You may think that if your life wasn’t so busy and stressful, you would finally be able to relax and find peace of mind. In reality, the opposite is often true: It is only once you are able to relax and stay calm that your troubles become more manageable and you are able to get more enjoyment out of life. Relaxation, then, isn’t a state of mind that you discover but a skill that you practice. Here are some tips to help you learn to relax and find inner peace.
Take a Vacation
Sometimes you have to literally escape from the problems and stresses of your life and go on vacation. You can take a Hawaii cruise or go camping in your own backyard. Where you go isn’t as important as what you do. During your vacation, you need to get away from your day-to-day routine and do something different. You should make sure that someone else takes on your usual activities so that you can disconnect from situations that make you stressed. This helps you to reconnect with yourself. The relaxing effects of a vacation can linger for at least a month after you come back to work.
Connect to Nature
This may be something that you do during your vacation, but it can also become a part of your daily routine. Research suggests that the need to get close to nature is hard-wired into human DNA, and studies have shown that spending time in environments such as the woods or the seashore help to ease stress, soothe anger or worry, and promote relaxation. You can get close to nature at home by planting a garden or taking a walk to a nearby park a couple of times a week. Find a way that fits into your schedule.
Start a Journal
One way to relieve yourself of stress and anxiety is to write about the causes. This does not make your troubles go away, but it can help you relieve the negative feelings they cause. As a result, you may be able to look at your difficulties more objectively and perhaps figure out a way to solve them. Even if journaling does not solve your problems, the emotional release is well worth the effort.
Read for 20 Minutes a Day
Reading is a way to escape from your problems without actually going anywhere by losing yourself in the minds and lives of others. It is both educational and entertaining; even works of fiction have things to teach you and new insights to offer. You may think you do not have time to read a whole book, but if you set aside a little bit of time for reading every day, you’ll probably find that you make it to the end earlier than you thought. If 20 minutes a day still seems like a lot, remember that you don’t have to read for 20 consecutive minutes. You can break it up into 10-minute or 5-minute intervals if that would be easier for you to manage.
Listen to Music
Students are sometimes advised to listen to classical or instrumental music while studying because it helps to promote concentration. It can also improve memory because the brain connects what it is reading to what it is listening to, and forging more mental connections helps to improve recall. Listening to music also has emotional benefits, helping you to feel happy and calm. You can listen to any music you want, but you should consider giving classical music a try because of the benefits it can offer in terms of relaxation and mental stimulation. Furthermore, if you are listening to music while reading, you may want to choose instrumental music so that the lyrics don’t distract from your comprehension of the text.
Learning to relax doesn’t necessarily solve all your problems. Instead, it puts you in a better position to cope and to figure out solutions on your own.