10 easy ways to destress this weekend
SLOWING down is easier said than done but with the coronavirus pandemic restricting our movements, we’ve had no choice but to revel in the mundane. The time is ripe to be mindful and reclaim some of our precious minutes back to use to nurture our bodies and our minds.
Here’s our easy guide to de-stressing to help you get through lockdown this weekend:
Skip the 10-minute shower in the morning and opt for a 30-minute bath. Where are you rushing to anyway? Bathing relaxes your muscles and relaxes your mind.
Stop checking the news every five minutes and go phone free while you go for your walk within your 2km radius.
We’ve upped our online usage by 50% since the pandemic started but too much screen time is still bad for us and causes stress.
Even though we’re trapped at home, we’re still rushing around doing projects. This is the one time in our lives where we have time in abundance. Allocating even 30 minutes to doing nothing is proven to spark creativity.
Enjoy your food. Rather than gulping down your morning coffee and having lunch on the go, now’s your chance to enjoy family meals. Slowly chewing and savouring the flavour reminds us to enjoy the simple pleasures in life.
Start your morning with a short workout or yoga practice and you’ll wake up your muscles and help yourself to psychologically prepare for the day.
If you’ve got kids, they aren’t going anywhere so it’s important to take five minutes meditation for yourself. Or if naps are your thing, allocate time out for yourself and your partner.
Watch a sunrise or sunset. Research suggests appreciating nature expands time and enhances well-being.
Take five minutes to declutter your living space. The phrase rings true – tidy house, tidy mind.
Experience the moment instead of recording it. We’re all guilty of whipping out our phones when our kids do something funny or we see a beautiful thing in nature. But this really takes away from the experience and we’re not living in the now.
Make music part of your weekend and dance, a real mood booster. Or connect with your inner child by colouring in as it helps both sides of the brain to slow down.