Have you returned from a stressful day and you are trying to figure out the best ways to cool off and relax? Don’t worry, you are one step closer to relaxing those stressed muscles and nerves.
Incredibly, 33% of individuals suffer from stress. The cause of concern amongst doctors is not the percentage, but the fact that this figure is continuously increasing.
Interested in knowing why you feel the way you do right now? Here goes.
What Happens When You are Stressed
During a stressful day, cortisol, which is the primary stress hormone, builds up. Unchecked, it leads to an increase in blood sugar levels and an enhancement of the brain’s use of glucose. This causes an increase in the availability of substances that repair tissues.
The end result of these internal activities is fatigue, headaches, irritability, anxiety, or depression. Often times, it can also lead to weight gain, increased blood pressure, etc.
When these conditions are not managed, they tend to pose an even greater threat to life itself.
But don’t worry, with the right activities, none of these will happen. Here are some things that will help you relax and cool off irrespective of your present state.
4 Ways to Cool Off after a Stressful Day
1. Go for a Massage
You don’t even need to wait till you become stressed to get a massage. A massage saves the day anytime and anywhere.
A top massage therapist was asked what a massage does to a person? He responded by saying that “it touches the body, heals the mind and calms the spirit.”
Regular massages are important if you want to escape the side effects of a stressful day. This might sound so cliche, but the outcome of having one is always terrific.
It might interest you to know that a simple body massage reduces your tensed muscle fibers, and stress hormone level. It also enhances your muscle relaxation, and even improves blood circulation.
Another massage therapist left you this message, “there are 3 things you must do today: schedule a massage, get a massage, and schedule your next massage.
Why not humor him and watch the magic that happens to your body right now.
Related: Take a Break: 5 Ways to Relax After a Long Day
2. Rest
It’s true that your schedule may be pumped full and your to-do-list not marked completed, but you have to do it.
Rest is a necessity you cannot afford to trifle with. It helps the body withdraw from the usual daily activities. During this time, it militates against fatigue, headaches, and all those pieces of baggage you acquired from your stressful day.
Yet another medical fact from our doctors. They told us that the best form of rest is sleep. Of the five stages of sleep, doctors agree that REM sleep is the most essential of all, for feeling rested and relaxed. This is the kind of sleep that is deep enough for a dream.
An average healthy adult gets about 1 to 2 hours of deep sleep per 8 hours of nightly sleep. So, it’s recommended that you have enough sleep and a deep one at that.
This is because sleep temporarily shuts down the body, allowing your body to undergo repairs as well as a boost in preparation for a new day.
Simply put, rest and sleep are potent tools to forestall the side effects of a long day. Try to observe a quality rest or sleep and see how rejuvenated and relaxed you become when you wake up.
3. Exercise
Photo: Unsplash 
Before you grunt in surprise, remember the emphasis on the word ‘light’. Not a believer in the power of light exercises? Our scientists may be able to convince you.
They discovered after a study that the more time people spend doing light exercises, the more they reduced stress. This likewise decreased their risk of developing cardiovascular diseases.
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In this study, light-intensity exercise appeared to be more important than high-intensity physical exercise which they took into consideration.
A light exercise like walking slowly, vacuuming, golfing or bowling gives your body the much-needed relaxation it requires to stay healthy. It eases the body of tension, fatigue, stress, and stress-related headaches.
4. Pray, meditate, or do both
Ever wondered why monks spend hours meditating every day? If you think it’s just for spiritual reasons, then this information is yours for grabs.
One main reason why monks undergo daily routines of meditation is that they have observed its health benefits. Short meditation asides from spiritual growth can promote health and vitality, as well as ensure the relaxation of your body. And what about the mind?? Nothing is busier than human minds, and unless you purposefully cool off, mind chats on like a nag!
If properly done, it can increase your energy, relieve stress, and anxiety. Many celebrities who cannot observe the lifestyle of monks resort to doing yoga to build mindfulness and ease off stress.
Little wonder why mental-health care practitioners recommend habitual meditation as a cure to stress. Do try to add a meditation session to your itinerary and see the wonders it does in helping your body relax.
Conclusion
Day by day, it becomes increasingly more difficult to relax due to our ever-increasing responsibilities. But when it comes to your health, you have every right to be selfish. Your body needs to cool off and reset for the next day. So don’t shirk on your duties, but always find time to do whatever it takes to help your body get the relaxation it very much needs.
