Taking Time For Yourself: Ways To Relax

It's #NationalRelaxationDay - a day to just take time for ourselves (when and where possible) and just chill. However, some of us (myself included) do struggle to put down our tools to just simply relax. This is something I would definitely like to improve on, but I am somebody who does like to be up and about getting through my to-do list.



As someone who has a lung problem, I do need to make more of an effort to just sit down and give my lungs a break. I make that sound like a bad thing, like I'm saying that relaxing is the worst thing to do on this Earth. Believe me, there's nothing I love more than lying down on the sofa watching This Morning with a cuppa in my hand.



Taking Time For Yourself: Ways To Relax

However, I have this weird notion in my head that if I admit to myself that I need to relax, it's like admitting defeat. It's like I'm saying to my lungs "Ok, you win, I'll park my backside on the settee for an hour until you're ready to calm down!". I've always said in the past that I won't let CF beat me, so I hate conceding to my lungs and allowing them to breathe. Well yeah, they need oxygen, otherwise I wouldn't be here, but you know what I mean. I never want to reach the point of being physically burnt out, but I won't lie when I say that I have almost reached that point a few times before.



Anyway, back to the topic at hand. Relaxation is needed for us everyday in order for us to keep functioning and to carry out our daily routine. In a way, relaxation is a way revitalise and re-motivate ourselves to do our next task. I have a few ways which I practice to help me unwind when I need to, they are:



Taking Time For Yourself: Ways To Relax

MEDITATION 

This is a recent discovery in the last few months for me. There are so many meditation videos on YouTube, you definitely won't be stuck to find one. Having that time to meditate, that quiet time to gather your thoughts and just slip into a world of calmness really can help. It really refreshes your mind and it can help you feel calm for the rest of the day.

 

 

READING

Immersing yourself in a good book is a feeling like no other. It really is like a form of escapism, it's a great way to focus your attention and really absorb into a fictional story, even if it's Fifty Shades of Grey, it's good to absorb into the life of Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele. Oh, is that just me? Ok then...

 

 

LISTENING  TO  MUSIC

I can't go more than 1/2 days without putting my headphones in and just unwinding to my favourite songs. I wouldn't say I have a chilled Spotify playlist, I'll listen to anything that is kind relaxing and not too loud. Ed Sheeran is always a go to on my playlist when I need to chill out.



Taking Time For Yourself: Ways To Relax

 

 

HAVING  A  BATH

Dropping that Lush bath bomb into the tub and stepping into a rainbow is, well, vibrant. Even if you haven't got a bath bomb at hand, even just a simple bubble bath, with candles lit all around, a glass of wine to one side with your iPad sitting on one of those bath trays with Friends lit up on the screen. I really need one of those bath trays, they look the biz.

 

 

WATCHING  TV

Whether it's a soap opera like EastEnders, a comedy like Friends or a nature show like Planet Earth, a little bit of binge worthy TV is one of my ideal ways to relax. You could be a Netflix series binge watcher or even someone who watches films for hours on end, it's great immerse in the drama of who attacked Phil Mitchell in EastEnders or how many whales will we see David Attenborough describe in detail.

 

What are your ways to relax?

 

 

Lucy