Unwind This Year

Is the idea of self-care starting to seem like more work than it is worth?  There is another approach to renew your body, mind and spirit.   Simply unwind. That’s it. Just stop, relax, and keep relaxing.  However, that can be difficult when you are overwhelmed.  Here are a few easy ways to unwind and I promise they don’t involve a bathtub or a lot of stuff.

Mental Health Awareness

It isn’t a secret that mental health awareness needs to be normalized and addressed in our country. Stress, anxiety, and depression is becoming more common. According to studies, the nationwide stress level is 4.8 (on a scale 1 to 10). These numbers are historically high and 75 % of Americans are reporting that they experience acute stress symptoms (at least one) each month and 45% report they experience sleeplessness due to this stress ⁽¹⁾ In addition, about 40 million American adults have an anxiety disorder. ⁽²⁾ According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, 16.1 million American adults are affected by major depressive disorder and another 7.7 million have PTSD (posttraumatic stress disorder).

While treatment by a health professional is recommended, there are some things you can do yourself to improve your well-being. Especially if you only experience symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress occasionally. Keep your levels of stress down on a regular basis and reduce the risk of it becoming chronic stress.

Self-care is crucial to your wellness. Scheduling me time and pampering yourself is something you should partake in. However, sometimes you don’t feel well enough to practice self-care. This year in addition to your self-care routine, try to just unwind. It takes very little effort and can reap big benefits.

Here are a few ways to unwind:

Stop, don’t do it

Just stop. If you are feeling stressed or anxious while you are in the middle of a task or a strong emotion. Stop. Don’t do anything else. Be mindful of your breathing. Take a break from life for a moment. This can help you to renew, even if only a minute or two.

A great way to practice stopping and bringing yourself back to the present moment is breathing.  Take a deep breath through your nose, hold for a count of five and then slowly exhale through your mouth.  This breathing technique can help you to ground yourself at the moment.

Chocolate really is a girl’s (and boy’s) best friend

Dark chocolate has been shown to balance cortisol, the stress hormone and can calm your nerves.

Dark chocolate has the following benefits:

• Iron, magnesium, and copper-rich
• Fiber-rich
• Contains healthy fats
• Antioxidant-rich
• Heart-healthy

Eat mindfully

Take the time to really pay attention to your food, while preparing it and eating it. Take in the scent, texture, and taste of each bite. Try it with mango. You can take the time to peel it and smell the scent (dreaming of a tropical vacation?) and best of all, it is rich in linalool which studies show helps lower stress levels. ⁽³⁾

According to Harvard Medical School, there are eight steps to eating mindfully:

1. It begins with shopping – reach for more produce and less processed foods
2. Eat your meals when you are hungry but not famished
3. Your first portion should be small
4. Take a moment to be grateful for your food and its flavor
5. Don’t just taste. See, hear, and smell your food. Enjoy the textures.
6. Put less food on your fork in each bite
7. Chew well before you swallow – about 20 – 40 chews
8. Slow down your eating

Meditate

This takes nothing but you and five minutes. Research shows that meditation can relieve stress and reduce depression in as little as two short meditations a day. ⁽⁴⁾

Lay down

Just lay down. Let your mind wander. Just be.

Do Something That Makes You Forget Your Phone

This can be anything. According to WebMD, “excessive cellphone use can cause anxiety and depression.” Social media can also contribute to these feelings as we can compare ourselves to others because their lives look more exciting or fulfilling than ours. Often, they are just images and do not show the whole picture. One happy (and posed) photo taken in a minute, doesn’t define the other 1439 minutes in a day.

Breathe

Slow your breathing and take deep breaths – this can help lower your blood pressure and heart rate.

Count to 10

Count to 10 or count backward. Slowly and mindfully. This simple exercise takes seconds and can help  you calm down.

Daydream

Heard of a vision board? Visualization of your dreams or fantasies can make you feel happier and less tense. Having a bad day? Imagine a good one instead. Have fun with it, be creative.

Sip

Just sip some tea. Nothing fancy. Just enjoy the warmth and comfort of the mug before you.

Close your eyes

That’s it. Getaway from it all by simply eliminating some of the sensory overloads in your office or home. This can help you renew your focus and calm down.

Acupressure

Massage the area between your thumb and forefinger to release tension. Add some lavender essential oil to increase your calmness.

Squeeze a squishy

Squishies aren’t just for kids and they are perfect for relieving tension and stress. Sort of like a stress ball but softer and more satisfying.

Do Something repetitive

Wash dishes, brush your hair, or crochet. The repetitive motions can help you relax.

Take a Walk

Just go out, get some sun and in warm weather walk barefoot in the grass. Just being in nature and touching it can help you to boost your mood. Also, the sun can fill your body up with extra vitamin D, helpful during the winter months when seasonal depression can pop up.

Fall into another world

Remember when you were young and became immersed in a book? An adventure that you went along on? Read a book that you can take a vacation from your couch.

10 Minute cleanup

Really. Clutter makes it hard for you to relax? Put a timer on for 10 minutes and do a quick cleanup. You will be surprised how much better you feel after so little time.

Be like a cat

Take a day to stretch generously (relieving muscle tension), grazing (eating smaller meals can help you digest easier) and nap when you like (who doesn’t want more sleep?).

Journal it

Write down what you feel. What you did. What you are dreaming of. Write a letter to your stress.

Dance it out

Put on your favorite playlist and dance the stress and anxiety away.

Smell an orange

The scent of citrus can help you relax.

Laughter is the best medicine

Laughing can reduce stress, increase blood flow, boost mood and immunity. Binge watch a funny movie or series on Netflix to unwind.

Go old school

Sometimes you just need to call a friend and just talk.

Whatever you decide to do to unwind, it doesn’t need to be a lot of work or cost anything. Schedule time to unwind or just take a mental health day to address and be aware of the stress, anxiety and depression you might be experiencing. Throughout the year you will have ups and downs. Unwinding can help you to cope and adapt to the world around you.