We
all know it can be exhausting to be working a lot over a long period of
time.
Sometimes when I’ve been
working hard, I can find it hard to relax even though I’m really tired.
I believe that spending
quality time outside work is important to improve your
performance. Whether it is physical labour or hard thought-work, we all need to relax at the end
of the day. Here are 10 tips on how to relax after a lovely day
of work:
1. Tidy or clean. It may sound strange to start a tip on how to relax with
advice to do even more work. I know tidying and
cleaning can be exhausting in itself, but for the purpose of relaxing better, I really
recommend to spend about 15 minutes to clean the room where you’ll be spending
quality time. Just put everything into drawers and closets (you can clean them later) and clean the
empty surfaces. Use a detergent that smells clean, and you’ll fool
yourself into thinking that there’s no house work to do tonight. It’ll be
so much better to relax when you are not constantly reminded of what you
need to do or should have done.
2. Turn down the light. Not only will this make sure you don’t notice the cleaning
you should have done, it
will also make you more relaxed. When the light is low, there are less
sources of distraction. All colors seem more gentle and it makes it
possible for you to relax your eyes as well. Light
candles instead of electrical light! Spend a little time on making yourself comfortable.
It’s all in the small things!
3. Use scents. For
relaxing, I really recommend
using scents. Personally, I love lavender. I have a small
bag of dried lavender next to my bed that I sometimes put under my pillow.
So soothing! I can also recommend using scented candles or an oil burner.
Other relaxing scents include
chamomile, ylang ylang, clary sage, bergamot, frankincense, and sandalwood. Scents work
differently from person to person, and you should experiment to figure out
what works for you!
4. Eat good
food. When it comes to relaxing, it is important for me to enjoy a
good meal. Try to make the process
of cooking a goal in itself. Use the best ingredients available and
make the food as tasty as you possibly can! You’re gonna thank yourself later when you sit down and eat the
treats that you made. Just make sure you don’t stress with cooking just
because you have to. you’re exhausted, you should consider ordering
food just for this night. But don’t make it a habit! It’s not good
for you in the long run. I suggest browsing the recipes on Smitten
Kitchen. Yum!
5. Have a glass of wine. If you can drink it legally. I find red
wine in small amounts very relaxing with food or a
good book. If you can’t or won’t drink alcohol, I recommend chamomile tea.
It’s very relaxing, making your body feel heavy and relaxed. Tea is great
to combine with a long bath!
6 Invite a friend. Nothing can take your mind off work as a good
friend can! Make sure you don’t talk about
work all night but do something fun together! After work, your friend is
probably tired too, so don’t plan on doing everything at once and save
theadventures for ater. Catch up over a cup of tea, play a game or watch an episode
of your favorite tv series. The important part is; it’s good for you
to be social after a long day of unsocial work and your friendship will
really benefit from you taking time to be together.
7. Do something that
takes your mind off things. Books. A movie. Making art. All are great to keep your mind
off everything and let your body relax. For books, I really recommend
Shantaram, Norwegian Wood and Never Let Me Go. For films, I really like
Lost in Translation, Vicky Christina Barcelona and Once. I can also
recommend to create something visual. Be creative! This is
really important if your work doesn’t give you the opportunity to be
creative during the day. Creativity helps us develop ourselves!
8. Wear comfortable
clothes. I really do believe
that the clothes we wear can help us accomplish something. If
I want to feel good, I put on pretty clothes. That’s right, I relax
better in a skirt than in a comfy pajamas. For me, relaxing is all about
doing the small things that makes me happy. Give yourself time to be
you. Wear the clothes that help you accomplish this and you’ll be on the
right track!
9. Write down
work-related thoughts. I find it very helpful to write down my thoughts that are not related to
what I’m trying to do. Likewise, I find it very relaxing to write
down all my work-related thoughts. It helps me let go of the work, as I
know that I won’t forget something important. It’s a very effective
way of decreasing stress for me.
10. Sleep. Get to bed early.
After you get home, spend some
time with friends or some quality time alone, have a nice meal, do something you like. You’ll
probably be very relaxed and comfortable. Now it’s time to sleep! It is
important to get a good night’s sleep if you are planning on being
productive the next day and to have
the energy to do something nice after work. If you are working hard
for a long period of time, enough sleep is essential to keep you going. Close
your eyes. Take a deep breath. Feel your body relax and let go
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