Relaxation Techniques: How to unwind better

Relaxing is an effective way to cope with stress, but even achieving an ideal state of relaxation is a challenge in itself. Even when you’re lying on your yoga mat and meditating, complete with aromatherapy and white noise in the background, you might still struggle to fully unwind. 

Our brains are busier than ever before. Social media and the Internet have turned us into chronic multitaskers, making it harder to disconnect. Fortunately, there are ways we can resist this “Always On” mentality and find serenity amid our busy lives. 

There are different techniques you can try to unwind more effectively and reap the rewards of relaxation. We’ve rounded up four methods that are tested and proven to reduce stress and anxiety and loosen up those knots. 

Reasons you should relax more 

When you engage in any mentally or physically strenuous activity, your body and mind become like a knot that gets tighter and tighter. Relaxing is the process of loosening up the knot so you can show up for other things feeling renewed. 

To relax means to calm the mind and body. It’s an active way of quieting the mind so you can feel more peaceful. As a result, your muscles become less tense, allowing you to rest and sleep better. 

Making relaxation a habit could result in positive outcomes for your mental, emotional, and physical well-being. These include stress mitigation, improved mood, reduced anxiety, and increased immunity, among others. 

5 simple techniques for total relaxation

Engage in a creative activity

Any activity that involves creating something (i.e. writing, painting, etc.) can be therapeutic. Art is typically used as a form of alternative therapy for people suffering from all sorts of mental health issues, including PTSD, anxiety, and depression. 

The best part about art therapy is you don’t need to be an artist to reap its rewards. You can start with simple activities such as coloring or journaling. If you need help getting your creative juices flowing, you can infuse your lemon ginger tea with a drop of Verma Farms’ Focus CBD Oil to put you in the zone and achieve total relaxation. 

Create good boundaries 

Another important step to unlock total relaxation is to set good personal boundaries. After all, you have control over how most of your day goes. For example, if you have a habit of responding to emails past your work hours, you might want to consider cutting this habit or setting a specific time block for it.

People who are working remotely find it harder to unwind because work and home or personal life tend to overlap. To avoid this, create a routine that separates these activities and stick to it. 

Not using your smartphone one to two hours before bedtime is also a good idea. Excessive smartphone use can impede total relaxation as the Internet fires up your brain with all sorts of stimuli. It’s essential to wind down before bedtime to achieve a better-quality slumber, but the blue light from smartphones can disrupt this process and even inhibit your sleep. 

Practice yoga and meditation

Yoga, meditation, and other mindfulness exercises that prioritize breathing are great ways to relax. There are yoga poses and stretches that target parts of the body that are always tense or remain dormant throughout the day, resulting in a calmer body and a more peaceful mind. 

For best results, prioritize poses that allow for deep focus and controlled movements such as:

• Matsyasana (Fish Pose)
• Viparita Karani (Legs-Up-the-Wall Pose)
• Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Bend)
• Savasana (Corpse Pose)
• Malasana (Garland Pose)
• Sukhasana (Easy Pose)
• Balasana (Child's Pose)

Yoga is best paired with meditation and deep breathing exercises. When done right, yoga not only promotes relaxation but also improves your sleep and physical health and helps you achieve self-compassion. 

Try progressive muscle relaxation

Progressive muscle relaxation, or PMR, is an effective technique for achieving a state of deep relaxation. It works by tensing one muscle group at a time and then releasing the tension. This technique has been proven to relieve insomnia, control stress, and anxiety, and help with chronic pain. 

As you tense each muscle group and release the tension, try to pair it with an idea or event that’s giving you anxiety. By doing this, you’re not only easing up a muscle group, but you’re also actively letting a stressful feeling flow out of your body. If you’re having a hard time releasing the tension in your body, you can apply the Verma Farms’ Mahalo Muscle Relief Roll-on to the muscle groups you’re targeting.