4 must-try relaxation exercises to help you unwind during stressful times
Rachael Martin
Wellness
Reading time: 5 minutes
From aromatherapy to meditation, you’re just a scroll away from finding your inner calm
Are you burning the candle at both ends? We live in hectic times and never has International Stress Awareness Week been more pertinent, as it aims to highlight stress management and remove the stigma associated with stress. So, what better time to seek out a pocket of peace away from the busyness of our daily lives?
However, it’s worth noting that while most of us feel stressed sometimes, if it’s affecting your daily life, or you’re feeling overwhelmed and things are becoming unmanageable, there's is support out there for you. Your GP can point you in the right direction or, if you just need someone to talk to, call the Samaritans on 116 123.
Here, we look at ways to help relieve everyday stress. Our four experts – whose jobs are all about how to help people unwind – share their tried-and-tested relaxation techniques for relieving everyday stress on a holistic level, from breathing exercises to rejuvenating scent rituals.
So, take a moment for your mental wellbeing by sitting back, taking a deep, restorative breath and scrolling on for all you need to know about finding your inner calm.
1. Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy. It’s not to be sniffed at. Let us fill you in.
"Aromatherapy is the practice of using essential oils for their therapeutic benefits," explains Christina Salcedas, head of Education at Aromatherapy Associates. "Essential oils can be inhaled or absorbed directly through the skin. They can have a holistic effect on wellbeing, helping to set our body and mind back in balance."
It makes sense that certain scents may help in managing our everyday stress levels, as our sense of smell is incredibly acute. "Whatever blend of oil you breathe in, can help you feel your best," explains Christina. "Whether you need a morning pick-me-up, or a helping hand to get a restful night’s sleep, aromatherapy can offer emotional support."
Often, we think of aromatherapy as something that’s reserved for the spa. Turns out, it’s perfectly accessible in our own home.
"You can practise aromatherapy anywhere," adds Christina. "It’s about relaxing, and taking a moment for you."
Christina’s five-step guide to enjoying the benefits of aromatherapy at home
"Using aromatherapy in your bath or shower is an easy way to introduce essential oils into your day-to-day life. Your body might be craving an invigorating energy boost one day and a gentle unwind the next," says Christina.
Here’s Christina’s step-by-step guide for enjoying aromatherapeutic bliss from the comfort of your own bathroom.
• Choose your oils. Aromatherapy Associates Discovery Bath & Shower Oil Collection is brimming with choices.
• Take the first two bottles, sniff, then decide which one you like most.
• Take the third bottle and do the same, going through the whole box until you find the oil you’re most drawn to. This is the oil most likely to fulfil your wellbeing needs at that time.
• Pour your chosen blend into your palm.
• Massage onto parts of your body, such as the torso, arms and legs, then cup your hands and deeply inhale three times.
• Step into a warm bath or shower and enjoy the benefits of aromatherapy as the blissful scent surrounds you.
2. Sound therapy
If you’re not yet familiar with sound therapy, it’s time to listen up. Laura Taylor, sound therapy practitioner, suggests it could be just the thing for helping you relax.
"Sound therapy is the therapeutic use of sound on and around the body," explains Laura. It focuses on the use of different frequencies of sound and vibration produced by instruments such as singing bowls, gongs and tuning forks to help calm, boost mood and reduce tension.
So, if you’re feeling rundown or tense, Laura suggests that the vibration of sounds moving through the body may provide a much-needed moment of zen.
"Sound therapy aims to bring some balance to our busy lives. We don’t often take the time to drop into a state of calm as often as we should," says Laura. "As you rest, your heart rate slows and your body begins to soften and relax. This allows it to process the information it has received through the day."
And the best place to practise sound therapy?
"Finding a group sound bath at a local wellness studio is a good way to experience the practice and you can always bring a friend. For a specialised approach, finding a practitioner who offers 1-2-1 services can be transformational," she adds.
Laura’s five-step guide to enjoying sound therapy at home
If you can’t get down to a studio, Laura shares a technique called the humming breath that you can try in the comfort of your own home. Here’s how to give it a go:
• Sit comfortably with a long spine. It can also be done lying down. Inhale slowly through the nose.
• On the exhale, keeping the mouth closed, create a humming noise as long as the exhale allows.
• Repeat for a minimum of five rounds.
• Release the breath back to its normal pattern – you should start to feel rejuvenated and ready to take on the day.
3. Meditation
When it comes to getting our relaxation game on, meditation continues to be a popular option for helping us manage thoughts and emotions through trying times – and for good reason.
"Meditation is a centuries-old practice defined as any activity that keeps us in the present moment," explains Dr Serena Rakha. "With the increased use of our phones in a chaotic world, meditation can be challenging. However, with a little practice, it can offer a huge amount of restfulness. It’s about focusing on your breathing, acknowledging your natural thought process and letting those thoughts float away like balloons in the sky."
It’s often thought that meditation needs to be practised in a totally quiet surrounding, but Dr Rakha assures us that this isn’t the case.
"It takes many forms, so can be practised anywhere at any time," she says. "This can mean sitting comfortably, or lying down, but another popular alternative is a walking meditation, which you can do on your lunch break, preferably outdoors in the fresh air and sunshine."
Dr Rakha’s five-step guide to practising meditation at home
"For this beach meditation exercise, it’s important to sit comfortably," says Dr Rakha. "You may wish to have a blanket or scented candle to set the tone for relaxation and aid in the reduction of everyday stress." Here’s your five-step guide:
• Close your eyes and focus on relaxing your forehead and eyes, keeping your mouth closed, but allowing a gap between your upper and lower teeth.
• Acknowledge any sounds around you, then let them float away.
• Focus on your breath and acknowledge how it feels as air passes through your nose and throat.
• Now, imagine you’re sitting on a beach, watching as small waves come to shore. As they arrive, breathe in, and as they move out, breathe out.
• Continue to breathe in and out; it’s OK if thoughts from your day come into your head.
• Acknowledge these and return to imagining the waves.
• Continue this for five minutes.
Find out more about the benefits of meditation and the connection between our brain and body from Dr Megan Jones Bell, chief science officer at Headspace.
4. Mindful breathing
"Breathing more deeply and at a slower pace has a number of benefits," explains breath coach, Rebecca Dennis. "This includes decreasing your blood pressure and relaxing tension in your muscles. Just a few minutes each day can help control anxious thoughts."
But how do we unlock the full potential of our inhalations and exhalations? Simply by recalibrating our breathing technique.
"It’s about using the breath purposefully as a skill that can enhance every aspect of your life," says Rebecca. "By maintaining an awareness of your breathing throughout the day, you can help quiet the mind and keep your physiology in a state of calm, rather than hovering in a state of low anxiety."
One of the first steps in learning to breathe well?
"Learning diaphragmatic deep breathing," says Rebecca. "Often, when we control our emotions or pain, we hold our breath, which can create long-term tension in the diaphragm."
Rebecca’s four-step guide to mindful breathing exercises at home
Here, in Rebecca’s guide, you’ll breathe in and out while you slowly count to four at each stage – this is called box breathing, due to its four-sided shape and the four-step style of this technique.
• Rest your hands on your lower belly, so you can feel the breath expanding and moving through your body.
• Breathe in through your nose for four seconds and hold your breath for four seconds.
• Exhale through your nose for four seconds and hold your breath for four seconds.
• Repeat to bring yourself into a relaxed state.
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