webadminImagine a situation when you are at a supermarket looking for breakfast cereal. Spoilt of choices! The same goes for relaxation strategies where options are in abundance.
But don’t worry. We can make your life easy through effective ways of relaxation. Here is a list of effective relaxation strategies that you should try and reap benefits:
Activities that Have a Calming Effect on you
- Soothing Activities
- Smells (Aromatherapy): incense, candles, etc.
- Sounds: music you enjoy; ambient music; “new age,” repetitive music; sounds of nature, such as babbling brooks or ocean waves
- Sights: Visualization: beaches, falling leaves, etc.
- Nature: hiking, swimming, parks, etc.
- Mind-based Relaxation Strategies
- Meditation (Mindfulness meditation,” Transcendental Meditation, etc.)
- “Body Scan”/body awareness exercises
- Prayer
- Autogenics
- “Body-based” Relaxation Strategies
- Slow-paced diaphragmatic breathing: Yoga
- Progressive Muscle Relaxation and Applied Relaxation
- Massage
- Hot tubs, hot baths, or sauna
Elements of a Life worth Living
It’s simple. Just focus on two things: Pleasure and Mastery
Pleasure Activities:
- Reading
- TV, movies, plays
- Dancing
- Shopping
- Gardening/decorating
- Photography
- Comedy: TV, recordings, live
- Religion or spirituality
- Spending time with family
- Enjoying own children and/or young relatives
- Enjoying close friends
- Hanging out with large groups of friends/acquaintances
- Parties, meeting new people
- Playing or listening to music
- Board games or cards
- Arts and crafts, sewing, painting
- Cooking
- Walking, hiking, enjoying nature, fishing
- Sports (basketball, softball, swimming, etc.) or going as a spectator
- Martial arts (karate, etc.)
- Museums/zoos
- Traveling, sightseeing, going to the beach, sunbathing
Mastery involves activities, such as work or sports that comprise the development of skills, allows accomplishment and generate a sense of mastery over our environment. It includes but not limited to:
- Sports
- Music practice and performance
- Home improvement/building
- Woodworking
- Visual art (painting, drawing, pottery, sewing, knitting
- Learning about interests (history, politics, food, language, culture, etc.)
Moreover, you can also look for or attempt to develop some of these qualities in your occupation volunteer work, or other meaningful daytime activity:
- Enjoyment
- Creativity
- Feelings of competence (able to accomplish tasks satisfactorily)
- Sports
- Music practice and performance
- Home improvement/building
- Woodworking
- Visual art (painting, drawing, pottery, sewing, knitting
- Learning about interests (history, politics, food, language, culture, etc.)
- Potential for development of skills
- Ability to “move up” in the organization or take on more responsibility, if this is desired
- Social contact with coworkers, colleagues, others in the field
