we're arguing with colleagues, studying for an exam, or going on a first date. In such conditions, the body's reactions only get in the way, we get nervous and cannot concentrate on work, remember information or engage in creativity.

You need to turn off the tension and relax. But how to do this if you are worried? The brain is overstimulated, and self-conviction that everything is fine and you need to pull yourself together does not work.

Do not confuse relaxation and rest. Nobody bothers you to sit and do nothing at the same time, but at the same time worry and worry. So just taking a break from work will not help you relax and calm your nervous system.

The best option is to act from the body, that is, relax the muscles and remove the effects of stress. The brain will decide that since the body is calm, there is no danger, then it can calm down.

To do this, try the deep relaxation technique offered by the charity No Panic, which helps people with anxiety and panic disorders.

Start relaxing

To feel the effect of your first classes, find a comfortable and quiet place where you will not be distracted for at least five minutes. It’s better to practice the technique at home, in cozy clothes, and then repeat it in other conditions.

Turn off the music, turn off the lights if possible and sit in a comfortable position. Breathe freely when doing the exercises, do not hold your breath or try to breathe deeply. Think that you only need to relax, nothing more.

Feel the difference between tension and relaxation

To relax, you need to feel the tension. Start with your hands. Clench your fists as hard as you can and count to 10. Then relax your fists so that your fingers rest freely on your knees or any other surface. Feel how your hands move differently when they are tense and relaxed, remember the moment of relaxation and leave your hands in a calm state.

Then you need to take turns tensing and relaxing the muscles throughout your body in the following order:

• Forearms. Bend your elbows and try to press your fists to your shoulders.
• Muscles of the back of the arms. Straighten your arms as far as you can.
• Shoulders. Raise your shoulders towards your ears.
• Neck. Tilt your head back.
• Forehead. Raise your eyebrows as if asking a question.
• Eyelids. Close your eyes tightly.
• Jaw. Clench your teeth.
• Tongue and throat. Press your tongue onto the roof of your mouth.
• Lips. Purse your lips tightly, as if you want to hold something small with them.
• Breast. Take a deep breath and hold your breath.
• Stomach. Tighten your abdominal muscles as if preparing for a punch.
• Hips and lower back. Arch your back and squeeze your buttocks.
• Legs. Straighten your legs and pull your toes back.

Tighten your muscles to the maximum for 10 seconds, and then relax them and listen to the difference in sensations.

Let your body get used to relaxation

Sit in silence with your muscles relaxed for a few more minutes to remember how your body feels at rest.

You may not relax completely the first time, but if you regularly practice and struggle with this technique, you will soon feel that five minutes is enough for you to calm down and manage your emotions again.

Subsequently, you will learn to relax even on the go: for example, relax your arms and back when going to work, and your legs when sitting at the computer.

Quite a lot of people, coming home from work, feel tired, overwhelmed, exhausted. This unpleasant state can last about an hour, and maybe until the next morning. In order to get rid of these unpleasant sensations, you need to learn to rest and relax after work.

Rules for resting after a very busy day at work

1. Summarize the day. After the end of the working day, you need to forget about work until the next morning, when a new working day begins. This exercise helps very effectively: shortly before finishing work, literally a few minutes, sum up the day, remembering all the most important things that happened that day. After this, slowly go home, leaving all thoughts about work.

2. When you get home, rest a little. When you arrive home, you shouldn’t immediately jump into household chores. First, change your clothes, lie for at least a few minutes on the sofa or bed with your legs up, think about something good, dream, remember something pleasant or funny. If you don't give your body the opportunity to switch from the work environment to the home environment, you may become depressed. And it’s quite difficult to get out of this state, even with the help of loved ones.

3. Take a cool shower or warm (but not hot) bath. Take your time, listen to your emotions and sensations, feel how the water washes away the negativity and fatigue from you, how your strength returns.

4. Buy a multicooker which will save you time preparing dinner. This device is so simple that even a child can handle it. Just put the necessary products into it and choose the necessary (correct) cooking mode, both a husband and a school-age child can do it. And the multicooker will cook everything itself.

5. Don't watch everything on TV. Arriving home, it is not recommended to immediately watch news and various TV series on TV, as they incline a person to worry about other people’s problems. However, watching a good movie with the whole family is a wonderful relaxation after work.

6. Massage. This is a great way to relax and get rid of fatigue and tension. Ask someone close to you to give you a short massage (only 5-10 minutes). You will immediately feel better. And on another day, give a massage to a loved one yourself, without waiting for a request for it.

7. Don't turn on your computer. There is a huge chance that while checking your email and browsing your social media accounts, you will forget about rest and everything else, including cooking dinner, activities with your child, etc.

8. Pleasant smells. Light an aroma lamp with soothing essential oil or a scented candle. Pleasant aromas help a person to leave fatigue, negative emotions and bad thoughts. In their place comes a great mood and joy.

