It seems like it's becoming harder and harder to relax and calm our minds. There is so much stress in a day thrown at us from so many directions that we need to find what can calm and relax us. In this post, I'm listing some of my favorite things or activities that help calm and relax me.
I love wax warmers. I'm picky about the scents used in my warmers, though. Floral smells make me anxious and give me headaches. Fall scents are my favorite, so I buy a bunch during the fall months and use them all year. It's not a surprise to walk into my house in July and smell pumpkin. I use candles occasionally, but I'm not worried about walking away from a wax warmer. I also love finding good car air fresheners. Getting into a vehicle that smells like vanilla or berries after a long day at work, instantly helps calm me. You can also use incense or essential oils if you like those. I haven't found and of either one that has the same effect as my wax warmers.
Lighting is another way of helping me relax. I have a couple salt lamps and I love them. Seeing the glowing rock is fascinating and calming. Fairy lights and the clear Christmas lights are fun and can change your lighting enough to change your mood. When I do use candles, it's usually because of the light. I like watching the flame dance and looking at the way the light reflects off of other objects in the room. A campfire has the same effect.
I discovered Epsom Salts a few years ago and I'm in love with them. I know they have been around for a really long time, but I never understood their use until I broke my ankle and my husband suggested using them to help with the pain I still get once in awhile. A bathtub full of warm water and Epsom Salts is amazing! My favorite is Dr. Teal's Milk and Honey, but recently I grabbed a bag of Shea Butter and Almond Oil and it is a very close second. I love how the bathroom and some of the house smells like my bath salts for awhile after my bathwater is gone. It reminds me of how relaxing soaking was and how good my skin and joints feel. Bubble baths are also fun for some people. I've never been a big fan and I think it's because the bubbles remind me of all the years I hand washed dishes for our family of five since we didn't have a dishwasher until I was in college. Bubbles are not relaxing to me, at all.
Music helps my anxiety at work and it also helps me stay in the moment instead of letting my brain think about stuff it can't change. There are so many apps to choose from. Most of the apps are free and some are paid. We pay for Sirius (to have in the vehicle) and Spotify (so we can download music to our phones to play when we are out in the middle of nowhere). At work, I have speakers that plug into my phone and I can turn them down low so I am the only one that can hear the music. Another reason I like the apps for music, is because I can avoid a lot of the negativity on the local radio stations. There is no news on the apps like local stations.
Being outside is another of my favorite ways to relax and calm down. Fishing, hiking, gardening or even just sitting outside in the shade can all change how you're feeling. Being on or near the water is one of my favorite ways to relax. I get very excited when it is time to get the kayak out and am very sad when it is time to store it away for the winter.
Reading is my favorite way to relax and calm down after a long day. It helps me escape into a world I don't have to worry about anything or make any decisions. Some people use video games for similar reasons, but you have to be very careful with both. It is really easy to enjoy that other world so much, you forget about your responsibilities in the real world. Avoiding is not relaxing or calming at all.
Baking used to be another way for me to relax, but my mother-in-law ruined that. She always found something wrong with what I made and always suggested I try one of the family recipes. Of course, if I made one of the family recipes, it was never right. After awhile, baking was a form of stress and it has been hard to get back to it being something fun and it's definitely not close to being relaxing, yet.
What are your favorite ways of relaxing? Share in the comments or on our Facebook page.
