Simple Remedies to De-Stress and Relax at Home

Our body and health is the most valuable investment in our lives. While alive, it never stops functioning and is, in short, nature’s miracle creation. And it is free! Let’s think about how much time resources we spend on our 401K’s or other financial investments. The body is ever changing and never stays the same. One morning one can wake up healthy and refreshed and the next day feel groggy and tired. It is important to listen to the body and learn. Now is the time to value and take utmost care of this amazing body!

Simple remedies in a nutshell are to feed it with proper food and nutrition, expose it to fresh air, swim, walk, hike and bike, exercise to keep the joints, tendons and muscles flexible, get enough sleep, drink plenty of water to keep the kidneys and bladder healthy and to remember to take time out.
Here are some potent, yet very simple ways to start, out of the comfort of one’s own home.

Preparation:
Create a relaxing and inspiring atmosphere at home. I don’t mean by that to start remodeling. Just choose one room, bathroom or the extra room in the basement as an oasis, a personal retreat and space, which other family members can possibly also have access to. Use simple means and resources to make this ‘special room’ relaxing, make it a space that inspires one to retreat to and unwind. There is no need for much furniture – less is better. Aromatherapy candles, a beautiful throw, a couple of meditation pillows on the floor, subdued lighting, a CD player or MP3 player, calming music CD’s or downloads, possibly a recliner, a Yoga mat for stretching exercises, an inspirational picture on the wall – that’s all that might be needed.

Make sure to keep this retreat space simple and clutter free. This is not to be the extra storage room or art project work room, but a clean, mostly empty yet beautiful space to calm and inspire the mind and soul. If a bathroom is chosen as that special retreat room, have a few aromatherapy candles around and create a clutter free space with all but a few accented items off the counter top. Afford new shower curtains that reflect the new relaxed self.

Suggestions to relax and de-stress:

Deep Breathing – sit on a pillow on the floor in an upright position (or on a chair) and start taking slow and even breath. Put one hand over the belly and breathe into that area. Take a deep breath in, hold it for up to 6 seconds and then breathe out. In-breath and out-breath should be even in length. Just watch the breath and focus on nothing else. Do that for 5 – 10 minutes and notice how this simple exercise can be refreshing and calming. It can be very helpful to do after getting home from work every day and doesn’t take much time.

Listen To Calming Music – anything from classical music to Cd’s with nature sounds to any inspirational relaxing kind of music can work. Choose any favorite music that is calming.

Play An Instrument Or Write In A Journal – to re-connect to the creative forces within, to express one’s innermost feelings and thoughts without an audience.

Exercise, Stretch, Practice Yoga, Pilates Or Qigong – with or without instructional tapes. This part is about connecting to the body, grounding oneself.

Dance – to any favorite music. Close the eyes and let the body move to the rhythm of the music, not in a self conscious way though. This is not about fancy moves or showing off. It is about let the music move the body. It is about oneself.

Take A Bath – once or twice a week. It can be very helpful after a stressful day to help unwind. A few drops of essential oil can help set the mood and either calm (melisse, lavender) or invigorate (rosemary, arnica).

Meditation – use guided meditation CD’s or practice a known meditation technique.

Sleep Well And Enough – get at least 6 – 8 hours of sleep every night. If falling asleep is an issue, use a ‘Delta Sleep System’ CD or something similar to help facilitate sleep.

Other key elements of facilitating restfulness and wellness are proper nutrition in foods we eat every day to support the body to function. Apply common sense and do the right things and eat smaller meals several times a day, cut down on caffeine, alcohol, sugar rich foods, white flour, preservatives and trans fats, any artificial ingredients, and of course eat smaller portions.

Equally important is to pay attention to drinking enough water, at least 1 liter/32 ounces a day, more would be better. By drinking water, we help the body to detoxify and maintain kidney, bladder and liver health. Sodas and juices don’t count here, even though juices are healthy for other reasons.

And – take time out, when feeling the burden of stress while multi-tasking at home after a long day at work. Retreat to that special oasis, which has been set up. Just be quiet, read poetry, stretch and exercise, have some moments of quiet time with introspection or apply some other techniques suggested earlier in this article.

This will help re-group and ground and remind ourselves what is really important in life!