Busy busy busy. An appointment here, a text there. While you're still thinking about things that didn't go well today, you're also worrying about an exciting appointment scheduled for tomorrow. In short: stress everywhere. Especially in this day and age when you are not left alone for a day due to constantly lighting up phones, de-stressing is never a bad thing. How do you do that? With these 6 fun ideas you can significantly reduce your stress level in just 5 minutes.
Tip 1 - Breathe in, breathe out!
I know: until recently I thought breathing exercises were a vague activity. Until I realized that there is nothing vague about something you do every day, namely breathing. Conscious breathing is the way for me to quickly relax. It works very simply: lie down somewhere, place your hands on your lower abdomen and consciously breathe into that part of your abdomen . Feel your stomach rise and fall with each breath and challenge yourself to take longer intervals between your breaths.
This way you become a little calmer with every breath. Because you focus your mind on your breathing, there is less brain capacity left to reconsider all your worrying thoughts. That's a good time!
Tip 2 - Do a brain dump
I don't know about you, but I still haven't been able to find the off switch in my head. Stopping thinking is extremely difficult. And the harder you push yourself to try again, the less likely you are to succeed. The well-known pink elephant effect (“Do n't think about a pink elephant!”). What you can do to calm your ongoing thoughts is a brain dump.
Take 5 minutes to write down all the thoughts that go through your head on paper. Let go of the need for a logical story to unfold. Just write down everything you think. For example, write down everything you still want or need to do for 5 minutes, and then write down all your worrying thoughts for 5 minutes. The great thing is that you can confidently get the thoughts out of your head as soon as they are on paper. You don't have to worry about that anymore!
Tip 3 - Tidy up your workplace
A messy workplace doesn't exactly help if you're already in stress mode. So do you find yourself distracted by the many piles of paper and the dirty lunch plate or the large collection of empty pens next to you? Then put those things away neatly. An empty workplace is good for a clear head.
It also helps if you empty your mailbox. Throw away emails that you no longer need and ensure that you no longer have hundreds of unread emails. That also gives you peace of mind and prevents stress as soon as you open your mailbox in the morning.
Tip 4 - Take it slow
At the pace of a marathon runner who is almost crossing the finish line, you will not easily reduce your stress level. That's why it's smart to pay attention to what you do and slow down your pace a little. It doesn't always have to be fast, fast, fast and as efficient as possible. Stop for a moment and see how you can do the activity you're picking up now with less speed and more attention.
For example, take a break from work when you have lunch, dry off quietly after a shower or try mindfully stirring a pan instead of cleaning up the entire kitchen while cooking and setting the table in the meantime. Little tricks like that can help you de-stress in just 5 minutes (or even 1 minute).
Tip 5 - Turn off the internet on your phone
This de-stressing tip will only take you a few seconds. Do you find yourself completely overstimulated by everyone who needs something from you? Or through annoying group apps in which everyone has to have their say about a lame meme. Then make sure that you do not receive messages from “everyone”. Turn off your WiFi and 4G for a while and then continue with what you were doing without notification . You can still receive calls, so you can still be reached for real emergencies. You will no longer receive a message for every email, text or DM. This works great for me to de-stress in no time and keep my focus on my writing.
Want to take a complete break from your phone? Then the Socialbox is a brilliant find. You can temporarily hide your phone in it until the stimuli from your smartphone are welcome again as far as you are concerned.
Tip 6 - Have a cup of tea and use scented candles
My tea moments are sacred to me. When I have a cup of boiling hot tea in my hands, I don't have to taste anything at all except the taste of that new type of tea. With candles I get even more into relaxation mode. We are often tempted to save pleasant moments with a candle and tea until late at night or until a holiday. But why not also take it during the day on a weekday? Then you can definitely use those 5 minutes of de-stressing.
Are you looking for a nice relaxing tea? Then be sure to take a look at the range of Happlify Crew member Suez Tea . In terms of scented candles, I can definitely recommend this one from The SOOS Candle Factory . Who wouldn't want the scent of a thousand flowers in their home? Yum!
The author: Romy Veul
Copywriter, language fanatic, crazy about color and cheerful as often as possible. That's who Romy Veul is in a nutshell. On her blog More often Cheerful she takes you into her positive imaginations. Always with a modest dose of humor and nice colorful photos. Romy's blog posts >
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