9. Child or pets. Naturally, they require effort and energy, but they bring positivity, relieve you of thoughts about work, and charge you with a good mood.

10. Family dinner. By communicating with your loved one and children during dinner, you will gain additional energy and strength and be able to relax. In addition, you can distribute responsibilities around the house using the rule “He who cooked dinner does not wash the dishes.”

11. Before going to bed, be sure to ventilate the room and humidify the air., if necessary. After all, everyone knows that the quality of sleep is much higher in a room with cool air.

A new study confirms what you already know - yes, you really are working too much. Scientists from the Australian National University found that two-thirds of a group of 8,000 people selected to participate in the experiment worked more than 40 hours a week. At the same time, experts have found that if you work more than 39 hours a week, it causes serious harm to your health.

Luckily, there are things you can do to help you feel better after a hard day at work. Three surprisingly simple ways to relax are in this material.

As a rule, we hear that television is evil, and TV only clutters our brain with unnecessary information (the same thing, by the way, applies to computers). However, in the age of technology and smart gadgets, information noise is inevitable, so in one sense or another, each of us has already developed immunity to it. On the other hand, research shows that watching your favorite shows on TV has real health benefits.

The Medicaldaily.com portal refers to a 2016 study involving 240 women, the data of which suggested that the level of cortisol (the stress hormone) was lower in those patients who watched TV more often. So don't deny yourself the pleasure of spending 30-60 minutes in front of the screen. The main thing is not to get carried away.

Get ready for bed

Doctors remind us that a good night's rest (= quality and ) is directly related to improved memory, cognitive function, and weight loss. However, stress at work can significantly impair the quality of your sleep. Moreover, this may not be obvious: even if you fall asleep quickly and wake up without difficulty, it may remain intermittent throughout the night, you just don’t remember about it.

Sleep experts recommend practicing relaxing rituals every night that will prepare your body for sleep. Will it be a warm bath, 20 pages of a magic book or 20 minutes on the wavelength of your favorite radio station - it’s up to you. It is also useful to maintain conditions in the bedroom that stimulate sleep, including dim lighting (1.5-2 hours before bedtime) and a cool temperature (15-20 degrees).

Do some stretching

"People who sit in front of a computer all day, sometimes without leaving their desk for hours at a time, are at risk for serious health problems," Sharon Heim, MD, PhD, tells WebMD. In particular, studies have shown that it significantly increases the risk of obesity, cardiovascular and some chronic diseases. This is why doctors recommend getting up from your desk at least once an hour to get your muscles moving.

Several stretches for your back and neck muscles will provide additional benefits. If you do them every day after work, then you will not be afraid of pain and spasms, which means that relaxation will always be maximum.

Stress can build up, and at the end of a difficult day, you're likely to feel the full effects of overexertion. It is important to be able to relax after studying or working. To feel better, you just need to find ways to spend your energy productively, take up an interesting hobby and choose relaxing techniques that will help you get rid of stress.

Steps

Meditation and deep breathing

To calm down, breathe deeply. Breathing can calm and relax. You take a huge amount of inhalation and exhalation every day without even noticing it, but most of this breathing is superficial and affects only the chest. When breathing deeply and slowly, the air flows lower to the stomach.

• Inhale slowly through your nose, counting to four.
• Hold your breath and count to four.
• Exhale to a count of four, either through your nose or through pursed lips.
• Hold your breath for 4 seconds.
• Take two normal inhalations and exhalations.
• Repeat from the beginning. Pretty soon you will feel yourself calming down.

1. Fight stress with meditation. Meditation is a great way to relieve stress and fatigue, reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression, and even reduce physical pain and discomfort. It doesn't matter how you meditate. Even if you just sit in silence, you will quickly feel the positive effects of meditation.

   • Find a calm and quiet place away from distractions. Turn off your phone and TV.
   • Take a comfortable position. You can sit cross-legged on a cushion or floor, sit on a chair, or even lie down.
   • Begin to take deep, slow breaths so that the air reaches your diaphragm (below your chest). Try to breathe evenly.
   • Concentrate on your breathing. Think about the sensations of breathing: feel how the air passes through your nostrils, how your stomach rises and falls, and so on.
   • If you get distracted by something else or start thinking about something else, try to concentrate on your breathing again.
   • You can meditate for as long as you want. Set aside time for breathing and meditation in which no one will distract you.

2. Practice self-awareness if you want to feel calmer and more confident. Self-awareness is a type of meditation that can help you combat stress, get rid of unpleasant distractions and improve your mood. Self-awareness can be practiced at any time, but it is especially beneficial to do it at the end of a busy day.

   • Concentrate on your breathing. Take slow, deep breaths through your nose so that the air moves toward your diaphragm.
   • Pay attention to everything that is happening around you. Observe your immediate surroundings and your senses (sight, smell, hearing, touch).
   • Immerse yourself in your feelings. If you eat, pay attention to what the food looks, smells, feels and tastes like, and feels the texture of the food. Chew slowly and thoughtfully.

