How to relax and unwind after work.
When you get home from work it can be easy to jump on the couch, park yourself in front of the TV and not move till bedtime but it's important to unwind your mind and body the right way. So put down the remote and try doing one (or more!) of these 10 things for optimum relaxation.
1. Cocooning
If your day was a disaster best forgotten, a quick way to recover is cocooning. Gently place both palms side by side on your face, little fingers resting on your closed eyelids, index fingers on your ears, thumbs cradling your jaw. Do this for a few minutes and feel yourself start to unwind.
2. Put your feet up
If you work on your feet all day and your ankles are swollen and legs are tired, put on your tracky dacks, lie on the floor with your legs up the wall. Blood flows towards the heart and helps prevent varicose veins.
3. The long soak home
Draw a hot bath and throw a handful of magnesium rich Epsom salts and a few drops of stress relieving lavender oil in. Light a candle and soak the day’s worries away.
4. Relaxing Cuppa
Brew yourself a cup of calming tea to mark the transition from work stress to home bliss. Choose from one or a mixture of the following: chamomile, lemon balm, lemon grass or verbena.
5. Massage
An after work massage is a great way to unknot tight muscles. Muscles hold stress, and massage is a great way of releasing this stress. If you're able to, why not make it a monthly ritual?
6. Yoga pose
Child pose is a restorative yoga posture that calms down mental chatter. Kneel on the floor, sit on your heels, knees slightly apart. Exhale; lay your tummy down over your thighs, resting your head on the floor, arms along side each leg, palms facing up.
7. Not the nibblies
A common dietary faux pas is to snack on cheese and biscuits before dinner. Switch to a vegetable juice to quell those pre dinner cravings. Have ready some carrots, kale, green apples and ginger to put in the juicer when you walk in the door.
8. Wine and dine
Enjoyed in moderation, a glass of wine, particularly in the company of close friends, is a time-honoured way of celebrating the end of the working week. Why not try a resveratrol rich pinot noir?
9. Chill out
Turn on a meditation CD or app, and wind down for 20 – 30 minutes before you start preparing dinner or hit the books. Find a style that suits you. It could be yoga nidra – relaxing from the feet up, gentle music, or the sound of waves or birdsong.
10. Journaling
The process of journaling is writing down on paper (or computer screen) events of the day that caused you emotional or psychological turmoil. You will feel remarkably better by simply recording your feelings.
or skip all that and just watch this.
