{"id":10682,"date":"2012-06-12T23:04:01","date_gmt":"2012-06-13T07:04:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/?p=10682"},"modified":"2013-09-18T14:01:04","modified_gmt":"2013-09-18T22:01:04","slug":"5-ways-to-relax","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/5-ways-to-relax\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Ways to Relax"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

<\/a><\/p>\n

You may often find yourself wishing you could put your feet up, breathe a little easier and simply relax. And it doesn\u2019t matter if it\u2019s only for a few minutes.<\/p>\n

During those times of relaxation, your body is able to re-energize itself. You know this for a fact but then get too busy with all the million things you have to do and don\u2019t get any change to unwind.<\/p>\n

Still, even when your days are jam-packed, you can relax. There are so many simple things you can do to relax and the best part is they hardly take up a great deal of time nor do you have to have fancy equipment.<\/p>\n

So here are 5 simple things you can do to help yourself relax and re-energize:<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. At the supermarket where the lines are long and there aren\u2019t many cashiers to check customers out. <\/strong>Don\u2019t stress out! This is an opportunity for you to relax.<\/p>\n

Instead of getting stressed out about how long you\u2019re going to wait in line, take deep breaths. When you take deep breaths, you\u2019re actually helping improve your blood flow, as more oxygen is getting carried through your bloodstream. This helps your body recharge itself.<\/p>\n

Try taking five deep breaths slowly. Make sure you inhale deeply through your nose and then exhale deeply out your mouth.<\/p>\n

Deep breathing won\u2019t just relax your body. Your mind will be clearer, getting you out of a brain fog and you\u2019ll even be more alert.<\/p>\n

Whether you\u2019re head needs to be cleared or you need to shake off some stress, try deep breathing. You don\u2019t even need to find a special place to do this simple technique either; just start taking a few deep breaths wherever you happen to be and you\u2019ll feel a lot better in a few minutes.<\/p>\n

2. At work<\/strong>, it can be difficult to really get any relaxation done. In fact, if you\u2019re caught \u201crelaxing\u201d at work, it could be a strike against you.<\/p>\n

Still, that doesn\u2019t mean you can\u2019t relax at work. You can do relaxation techniques that aren\u2019t obvious to anyone who might be observing you.<\/p>\n

Do you spend hours sitting in front of the computer most of your work day? If you do, get up every hour just to stretch your body. Stretching helps get the blood flowing throughout your body.<\/p>\n

This simple technique will keep you from feeling tired. Instead you\u2019ll become more focused and alert at work, and this will help you be ever more productive.<\/p>\n

While you\u2019re at your desk, take a few minutes every half hour or so to close your eyes and move your head front to back and side to side. This simple relaxation technique will release any tension in your neck and promote better blood flow to your brain.<\/p>\n

But what if your work requires you stand on your feet for the most part of the day? Take a few minutes every once in a while to stretch your back and sides. This technique will help in relieving tension throughout your body because your spine and back muscles will loosen up.<\/p>\n

When you\u2019re on your break or having your lunch, take a short walk. Walking is such a simple activity that gives tremendous benefits. You\u2019ll not just clear your head while you walk, you\u2019ll be exercising your body too.<\/p>\n

3. Just daydream<\/strong>, if you\u2019ve got a busy, full day, take a minute or two to do this. When you daydream, you let your imagination go and this simple act of letting yourself go will give you instant stress relief. Who doesn\u2019t need a few minutes to escape from the real world? I know I could use it every now and then.<\/p>\n

What place or experience makes you happy or calm? Imagine how that place or experience smells. How does the air feel? Is there anyone there with you? If there is, who is that person?<\/p>\n

Even just 5 minutes of daydreaming will help you be more relaxed. When you snap out of your daydream, you\u2019ll feel energized again and ready to take on the real world.<\/p>\n

4. Smile<\/strong>, no matter where you happen to be. You don\u2019t have to have a reason to smile. It\u2019s been proven that smiling relaxes and rejuvenates the body.<\/p>\n

When you\u2019re out in public, make sure to smile at the people you pass by. Smile at the people at work. You\u2019re not the only one who\u2019ll be relaxed. Your smile will help others relax as well.<\/p>\n

If you have small children, make sure you have a smile on your face whenever you\u2019re interacting or doing something with them.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s impossible to be in a bad mood when you\u2019re smiling, and this will help your kids enjoy their time with you because they know you\u2019re in a peaceful, happy environment.<\/p>\n

5. Laugh it off.<\/strong> Having a hard day? You\u2019ll get an instant relief of stress by laughing. Of course, if you suddenly burst out laughing when you\u2019re at the supermarket or you\u2019re at your desk at work, others might perceive you as a nut case. So these may not be the best times to do this relaxation technique.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a good idea if you have someone to laugh with you. For instance, when it\u2019s appropriate, tell a co-worker a funny story or joke. While you\u2019re driving your kids to school, sing silly songs with them. When you\u2019re in front of your computer, search the internet and watch a couple of funny videos.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

