5 Healthy Ways To Decompress and Unwind

Stress is a normal part of life and the body’s way of responding to events. However too much stress, often those daily things that pile up exponentially can have serious consequences to your mental and physical health.

Symptoms of chronic fatigue and stress include sleep problems, joint pains, sore throat, headaches, and problem concentrating. If you are feeling these signs, it might be time to take a break. Here are science-backed ways on how to decompress that you can do today:

How to Decompress After a Long Day

Get Active

Moving your body may be the last thing you want to do after a long and tiring day, but keeping active may help release your stress while reaping its fitness benefits.

Cardio and Strength Training

Doing cardio and strength training exercises trigger the release of chemical messengers such as dopamine and endorphins. These feel-good neurotransmitters are responsible for reward, motivation, memory, attention, and even regulating body movements and endorphins that help relieve pain and stress.

If you are not a fan of the gym or home workouts, here are a lot of other things you can try to keep you active.

Joining a Team Sports

Playing sports after work benefits not only your physical and mental health but also encourages social interaction.

There may be some sports you might want to revisit or try out. Some workplaces have sports clubs where you can be a part of and play with your work buddies. Otherwise, if you want to completely detach from the work environment, there are a lot of other clubs where you can be a member.

Taking a Walk

Give yourself time to wander around the neighborhood without worrying about anything. If possible, leave your phone at home and try not to think about anything. If you are working indoors, taking a walk allows you to go out, breathe some fresh air, and be closer to nature.

Meditate

Meditation has been proven to be an effective way to manage stress, anxiety, depression, and promote overall well-being. It can be practiced at your own pace at your own time.

You don’t need a meditation room, just a nice comfortable spot would suffice. If you are a beginner, 5-10 minutes of mindfulness meditation a day could be a good start. Take deep breaths and focus on your breathing. Be mindful of your thoughts as you go.

Meditation practice allows you to recognize your thoughts and become more aware of your mind’s activity so you can focus more on the important things at hand.

Take a Warm Soak

A good shower after a long day is physically invigorating and refreshing. But did you know that a warm bath an hour or two before sleep can have significant benefits for decompression?

If you are stressed from a hectic day, taking a warm shower can help relieve burnout. Stress causes the muscles to contract and get tensed therefore giving you a headache, muscle, and joint discomfort. Taking a warm bath may help relieve your muscle soreness and tension.

Also, a warm bath or shower can help you improve your sleep quality by increasing your body temperature.

Get a Massage

Massage is an effective treatment that helps decrease stress by lowering your heart rate, relieving muscle tension, and releasing endorphins.

While more research is needed to confirm the benefits of massage, some studies have found massage may also be helpful for:

Anxiety
Headaches
Digestive disorders
Fibromyalgia (a condition characterized by multisite musculoskeletal pain accompanied by sleep, fatigue, memory, and mood issues.
Insomnia related to stress
Muscle pain
Soft tissue strains or injuries
Jaw pain

An hour of massage can make a difference in calming your nerves. Even more, you and your partner can take turns in giving massages to each other.

Disconnect From Social Networking Sites

When you finish your task for the day, the first thing you probably want to do is to detach yourself from work-related matters.

For sure, this is possible by going out of the office. However, we are not confined to the four corners of the office anymore. Work can be anywhere as long as you have your phone and the internet. This is especially true amid the current pandemic.

Detaching from work also means disconnecting yourself mentally. When you finish work, give yourself a favor and try to stay away from your phone, or better yet, turn off your notifications while spending time for yourself, your friends, or your family.

Knowing how to decompress is an essential life hack that you can incorporate into your routine. Positively unloading your stress through these strategies can greatly benefit your mental and physical health.

Feeling burnt out and lethargic? Let us know how we can help you. Opt Health helps reconnect men with life, sexual vitality, and wellness. Get personalized support and insight from top-tier physicians, completely available for you 24/7. Contact us today or leave a comment below.

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