Fun Friday – National Relaxation Day – 3 Ways to Chill Out

 

Attend a comedy show - Bored Teachers Comedy Tour at Mark Ridley's Comedy Castle

National Relaxation Day is near, it’s celebrated each year on August 15^th. Do you know how to relax? It’s not hard, but it may take practice, especially if you’re used to filling your schedule with things to do. You are now granted permission to chill out:

Here are 3 ways to relax and chill out:

1.      Get in a daily dose of laughter – There is scientific research that shows laughter is a good stress relief. Laughter helps your muscles relax, and increases circulation, among other benefits.

Chill out tip: Hold a car concert (or kitchen, living room, bathroom) – to be clear, a car concert is when you crank up the volume on your radio and dance like no one is watching…but rest assured someone may see you. The key here is to bob your head, move your shoulders, while listening to upbeat music. Jerky movements, singing off-key, anything that makes you laugh while doing this is acceptable. Have fun because you can.

2.      Create a Chill Out Day once a week – schedule a date with yourself. Block off time in your schedule to unwind and something that brings your joy or do nothing at all.  It doesn’t even have to be a full day of chilin’ out, it can be small blocks of time that you designate for your self-care.

 Chill out tip: Practice meditation and yoga. Put aside the busyness of your day and allow yourself to sit still, in a quiet place, and breathe.

3.      Eat foods that reduce stress – according to the Total Wellness blog, fueling your body with foods “filled with vitamins and nutrients can elevate mood and energy.” Some stress-busting foods include:

·         Bananas

·         Spinach

·         Green Tea

·         Dark Chocolate

·         Oatmeal

·         Turkey breast

Chill out tip: create a fun snack bar for you and your family and watch a funny movie.

All tips were adapted from the Total Wellness Health blog.

Although National Relaxation Day is once a year, this is just the start of building a healthy relationship with relaxing. If you’re already an expert at relaxing or using relaxation techniques, share your knowledge with someone else.

What suggestions do you have for ways to chill out?

Feel Good Friday – National Relaxation Day

 

Weekend grocery shopping, paying bills, driving kids to practices…if these were statements on Jeopardy, what questions would you come up with? Here’s the category question I’d come up with, what are things that can cause stress? Now that you have stress at the forefront of your mind, let’s discuss the opposite of that – relaxation.

National Relaxation Day is celebrated on August 15^th. This is an opportunity to focus on your health and well-being. Below are 3 ways to celebrate this national holiday.

1.      Create an at home retreat – one thing I like to do is go in a quiet room, hang my shingle on the door that says, “Gone Writing,” and listen to quiet music as I create. Your retreat could include sitting and looking out at nature. You may see something amazing happening, or at least interesting.

As I looked out my kitchen window one sunny morning, I saw a bunny sitting in the middle of my backyard. I watched a couple minutes as it chewed on a blade of grass, then stretched its hind legs, and back to chewing.

A chuckle escaped my throat as I thought, is that bunny doing yoga in my yard? She was relaxed and so was I.

2.      Spend time with family and friends who make you laugh – My crew keeps me laughing. Check out the faces in the photo below, each one of them has a story (as we all do). They frequently do or say things that cause them to end up in a blog post or comedy set. When I mentioned this to my son he said, “so I guess you’re not really funny, since you get all your material from us.”

3.      Get a massage – no explanation needed. This is something you deserve.

Whether it’s the beginning, middle, or end of your week, press pause on your busy life, and make time to relax.

You could probably think of a dozen other ways to add relaxation to your agenda. What would you add to the list above?

Feel Good Friday - Relaxation Day – 5 Ways to Celebrate

 

Hurry, hurry, you don’t want to miss this. Have you felt tense, anxious, felt like you’re floating on a cloud of uncertainty? Maybe you have struggled with attempting to establish a new normal. Well, it’s time to relax. August 15^th is celebrated as National Relaxation Day.

National Relaxation Day was established to encourage us to focus on taking care of ourselves. Slow down. Relax. Below are 5 ways you can celebrate this national holiday.

1.      Meditate – there are a variety of guided meditation videos on the web. You can try morning meditation or meditate before going to bed. Try it.

2.      Enjoy Nature – take a casual walk, absorb your surroundings. Press pause, stop to look at the trees, colorful flowers. Look up at the sky.

3.      Create a relaxation station at home – find a space in your home to unwind. Grab a healthy snack, put your feet up, watch a funny movie or read a book.

4.      Practice Yoga – have you ever tried yoga? It feels good to stretch into Mountain Pose or Downward Dog.

5.      Listen to Music – put on your favorite style music for relaxation and tune out everything else.

Are you ready to relax yet? Go for it, it won’t hurt.

What would you add to the list of ways to relax?

Wellness Wednesday – National Relaxation Day - 3 ways to celebrate

Deep breath in through your nose….blow it out through your mouth. Repeat. You are now ready to begin relaxing. It’s National Relaxation Day, celebrated August 15^th. What is your favorite way to relax? Schedule an appointment with yourself to do it NOW.

If you need a few suggestions on ways to celebrate Relaxation Day, here they are:

·         Schedule a spa appointment – massage, facial, pedicure, whatever tickles your fancy.

·         Sit on a beach with a book before the dog days of summer are gone.

·         Listen to calming music – try classical music.

YouTube Video Credit: Just Instrumental Music

Take time to rejuvenate by celebrating National Relaxation Day. What do you do for relaxation?