5 Relaxation Tips To Relieve Stress And Anxiety

Relax. You really should. Relieving stress and anxiety takes less time than you think.
You don’t even need a weekend treat or spa. Each of these relaxation tips will get you from OMG to OM in 10 minutes.

1. Meditate

Photo: Oluremi Adebayo

A few minutes of self-care practices every day can help ease anxiety. Daily meditation changes the brain’s neural pathways. This makes you more resilient to stress. You can do this simple practice;

Sit up straight with your feet touching the floor. Close your eyes. Focus your attention on reciting — loudly or silently — a positive affirmation. It could be something like “I feel at peace” or “I love myself.” Let any distracting thoughts float by like clouds.

2. Breathe Deeply

Photo: Kelvin Valerio

Take a 5-minute break and just focus on your breathing. Inhale slowly through your nose. Feel the breath rise in your abdomen and work its way to the top of your head.

Reverse the process and exhale through your mouth. Deep breathing reduces the effects of stress by lowering blood pressure and slowing the heart rate.

3. Be Present

Photo: Anna Shvets

Slow down. Take some minutes and focus only on one thing with full awareness. Notice how the air blows and feels on your face. Observe this when you’re walking and how your feet feel touching the ground.

Be attentive to the texture and taste of food when you take a bite. Spend time in the moment, you will feel less tense.

4. Be Social

Photo: Christina Morillo

Your social network is one of your best channels to handle stress. Talk to people more face to face, or at least on the phone.

Share what’s going on with you. You can get a fresh perspective while keeping your relationship and connection strong.

5. Be Attuned to Your Body

Photo: Retha Ferguson

Lastly, each day, scan your body mentally to have a sense of how stress affects it. You can lie on your back, or sit with your feet touching the floor.

Begin at your toes and work your way up to your scalp, noticing how everything feels. We hope you find these relaxation tips helpful.