LONDON – LIVING – After work, the next thing you need is to relax and relieve stress. Maybe you have been standing or sitting the whole day or you have been carrying items or driving. Whatever your work day (or night) looks like, you definitely want to relax and rejuvenate.
Here are three quick ways that can help you to relax and relieve stress.
- Take a warm bath or shower
There is something about warm water that makes you want to just relax. Water helps to calm your body and mind as it washes all the tension away. Take a hot shower to help your muscles to relax. Alternatively, soak in the bathtub with warm water and Epsom salts. Light aromatic candles to lighten the mood and to help you relax.
Before you take the bath, make sure you have done all the chores so that your mind can be free from worries. It is advisable to shower before getting into the bath so that you can just soak and relax.
You can make the bath special by including a glass of wine and adding oils, bath bombs or bubbles to the bath. You can also play relaxing music as you take the bath.
- Massage
Massage helps to relax your mind and body. If you have the time, you can have a full body massage at a spa or salon. This can help you to relax your whole body.
Alternatively, you can get a foot massage or foot spa especially if you spend your day standing or you have foot problems. With a foot spa or foot massage, you do not need to go to a salon or a spa since you can do it from the comfort of your home. You only need to get the right equipment.
A foot spa is a machine that uses water to massage your feet so that you can relax. It also helps to reduce soreness and pain. Some of the foot spas heat water while other cheaper alternatives require that you add warm water. As the price goes up, they also get additional features such as bubbles and water jets. Therefore, if you spend a lot of time on your feet then a foot spa will be great to reduce the soreness and fatigue. It can also be helpful if you have edema, arthritis or diabetes.
On the other hand, you can use a foot massage, which is helpful at treating chronic foot pain, soreness, swelling of feet, bunions, inflammation, and neuropathy. Although more expensive than foot spas, they can help you to relax after work and deal with more feet problems than foot spas.
- Listen to music
Music is known to calm the mind and body and it can help you to relax. In fact, research has shown that listening to slower tempo music can help you to relax after a long day.
Choose slow tempo soothing tunes. This type of music helps to slow the heart rate, decreases stress hormones and lowers blood pressure, all which will help you to relax.
Fast and loud music can only make your situation worse since it will only aggravate you and make you more alert instead of relaxed.
