Five Tips

One of my favorite blogs, Meals & Moves by Janetha M. is doing the most delightful series of guest posts called “Three Tips,” so I thought I’d pay homage and do my own Five Tips series!

image from here.

Five Tips on Unwinding by Ali

It used to be really hard for me to relax. I would run all day and collapse exhausted. Sleep wasn’t restful, and I was often on edge. The great thing is that in only five minutes a day-literally-I can transform a stressful day into a clear, focused one in just five minutes of unwinding.

1. Unwinding doesn’t take as long as you think

You don’t need to spend all night at a bar, or watch six hours of TV in your pajamas to successfully relax. And #2 is why…

2. Unwinding is monotasking

Just do one thing: focus on relaxing. Don’t look at the phone, don’t talk to anyone, don’t put the TV on, don’t work on a project. I don’t even like when my perfect, beautiful, cuddly dogs walk up to my when I’m really into unwinding.

3. Exercise is not always good for unwinding

Often times, exercise is good for unwinding. There are lots of folks for whom this is the perfect unwind. However, exercise may come with a whole basket of pressures that amp up your anxiety. Be mindful.

4. You have all you need to unwind right now

It’s okay if you just ate three brownies. It’s okay if you don’t feel well. (Perhaps from eating three brownies?) It’s okay if you’re crying, or naked, or unshowered, or in an unfamiliar place, or feel terrible, or feel wonderful…You can take five minutes to relax

5. Unwinding feels better than you remember…every single time.

It’s not an easy thing to ask yourself to take this time to unwind, especially when we have these super-fun gadgets to play with and rad things to do with our lives. But every time I gift myself this time, I ask myself why I don’t do it more often.