I heard a new word floating around recently… Stresslaxing. It means:
“when relaxing activities make you even more stressed, because you’re not out working on whatever is making you stressed in the first place”
Have you ever felt this? Like sometimes stressful work or problems in life start to invade your personal time and you can’t even watch simple TV without feeling stress?
My wife recently took a class on how to release stress and unload your mind. Not sure if these exercises will help you but it’s worth sharing in case they do!…
- Start with a nice mindless activity, like drawing circles on a page.
- Lie down completely, or put your head down on your desk and just concentrate on your breathing.
- Lightly pat or drum your hands against your legs and arms. Starting at your feet and going all the way up to your shoulders.
- Make a C shape with your hand, and squeeze around your forearms tightly, starting at your wrist and going all the way up to your shoulder. Do this twice upwards, then once downwards.
- With both hands, push two fingers in behind your ears, and apply pressure while you slowly move them down towards the front of your throat.
Lastly, try some active leisure activities. (Walking is relaxing, but it also makes you feel accomplished because you are working out too. Cooking is relaxing, and you are also being productive. Crafting is relaxing, and you are also making gifts or decorations.)
Happy Sunday, enjoy your free time!
– Joel
Trying new beers from Trader Joes. Left to right… Good, pretty good, decent, and pretty good!