When you do these simple techniques for relaxation, you\u2019ll see that you\u2019re able to get through your day easily and with the least amount of stress.<\/p>\n

And when you do get home, you\u2019ll find it so much easier to unwind. Once you\u2019ve mastered the simple art of how to relax, your family, friends and co-workers are going to love the new you.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Lea is a certified life coach and conscious living advocate. She enjoys helping others reach their potential and achieve true happiness. Start paving your path to happiness with a free copy of the Redesign Your Life<\/span> eBook at <\/em>LeadingEdgeAdvocate.com<\/em><\/a>. Connect with her on <\/em>Facebook<\/em><\/a> and <\/em>Twitter<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You may often find yourself wishing you could put your feet up, breathe a little easier and simply relax. And it doesn\u2019t matter if it\u2019s only for a few minutes.<\/p>\n

During those times of relaxation, your body is able to re-energize itself. You know this for a fact but then get too busy with all the million things you have to do and don\u2019t get any change to unwind. Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12163,"featured_media":10683,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[6],"tags":[846,66,1437,1035,4629,274],"yoast_head":"\n5 Ways to Relax - Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"You may often find yourself wishing you could put your feet up, breathe a little easier and simply relax. And it doesn\u2019t matter if it\u2019s only for a few minutes.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/5-ways-to-relax\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"5 Ways to Relax - Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"You may often find yourself wishing you could put your feet up, breathe a little easier and simply relax. And it doesn\u2019t matter if it\u2019s only for a few minutes.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/5-ways-to-relax\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pickthebrain\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2012-06-13T07:04:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2013-09-18T22:01:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/ptb-fb-profpic2-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"300\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"300\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@pickthebrain\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@pickthebrain\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Erin Falconer\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/5-ways-to-relax\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/bigstock-Hammock-1631618.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/bigstock-Hammock-1631618.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/5-ways-to-relax\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/5-ways-to-relax\/\",\"name\":\"5 Ways to Relax - Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/5-ways-to-relax\/#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2012-06-13T07:04:01+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2013-09-18T22:01:04+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2da8ae162c097bdb749ab098472b4cc5\"},\"description\":\"You may often find yourself wishing you could put your feet up, breathe a little easier and simply relax. And it doesn\u2019t matter if it\u2019s only for a few minutes.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/5-ways-to-relax\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/5-ways-to-relax\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/5-ways-to-relax\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"5 Ways to Relax\"}]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2da8ae162c097bdb749ab098472b4cc5\",\"name\":\"Erin Falconer\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1173c63284b173ff225e5f87a1af5028?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1173c63284b173ff225e5f87a1af5028?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Erin Falconer\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/author\/erin\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"5 Ways to Relax - Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement","description":"You may often find yourself wishing you could put your feet up, breathe a little easier and simply relax. And it doesn\u2019t matter if it\u2019s only for a few minutes.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/5-ways-to-relax\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"5 Ways to Relax - Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement","og_description":"You may often find yourself wishing you could put your feet up, breathe a little easier and simply relax. And it doesn\u2019t matter if it\u2019s only for a few minutes.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/5-ways-to-relax\/","og_site_name":"Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement","article_publisher":"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pickthebrain","article_published_time":"2012-06-13T07:04:01+00:00","article_modified_time":"2013-09-18T22:01:04+00:00","og_image":[{"width":300,"height":300,"url":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/ptb-fb-profpic2-1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary","twitter_creator":"@pickthebrain","twitter_site":"@pickthebrain","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Erin Falconer","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/","name":"Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/5-ways-to-relax\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/bigstock-Hammock-1631618.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/bigstock-Hammock-1631618.jpg"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/5-ways-to-relax\/#webpage","url":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/5-ways-to-relax\/","name":"5 Ways to Relax - Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/5-ways-to-relax\/#primaryimage"},"datePublished":"2012-06-13T07:04:01+00:00","dateModified":"2013-09-18T22:01:04+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2da8ae162c097bdb749ab098472b4cc5"},"description":"You may often find yourself wishing you could put your feet up, breathe a little easier and simply relax. And it doesn\u2019t matter if it\u2019s only for a few minutes.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/5-ways-to-relax\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/5-ways-to-relax\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/5-ways-to-relax\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"5 Ways to Relax"}]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2da8ae162c097bdb749ab098472b4cc5","name":"Erin Falconer","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1173c63284b173ff225e5f87a1af5028?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1173c63284b173ff225e5f87a1af5028?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Erin Falconer"},"url":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/author\/erin\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10682"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12163"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10682"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10682\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10683"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10682"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10682"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10682"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}