De-Stressing and Relaxing Tips

Life can be very stressful at times no matter how old you are.

Sometimes you just need to de-stress and have a bit of me time which will help you to kind of cool down and let go of the stressful thoughts which are currently clogging up your brain.

I'm going to share with you some of my tips on how to de-stress.

1. Go for a walk outside
Sometimes being inside is the problem because you could be stuck in your bedroom or in the library or somewhere and everything is just getting to you. I suggest going for a walk outside. Grab your iPod or however it is you listen to music and just go for a walk outside. I find this to be relaxing because I'm getting fresh air and it's just kind of relaxing to move around. You're not focusing on the stresses your currently facing and you're just thinking about where you're going or even the weather. Even just going for a walk to the shop will de-stress you because you're focused on getting what you need. Then when you go back to working, you'll find you have a clearer head and you can carry on feeling more relaxed than you were before.

2. Tidy up
I don't know about you but I cannot work knowing if my room or work space is a mess. If I try working then my mind will just be thinking about the mess and it'll stress you out. Just take a moment to tidy your surroundings because then you'll feel at ease and I don't know about you but when I've tidied my bedroom, I feel so productive and want to do productive things e.g work.

3, Cosy environment
Sometimes putting yourself in a cosy environment is the perfect de-stress. For me it's going into my bedroom and turning on my fairy lights and just having dim lighting. I feel relaxed with a cup of tea and a good book or even a film. That's my relaxing strategy because I feel cosy and my mind is just focused on the book or the film and I'm not worrying about the next day.

4. Pamper Yourself
I don't know about you but when I have a little mini pamper session of face masks and cleansing my skin. It's very relaxing to me because I feel like my body is having a good clean. When I feel nice and clean then it's one less thing to worry about and it's a really good feeling when you're all pampered up. Just have a bit of me-time to destress the worries away. Even having a bath is a great destress. Unfortunately at uni I don't have a bath so I just have to make do with the shower.

5. Switch off 
Sometimes putting away your laptop and phone and just switching off the from the internet world can be a big de-stresser because sometimes it can be really stressful focusing on social media. You could be feeling like why isn't my friend messaging me back? Everyone's hanging out somewhere and you're not invited? Why does this person not talk to me anymore? It can be really stressful so the best thing to do is forget about and turn things off. Just take some time offline. If anyone really wants to get in touch with you then they have your number so don't worry. Just do something offline whether it is reading a book or watch a film. Even try something different like drawing or even baking something. Just distract yourself from the online world and you'll feel more relaxed and happy.

6. Go on a little day trip
Where I live in the north of England, I have so many cities nearby which costs under £10 to get to by train. I have places like Manchester, Liverpool, Chester and Blackpool nearby. Sometimes planning a little day trip, whether that's with friends or by yourself, kind of helps if you just want to relax and have good time rather than focus on the problems of real life. Just taking a break to go somewhere is so relaxing. Being able to take pictures and blog about them also makes me really happy. When I go on a day trip, I have to bring my camera because I know I will want to blog about my experiences when I get back. I find that relaxing because then I know in the future I can come back to my blog and read over the post about day trip and just remember what a good time I had. For me that's a very relaxing thought.

7. Meditate
I don't often meditate. Sometimes I can't get in the right mindset or I forget about meditation. However, there is this app I found a while ago when I was looking for apps to de-stress and this app is called Headspace. It's about ten minute session which basically helps to relax you and clear your mind. It's just a voiceover which is kind of a nice soothing voice which talks to you and helps you step by step to clear your mind or rather focus on yourself rather than on the world around you. I've done it about three times and it has helped me a bit to clear my mind.

8. Write It Down

Finally, the biggest thing for me to de-stress my problems is to just write them down in a journal. I love to journal especially if I'm in a bad mood or something's bothering me. I write it down in my journal and in a way I kind of feel relaxed that I've let all my thoughts and feelings out onto the paper. Sometimes letting out what's on your mind is really helpful if you want to destress.

9. Sleep

Sleeping is probably the most important things to do in life. Your body and your mind does need it's rest. Having a 7 to 8 hour sleep is what everyone needs to feel relaxed and less stressed out in the morning. I know I feel so much better if I've had over 7 hours sleep. I do feel groggy in the mornings but I'd feel a whole lot worse if I've had about 4 hours sleep. I suggest setting yourself a little routine both in the morning and evening. In the morning I set different alarms on different days. On Tuesdays and Wednesdays I set my alarm at 7am because I have a 9am on those days. I will press snooze once then I force myself to get up and go have breakfast. I do get back into bed with my breakfast but the fact that I'm awake is great. It's also nice because I know I have a bit of time to relax and catch up on a tv show or watch a YouTube video before I have to get ready to go.
I also set an alarm on Thursdays and Fridays for 9am because I have afternoon lectures that day so I kind of give myself a bit of a lie in on those days. Because I wake up at similiar times every week, my body clock wakes up naturally around those times of days which is really good.
In the evening, I wash my hair every other night. I prefer doing it in the evening because it means I don't have to worry about it in the morning. I go to my bedroom at about 9pm and get into my pyjamas and get into bed. I just try to do things that won't stress me out like watching a film or reading a book. I then switch everything off by 10:45pm then I try to get some sleep. Normally that does work if I'm not tempted to check my phone but sometimes I will if I can't sleep.

Anyway, that's all my de-stressing and relaxing tips. I hope you enjoyed this post and they were helpful to some of you.

I'll be back again tomorrow with another post.

See you then guys.

Megan x