Mental Health and chill
For a lot of us relaxing means hanging out in front of the tv, flipping between friends re-runs and Game of Throne epsiodes. Dont get us wrong we long lazing in front of the tv and think is really important, but this sort of relaxation often doesnt help reduce our stress levels.
Activities like mindful breathing, yoga and meditation can be really great ways to reduce stress and increase relaxation. When we get stressed our body goes into to "fight or flight" mode - a response we can thank our cavemen ancestors for. Below are some execises that can help us reduce stress levels and increase our bodies relaxation responses.
breathing
Alright sit comfortably, and focus on your breathing.
Inhale through your nose for 4 seconds
Hold for 7 seconds
Exhale for 8 seconds through your mouth
Sometimes this can be hard, so be patient with yourself and keep trying. If it helps follow the prompts below
Hopefully now your feeling a bit more like this:
have a cheeky stretch
A simple stretch can be a great way to reduce stress.
Interlock you fingers, with your palms facing upwards raise your arms up to the sky. Keep your head looking forward, and line your arms up with your ears. Focus on keeping your shoulder blades down, it can somtimes help to picture them pushing down towards the ground. Do some nice big breaths. Let your arms drop, then repeat 3-4 times or more if your really enjoying it.
MINDFulness
Mindfulness is great way to focus on the now, rather then worrying about the past or stressing about the future, its all about being in the current moment. Body scan is one of our favourite mindfulness activities because it helps us get more in touch with our bodies and makes us notice all the feelings in our body we often miss. Below we have 3min body scan from Dr. Elisha Goldstein or 15 minute body scan from mindful.org. Both websites have heaps more mindfulness resources if you are looking for more to try out!
3 min Exercise
30 min Exercise
