A big thank you to Nature’s Bounty® Earthly Elements™ for sponsoring this post!
This time of year seems to breed busyness in us all.
Whether you have kids who are back in school and are getting used to a new routine, or are trying to be more productive after the lazy days of Summer have come to an end, Fall tends to be a very busy time of year.
It’s easy to let your stress levels build up and forget to find ways to relax after you’ve had a long and stressful day.
I wanted to share some of the ways I personally like to relax after a stressful day in hopes that these help you too 🙂
5 ways to relax after a stressful day:
1. Stretch or do some yoga
Taking a few minutes before bed to stretch, or even doing a little yoga can make such a difference in how you end your day. When my mind is racing with the million things I need to still get done at the end of the day, taking a few minutes to do something good for myself really helps me to fall asleep with a clear mind.
Sometimes even the act of just taking a deep breath can really help in aiding relaxation. When I am feeling overwhelmed, pausing to take a big deep breath forces me to calm down and re-focus myself and my energy.
2. Spend time with your loved ones
Quality time with my family helps me to remember what’s most important and that at the end of the day, I’m blessed and that’s really all that matters.
3. Go for a long walk
WALKING THROUGH THE GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK ON OUR ROAD TRIP
4. Read
I’ve really been enjoying reading just for fun the past few months. It’s so fun to entrench yourself into a page-turner that really takes you away and allows you to experience a bit of that world for a few minutes. I love making the time to curl up on the couch or in bed with a great book to forget about the stress of the day and just enjoy myself.
5. Use lavender essential oil
As part of this collaboration with Nature’s Bounty® Earthly Elements™, they were so kind in allowing me to choose any essential oils in their collection that I wanted to try out. Naturally, one of the ones I chose was lavender. My absolute favorite! If you are a longtime reader, you know how much I love to use essential oils for pretty much everything.
I really enjoy putting a few drops of lavender essential oil in when I take a bubble bath, or even at the bottom of my shower if I don’t necessarily have time to take a long bath but still want to enjoy a lovely lavender scent and feel luxurious. I also like to add a drop or two to some unscented lotion or coconut oil to make for a spa-like moisturizing experience.
CANDLES + ESSENTIAL OILS + BUBBLE BATH = RELAXATION AT ITS FINEST. NOT PICTURED…..A MARGARITA THE SIZE OF MY HEAD
It’s such a great way to immediately soothe myself and I find it so comforting. Especially after a long day of dealing with a toddler who is running all over the place and finding the time to work on my freelance business, I find myself so drained at the end of the day and using some lavender essential oil is a great way to end my day on a relaxing and peaceful note.
If you’re an essential oil lover too, Earthly Elements has a fantastic selection of essential oils for pretty much any mood you’re in. They put together this fun chart below to help you figure out which essential oil will suite you depending on what mood you’re looking for. You can find them at www.earthlyelements.com.
Copyright ® 2015, Nature’s Bounty, Inc.
Great tips!! My favorite way to relax after a long day is to sit on the couch in silence with a bowl of ice cream!! Haha.
I also enjoy going for a long walk or taking a bath. I have never tried essential oils but I’ve heard wonderful things about them! Great post, thanks Christina!
That’s a good way to relax too Sarah! Haha what’s your favorite kind of ice cream?
I sometimes like to meditate – even for just 2 or 5 minutes. Its amazing how effective just a few deep breathes and moments of quiet can be. I’m not great at clearing my mind naturally – so I have an app on my phone that will do guided meditations (calm.com). Even if I pull into the garage, I can sit there for 2 minutes and do a quick meditation so I can release the workday before entering the house!
That’s awesome Mrs. SSC, I will have to check out calm.com. Sounds like something I would really enjoy. Thanks for sharing!
Love these tips. I still remember fondly our long lunch walks to get away from our awful desk jobs. Not sure we would have survived without those!
Agreed Alex! Those were always so peaceful!
I personally love to run. Running outside (not on the treadmill) is so stress relieving for me.
I’ve also applied lavender essential oil to my oil burner at my desk and sometimes place some drops behind me neck when things become chaotic at work.
That’s wonderful Shirria! I wish I could be more of a runner, but it’s just never been something I enjoy doing. I do like to go for a swim when I can to relax though too!
Oooh yes. This week has been SO FULL. I’m ready for it to be Friday already. I also love lavender essential oils!
I hope you have a relaxing weekend Daisy, sounds like it’s much needed! 🙂
This post just came on time! I have been working way too much lately, including weekends and late nights. I just need to slow down little bit and focus more about quality time with my family. I love those ideas! 🙂
I’m guilty of that a lot too Reelika, I hope you are able to relax a bit this weekend and take a little break from the computer 🙂
I love your relaxing tips. Lavender is so intoxicating! 🙂 And the margarita the size of your head made me spit invisible milk out of my nose! Hilarious! 😀
Haha I’m glad you liked that part Kay! You know me, just keeping it real over here 😉
These are all fantastic tips. I have yet to try the oils. Do you genuinely think they make a difference? I’m curious.
Thanks Chelsea! For me personally, they really do make a difference! Just taking one little whiff of them can be enough to calm me down if I’m feeling stressed. I’m sure everyone is different, but it’s definitely worth grabbing a bottle to see if you might like it 🙂
After a long day at work and once my (stay-at-home) husband puts the kids to bed, I unwind with something most people consider as being for kids – Minecraft. It’s really relaxing to place blocks, build something, and have a visually creative outlet.
But I always put the computer to sleep about 45 minutes before bed, then curl up with a book to shift my mind from screen to sleep. 🙂
Aw I love that Wendy! Good for you for finding something that you enjoy that is out of the norm. And even better that you give yourself that screen free time right before bed too, I know that also helps me a lot with being able to fall asleep 🙂
Great reminders on taking time to linger and relax during the day. It’s so easy to go go go. 🙂 My favorite is the walk.
Thanks Amy!
Love these tips, especially the lavender oil! I’m all about that relaxation. I find that if you’re into it, even a harder workout like kickboxing, spin, or going for a run can really help relax me as well. It seems like it would do the opposite, but it helps unleash all that pent up energy you get from working all day.
Thank you Torie! That is so true! I always feel super relaxed after a tough work out too!
Music and meditation work for me, but with little ones around, the downtime I need to do that is nearly impossible. We use a lot of lavender too!
I hear ya Wendy! Glad to hear you’re a fellow lavender oil fan!
Absolutely amazing tips! Rosemary really serves me, meditation is also super helpful, but massage therapie is the most powerful for me to relax!