How to give yourself some quiet time after a busy day?
Towards the end of the year, life can get extremely busy as we juggle work, Christmas plans and social obligations. Finding time to unwind and relax can often seem impossible, but luckily no matter how busy your life can get, there are many ways you can create intentional pauses in your life. It’s important to create time for yourself away from your phone, the internet and to park your stresses at the door in order to help you unwind after a work day. Relaxing can help keep your mind and body healthy by helping you recover from the everyday stresses life throws at you, here are just a few ways you could do that.
1. Going outdoors into nature
Spending time in green spaces or bringing nature into your everyday life can benefit both your physical and mental well-being. There is good evidence that shows people who spend more time outside experience a wide range of positive results including a boost in quality of life and improvement in mood, which is why you should look to incorporate it into your day to give yourself some quiet time.
Physically, getting fresh air is great for your body. The air will boost the amount of oxygen to your brain, and if you didn’t know the brain is extremely sensitive to a decrease in oxygen levels. If you have been cooped up inside all day, your oxygen levels will be much lower which is why you might experience symptoms of tiredness and a lack of focus. However, when you go outside and get some fresh air, your oxygen levels will increase, which helps to improve your brain function which will help with your concentration levels.
Mentally, spending time in nature will be a different experience for everyone but studies have shown that it can help with mental health problems such as anxiety and depression. If you live in a city you might think that green spaces are hard to come by in comparison to the countryside. However, if you pause for a moment and take in your surroundings you will notice the green areas in the urban jungle you live in. Whether that be a park, a canal, or even a rooftop garden, nature is everywhere.
Alternatively, to experience nature some people might not even have to leave their own home, you can bring nature into your everyday life through gardening and growing house plants which can also help benefit both your mental and physical wellbeing.
Although the great outdoors might not be everyone’s cup of tea, and going outside in the UK can be completely dependent on the weather, it is undeniably one of the greatest ways to boost both your physical and mental well-being, and will help to give yourself some quiet time.
2. Taking a warm bath or shower
If you have had a long day at work, or even just a stressful day, taking a hot bath or shower is the perfect time to add some ‘me-time’ into your daily routine. Whether you like to take a quick 5-minute shower or you’re someone who likes to lie in the bath for an hour, make sure you use this time to forget about any problems you have faced during the day and try to re-wind before bed.
Not only will a bath or shower give you some time to yourself, a number of studies have shown that taking warm baths or showers helps to promote sleep quality. The human body is conditioned to associate cooler temperatures with sleep, so when you get out of your hot bath or shower, your body temperature automatically drops which tells your brain it's time for sleep.
To help you relax even more, you could add a few drops of lavender oil into your bath, light a candle or two and make yourself a warming drink. There are a number of different drinks with active ingredients that can help you feel relaxed and calm at night. Whether you fancy a cup of chamomile tea, hot chocolate or a glass of warm milk, they all have different active ingredients that can help induce melatonin at night.
Number one tip though! — although it's tempting to turn the heating up in the winter before you run yourself a bath, having your bedroom too warm can impact the quality of your sleep. The optimum temperature during the night to ensure the best quality of sleep is 16-18°c.
3. Writing a gratitude list
One way you can prioritise yourself and give yourself some quiet time, is by dedicating time in your day to sit down and write a gratitude list. Experts say that when we are stressed, we tend to focus on the negative parts of life rather than the positive. In today’s world, we often find ourselves comparing our lives to people we know or even those we don’t know which leads us to complain about the things we don’t have but wished we did.
Writing a gratitude list will help you focus on all the positive things that are currently happening in your life and writing them down can encourage us to focus on what we have and not what we wished we had. When you start to reflect on the positive parts of our life more, we tend to relax more, and we are happier about the small things in life.
If you don’t know where to start don’t worry, start by thinking of three positive things that have happened to you today and write them down. Even if they are small things for example; if you had a tasty lunch today or your partner made you a cup of tea in the morning so you could spend a few more minutes in bed, they are all parts of your day that you can be thankful for. Gratitude is one of the most powerful mindsets and tools for improving our lives and how we feel about our life. Gratitude costs nothing, but it's a priceless gift to give yourself.
4. Exercising
Physical activity has a huge potential to improve your well-being. Whether it’s a 15-minute brisk walk to the shops or a trip to the gym, exercise will help to increase your concentration, energy and mood and is something you can do by yourself. As you might already know, when you exercise your body releases a number of different beneficial hormones such as cortisol and endorphins.
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Cortisol is often known as the stress hormone, an increase in cortisol has a positive effect on our response to stress, whilst endorphins help to relieve pain, reduce stress and improve your sense of well-being. Exercise also gives your brain something to focus on which can be used as a positive coping mechanism for difficult times. So remember, next time you want some alone time, taking a short 15 minute walk can help clear your mind from intrusive thoughts and give you the time to enjoy some time by yourself.
5. Guided meditation
Last, but not least, one of the best ways to give yourself some quiet time is through meditation. Meditation can give you a sense of calm and balance which will benefit your physical and overall mental wellbeing. Practising meditation can help you learn how to refocus yourself and stay centred even if your day is hectic.
Our mission at Morphée is to give welling the attention it deserves through meditation. Just a few minutes of quality time by yourself can help improve self-awareness, self-esteem, concentration and lower levels of stress and anxiety. Our tech-free meditation and sleep-devices were created with the guidance from sleep and wellness professionals to help you get a better night’s sleep. For beginners, using guided audio sessions is an easier way to start your meditation journey. Here is a little about how Morphée works:
- Sit comfortably with your eyes closed, take a deep breath in through the nose and out through the mouth
- Pick a theme and session from our device, you can choose between 8 guided sessions e.g. visualisations for breathing.
- Let yourself be guided by the voice that will help you relax and shift your attention from your thoughts to your body and breathing.
Over 300,000 customers already use Morphée meditation and relaxation devices to help them find a moment of quiet time for themselves to aid in their overall mental and physical health.
Remember, making time for yourself is a gift you have to give yourself every day.
