Life Hacks To Help You Relax

We all feel stressed at some point in our lives. It might be an everyday feeling for some people and it might be overwhelming for others. When we try to balance a job, family, friends, our health and those all-important essay deadlines, it’s normal to feel swamped. Stress affects everyone in different ways. Some people experience emotional mood swings, headaches and low energy, while some suffer with insomnia and depression.

Here’s a short list of hacks to help you through those stressful moments (or years!):

Laugh at something/someone. ‘Laughter is usually the best natural medicine. It lowers levels of cortisol, adrenaline, and epinephrine, which are stress-aggravating hormones; and it releases feel-good hormones, such as, dopamine.’[1] Finding a funny cat video, or chatting with a friend might do the trick!

Go for walk. Seriously, greenery and low impact exercise is much more relaxing than looking at your laptop screen…

Take a nap. For those that prefer a more horizontal fix! Get the best of both worlds with a wind down and a boost of energy.

Drink green tea. Any tea makes me feel cozy inside but green tea is a rich source of L-Theanine which is proven to reduce stress and anger!

Meditate. Now, this could be as simple as lying in bed and listening to yourself breathe. Or closing your eyes at your desk and imagining yourself on a beach with a cocktail! As a beginner, I’ve found the most effective way to be through guided mediation. There are a few apps out there that specialise in this kind of stuff and the whole idea is to become aware of the stress and actively disengage with it.

There are many more things you could try if these hacks don’t ease the stress. If nothing else, you will have found a hilarious cat video to share on social media!