While life has a guarantee always to throw us curveballs, most of the time, when we least expect it, we manage to roll with the punches and power through coming out on the other side stronger than we knew we could be. Life also has a tendency to ebb and flow with more minor inconveniences and stressors as well. Sometimes, it’s hard to relax our minds and bodies at the end of the day and forget it all. Maybe your curveballs are interfering with your ability to relax, or even worse, and you’re having trouble finding sound sleep with everything going on. Let’s take a look at some ways that will make unwinding at the end of the day easier and quicker, which improves not only our mood, our health but our overall quality of life.
Exercising
Moving our bodies is essential to our health in general. While commitments such as work and family schedules can make time seem scarce, it’s critical to make a small amount of time each day that you set aside to exercise. You don’t have to become a marathon runner or weightlifter either. The easiest way to start exercising on a regular basis is to incorporate a form of physical activity that you actually enjoy. So, try as many types of exercise as you like until you find one you enjoy. If you struggle with movement, starting somewhere more stationary like pilates or yoga could be a great fit.
Another thing that makes incorporating regular exercise into your routine is the fact you can do it from home. While gyms are great as they offer trainers (motivation) and seeing your peers working out (more motivation), you can easily break a sweat within your own home. With websites like youtube or apps on your smartphone, you can find a plethora of instructors (often for free) to help you get started on your healthy fitness journey. Again, the essential part is to find something you enjoy so you stick with it.
Healthy Habits
Hopefully, you’re already eating a relatively healthy diet, but there is always room for improvement, as with most things in life. Whether your diet is primarily plant-based or incorporating meat and dairy in moderate healthy amounts doesn’t matter – you just want to make sure you’re eating the rainbow every day. Fill your plate with various fresh fruits and vegetables and make them the bulk of your food intake daily. Limiting or eliminating processed sugar goes a long way in reducing inflammation in your body, which, we all know, is the root of many ailments.
Sometimes eating a healthy diet, try as we might, still doesn’t hit that mark of where we need to be nutritionally. So, make sure you’re getting your levels checked with regular and routine doctors appointments and addressing any underlying health issues you may have. Work with your doctor to determine if medication or natural supplements you can incorporate with your food to boost your immunity and overall well-being.
Relaxation Techniques
We’ve all heard of breathwork and meditation to help us relax or unwind at the end of the day. And, as some evidence is conflicting, in general, it’s considered safe to have a glass (one) of wine on nights that you really need assistance in the relaxation department. It is also worth looking into alternative, natural therapies to relax as well. Try searching for CBD tinctures for sale online. Short for cannabidiol, CBD is proven to help you relax and reduce anxiety, enabling you to achieve better sleep. If you’re nervous to try CBD because it is derived from cannabis, don’t worry, it’s not psychoactive, so while you will reap the physical benefits of marijuana, you won’t feel “high” from using it.
Other beneficial relaxation techniques you can employ are making intelligent decisions like turning off all screens (phone, television, tablet) an hour before you plan on turning in for the night; two hours is even better. Start drinking calming teas (think chamomile) as you prepare for bedtime. Utilizing aromatherapy scents proven to calm you (like lavender) is another excellent idea. Just set diffusers up in the rooms you use the most, especially the bedroom, and voila! Instant spa vibes. Additionally, you can never go wrong with a good book before your head hits the pillow.
These tips may seem obvious to some people, but the reality is, as a society, we collectively have a problem managing stress and anxiety in general. By incorporating all of these actions into your daily routine, you will see a reduction in your stress levels and an increase in how relaxed you feel. Here’s to your health!