   Relaxing activities

   1. Read a book or magazine. Reading is a great way to calm down. Reading helps the body and mind relax and prepare for sleep.

      • Try to avoid books and magazines on topics that cause stress: wars, crimes, terrorism.
      • Choose books that will help you immerse yourself in a fictional world from the first pages.

   2. Listen to music. Music helps cope with stress, anxiety and depression. If you need to relax after a hard day, listen to calm music. This can be done at home or in the car on the way home from work or school.

      • Music should be soothing. It doesn't have to be classical, but if you like that kind of music, you can listen to it. It is important to choose music that will distract you from stress.
      • If you don't have a favorite calm music, listen to jazz. Jazz can sound energetic and soothing at the same time, and this wordless music can help you take your mind off the worries of the day.

   3. Stay outside. Outdoor sports are a great way to spend time outside, but you don't have to do anything active: just sitting on a bench is enough. Nature can help you unwind and calm down, especially if you live in a picturesque location.

      • Try just sitting outside. Watch the sunset or simply sip a cup of decaffeinated tea outdoors.
      • If you live in your home and have a porch or summer house, sit there. You can simply sit on the grass or in a lawn chair.

   4. Take a hot shower or bath. If you feel stressed, a shower or bath can help relax your muscles and relieve stress. The water should not be too hot, otherwise you may burn your skin.

      To prevent your anxiety from returning, don't think about work. This is not always possible, but at home it is better to forget about work. Some people need to answer calls and emails, perform certain tasks at home, and these people have no choice because failure to perform duties can result in a fine or dismissal. But if you can leave at a clearly designated time and not take your work with you, it’s best to do so.

      • Don't check work email or respond to emails unless you have to do so at home. The emails will still be there in the morning, and if you decide to deal with them at home after a hard day, you will only add to your stress.
      • Try not to think about work. This can be difficult, especially if work makes you stressed or if you have an important project due soon, but if you can distance yourself from work at home, you'll feel much better.

   Sport as a means of combating stress

   1. Choose non-competitive sports. You may want to choose a sport or exercise activity that won't increase your stress. You probably don't want to return home feeling dissatisfied with yourself or others.

      • If you want to run, run alone. If you enjoy running with others, stop competing with other people.
      • Cycling is a great sport that you can do alone. You can even replace your car with a bicycle and ride it to work or school.
      • If you're competitive, choose lower-intensity sports (such as Pilates or yoga) that you can do on your own or in a group that aren't competitive.
      • The most important thing is to choose what you really like.

   2. Gradually increase the load. Sports should be a part of life, but you shouldn’t overexert yourself without developing the necessary endurance and muscle strength.

      • Giving yourself too much stress too early can lead to injury.
      • Start small and gradually increase the load. For example, before you start running, start walking longer distances.

   3. Divide physical activity into parts. Thinking about how to make time for exercise can be scary. After work, you need to spend time driving home, cooking dinner, and doing housework. However, it is not necessary to allocate large periods of time for sports. You can create a training schedule so that the sport fits into your work and home responsibilities.

      • If you can't devote an hour or two to exercise or aren't physically ready yet, try breaking your workout into several smaller sessions.
      • For example, if half an hour of physical activity is too much, break the workout into three ten-minute sessions.
      • Try interval training: you will need to alternate short intense exercise (60-90 seconds) with long low-impact exercise (running, walking).

   4. Find out what the benefits of exercise are. If you're feeling stressed at the end of the day, the last thing you want to think about is exercise, but research has shown that exercise relieves stress by triggering the body's release of endorphins. This has a positive effect on your mood.

      • Sport has the same effect on the body as meditation. It distracts you from your problems and forces you to concentrate on a specific task.
      • While you should definitely exercise regularly, you also need to make some changes in your lifestyle that will help you deal with stress better.
      • Before you start exercising, discuss it with your doctor to make sure that such exercise is not contraindicated for you.

   Lifestyle changes

   1. Eat healthy and balanced. A healthy lifestyle, including proper nutrition, will help you combat stress and make you feel better. You will need to choose foods that are good for your health and control your portion sizes.

      Get enough sleep every day. The quantity and quality of sleep affect the body's ability to withstand stress. Make sure you get enough sleep every day and try to sleep as restfully as possible.

   2. Relax without resorting to alcohol or drugs. Many people believe that drugs and alcohol help cope with stress. The temporary euphoria that these substances cause does make you feel relaxed for a while, but they can create more problems.

      • Intoxication instead of processing stressful situations can cause an inability to deal with stress in the future. Over time, you will lose the skills to manage everyday stress.
      • If you use alcohol or drugs to cope with stress, you can quickly become addicted.
      • In addition to addiction, alcohol and drugs also pose health problems.
      • Don't look for a quick fix - rather learn how to deal with stress correctly and calm down using healthier methods.