Nowadays, our lives are busy. We're constantly on the move, doing things, and it can be a challenge to get our brains to shut up and let us just be. Perhaps bad memories are troubling us, regrets from the past. Maybe a film or book is playing on our minds, maybe we are suffering from work related stress, maybe we have trouble sleeping. Now, I'm no Queen Elsa from Frozen, but I do frequently engage in activities, such as mindfulness, that help me let go. Yoga is probably the main one for me, but even just incorporating little things into your everyday life can do the world of good for your relaxation. So here are my tips!
Scents
In my opinion, scents are everything. We far too often make use of our visual and auditory senses and we don't pay an awful lot of attention to the things we can smell. Research smells that are good for certain moods and activities and try them out. My favourite candle at the moment is Yankee Candle's My Serenity. This candle melts all of my troubles away. Likewise, my favourite incense is Stamford's Stress Relief, which is a combination of Lavender, Orange Blossom and Thyme. Smells can provide a tranquil atmosphere to even the most stressful situations.
Exercise
Obviously its no secret that my favourite form of exercise is yoga, which I actually started doing for mental health reasons. However, there are many forms of exercise that can help you to let go and sweat out all of your worries, or stretch them away. Exercise gets your heart rate up and releases endorphins, which is why you always feel so energised after exercise. So get to the gym, do some yoga or go for a relaxing walk!
Nature
Go and get some fresh air. Take in the atmosphere of the world around you. If you work in an office, buy a plant. Breathe in and out, gaze out to the horizon and fall in love with being alive. You can read my blog post
Connecting with Nature for more information.
Creativity
Art engages the opposite side of the brain to the one associated with stress and anxiety, hence the recent popularity of colouring books. Colouring books are truly amazing. When I was poorly and I would ring home crying, my dad would make me get my colouring book and sit colouring in whilst on the phone to him. It worked wonders. You don't have to colour in though to be creative, you can sew, draw, sing, play a musical instrument. I've also recently discovered needle felting, which, in my opinion, is amazing for stress!
Atmosphere
And finally, I'd say the most important thing for ensuring relaxation and the ability to let go of thoughts is to set a relaxing atmosphere. Like I said with scents, candles and incense can work wonders. Fairy lights are also awesome. For me, I also love music. I find music an amazing thing, it can lift a negative mood instantly. I have so many playlists for different things, my Covers playlist calms me, my Disney playlist cheers me up and my Easy playlist helps me remain content and present. Another thing about atmosphere, is about creating a space that you can enjoy being in. Have a bath, feel the warmth and the bubbles against your skin or snuggle up on the sofa with cosy cushions and a blanket. Be where you are.
Letting go is about putting aside our worries, even just for a few minutes. Live past that, forget it was there, watch it dissolve away into thin air. Think of the worst case scenario, think of how realistic that is, what is actually the worst that can happen? Let go of it all and fall in love with being alive.
Thank you so much for reading, please feel free to leave a comment with any questions you have or any suggestions for future blog posts, or anything at all!
Peace and love xo
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