DAY 23 : HOW TO RELAX IN 10 MINUTES OR LESS
Hey Re-inventors!
This is Day 23 of the 30 DAYS OF DOING THINGS THAT I WAS ‘GONNA’ DO series
We are the busiest generation that the earth has ever seen. We are as busy as we can be and sometimes (even the best of us) we think that because we are busy, we are being productive. But actually what we have done is converted ourselves into a machine. And….I really think that we can be as productive as machines but only for some amount of time.
We all need transitions in life and a change of routine. You may be extremely productive 6 days a week but you need at least some time on that one day when you relax and prepare yourself for the next week right?
But the truth is, that we hardly do this. We do not work efficiently when we have to and then we can not rest the way we want to because work needs to completed sooner or later.
During your work time or in the process of building your business, you take on more and you take on more and sometimes it becomes a lot of work.
And then this leads to stress which leads to burnouts (which are terrible).
The best way to avoid this is to tackle them as soon as they occur. Stress is not something that is to be ignored thinking that “It’ll be fine automatically”. It requires immediate action to be curbed as soon as it starts so that it does not build up.
The more time you give stress to build up, the harder it will be for you to remove it.
So here are some strategies which you can use even in the most hectic situations to relax your mind, reset your focus and jump back into the field:
1. Get some green tea:
According to estimates from WHO, over 450 million people throughout the world suffer from stress, and 17 percent of Europeans believe that stress could be the biggest health risk. The costs associated with stress are estimated at €20bn in Europe, and an amazing $200bn in the United States
Invest in one cup of green tea when you are stressed or feel overwhelmed and you’ll see magic happening. There are innumerable benefits of green tea. It improves your overall health, it can reduce anger, it can speed up the fat burning process and improve physical fitness, it can lower the risk of cancer, alzheimer's and parkinson’s(due to presence of anti oxidants) and it can finally help you live longer.
It is literally the “Healthiest beverage on the planet” and can also help people who are looking to reduce their caffeine intake (but why would someone leave coffee anyway?)
If all this was not enough to convince you, go on and read the results of this research
You can also watch this video to see how green tea helps to improve memory:
2. Take a walk outside:
Yes, even if you are feeling a bit tired, go and take a walk outside and listen to music. This can really help to relax your brain and will prove to be a good way of detaching yourself from the task.
One more thing that I have often done is that when I go for a walk, I leave my phone and headphone/earphone at my desk. I instead take a small notebook with me and scribble whatever is going in my mind. Don’t put pressure on yourself to write something on the notebook. Take it easy. If you are not thinking about anything then don’t write, that’s great too. Don’t force anything and just go with the flow.
If you keep doing this, apart from relaxation, you will also be able to come up with new and innovative ideas for your work
3. Shower if you can:
Take a COLD shower if time permits. The cold showers have a very good history and they have been used by our ancestors for ages. The ancient greeks, russians and the ancient romans have bathed in cold water even when hot water was readily available.
A cold shower will wake up your senses like anything and you’ll return laser focussed to the task that you were about to do
Without saying much, I’ll make you watch a video after which you’ll definitely want to jump into a cold shower
4. Create a zen zone:
So I am neither an expert in meditation nor a buddhist monk. But what I have seen through a bit of experience is that if people have a go-to place to sit or do something when they are stressed, they have a much easier time fighting stress, fatigue and burnout.
In other words, you can put a system in place. “Whenever I am stressed I will do X or I will go to X”.
A zen zone may be external or internal. You may sit right at your desk and create a zen zone inside yourself through meditation
You may also go to a park or the terrace or anywhere you feel best, to forget about everything and detach. Running, swimming, cycling or lifting weights may also be your zen zone. Whatever it is, go find it and then put it into practice.
5. Laugh :
I don’t care how you do it. Just laugh. You can watch a funny video, you can remember old times with friends to bring a smile on your face, you can read jokes or you can go and chat with that friend that has a good sense of humor
You can laugh for no reason like this:
ON THAT NOTE, I HAVE A CHALLENGE FOR YOU GUYS:
6. Take a power Nap:
This is my personal favorite. I have used this for years now. Whenever I am angry, stressed, tired, irritated or frustrated I go to sleep for 10 minutes then I wake up and attack the world (not in the literal sense though).
You may have some problem in waking up after 10 minutes but don’t worry it is like a skill that you can develop over a period of time. You just need to practice.
But remember one thing, if the time for your nap exceeds 30 minutes then you may feel grumpy after getting up and may want to go to sleep again which is detrimental to your productivity.
The technique that I like to incorporate in my schedule is a caffeine nap. For a coffee lover like me it couldn’t have been better
The concept is simple. It takes around 20 minutes for our body respond to the effects of caffeine. So by the time the caffeine kicks in, you can take a 20 minute nap and then when you wake up your delicious coffee will do wonders!
I prefer to do this in the afternoon if I am feeling very sleepy after having lunch and you can try it too on days you can’t stay awake.
These were the 6 most effective tips to relax yourself in my opinion.
I will continue to provide content everyday that can help you improve in your life in various ways so that you can find everything here!
If you liked it show some love by clicking that green little ❤ so that others can take these tips to improve their lives too.
Tell me the strategies that you put into practice to relax yourself. It would be great to hear and learn from you!
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