We, as a whole society, live in a chaotic world. We wake up to the sound of an alarm, for some people it’s a loud evacuation/danger sound (you iPhone users know what I’m talking about), for others it’s a constant high pitched beep…beep…beep and for some the sound of loud music does the trick. Once we are up we are buzzing from place to place like busy bees. We have to eat, get ready, sit in traffic on our way to to work or school, deal with people we don’t want to deal with, sit in traffic on our way home, drop the dog off at the groomers, go grocery shopping, oh shoot, did we forget the kids? Yeah, we need to pick them up too, oh, and take them to soccer practice, piano lessons and ballet of course. Oops, almost forgot, we have to make dinner too! With all these things to worry about and do, we often forget how to just sit back and relax. If you’re dealing with some stress or you simply haven’t found a way to sit back and let it go, maybe doing some of the following things can help set you at ease.

1. Grab a cup of tea
   So far throughout my life, especially now throughout college, I have found that one of the best things to do while stressed or anxious is to grab a cup of tea. Something about the soothingness of tea just seems to set the mind a bit more at ease. I have many tea flavors I go for but in times of stress, my go to is definitely green tea. I drink it either hot or cold and it is amazing! If you’re not a fan of just plain tea you may add sugar or make it a bit healthier by adding honey. My advice to you when picking tea is definitely go for the decaffeinated kind, especially if you want it to sooth you or a herbal tea which contains no caffeine will also be helpful to you.
2. Yoga
   Yes, I know, I know, I constantly mention yoga but I cannot stress enough how much of an impact this practice really does on the mind and body. Before getting into yoga I never quite understood how it had the potential of relaxing someone. After going to my first yoga class, I wasn’t so sure it was for me because hearing a bunch of other people breathing out was not relaxing to me at all. However, I decided to continue the practice at home using Yoga with Adriene and it really has made all the difference. If you’re feeling stressed, anxious or simply all over the place I would definitely recommend checking out her channel and giving it a go. Much like everything else in life, don’t expect it to work the first time, it may take a few times for you to get completely comfortable with the idea of yoga.
3. Coloring
   
   Who says coloring is just for little kids? The “in” thing now is mandalas for adults. Go ahead, grab yourself an adult coloring book, sharpen those coloring pencils and get coloring. You’ll realize soon that time will fly by as you spend your hour shading in the mandala of your choice.
   
4. Netflix/ On-Demand
   Now I know some people tend to binge watch shows, but for the stress and unrelaxed, making time to actually sit down and indulge in something doesn’t happen often. However, treating yourself to a new series may actually lead to the mind relaxing because it will be distracted from all that’s either going wrong or is causing stress. I’m not telling you to forget all responsibilities in life and lay in your bed watching hours upon hours of shows, I’m saying take an hour or two a day to sit back and enjoy something entertaining.
5. Bath
   Now  I know bathing isn’t for everyone, especially those of us thinking “bathing is like sitting in a tub of your own filth.” Yes, it may seem that way but boy is it relaxing! If you’re one of those that think bathing is gross, simply take a shower beforehand then you’ll just be sitting in a tub of your own cleanness. For a soothing bath I would suggest purchasing a Lush Bath Bomb, these can be quite expensive but they are made of natural ingredients that are good for you and leave your skin feeling amazing! If you do not wish to spend a lot of cash, then buy any bubble making product and swirl it into your bathtub. Once your tub is filled, place some candles around your bathroom, turn on that desired Netflix or soothing music and slip away to sweet bliss.

If you’re feeling stressed or anxious I hope you try out the above suggestions to relaxation. If there is anything you do that relaxes you, let me know in the comments so I can try it out too!