Tips to Relax in Just Five Minutes

By Randi Morse

Relaxing is extremely important for both your physical health and your mental health. The problem is that we live in a very demanding society, and if you're not working hard at your job you're likely working hard at home. While it would be amazing for everyone to have access to a personal chef or house cleaner, the unfortunate truth is that it's not generally a viable option. But you still need relaxation time. Here are a few ways that you can find some serious relaxation even if you only have five minutes. 

Dark chocolate - Dark chocolate is a fantastic way to get a little relaxation. Dark chocolate has chemicals in it that helps boost your mood and simply the act of eating and enjoying something sweet can help relax you.

Chewing gum - Stuck in annoying traffic? Break out the chewing gum! Chewing gum constantly is a bad habit, but using it to help you relax or lower your anxiety is actually a smart idea.

Five minute meditation - Just meditating for five minutes has been proven to lower stress and blood pressure levels. If you know you're going to be in a stressful meeting, take five minutes at your desk to meditate. It will help prepare you for anything stressful coming your way.

Take a deep breath - How often do you take a deep breath every day? Taking slow, full, very deep breaths is great for the body as it helps to get more oxygen in the system and it is also great for helping to relax the mind.

Progressive relaxation - Have you ever seen your cat go really rigid for a moment only to then fully relax? That's called progressive relaxation and you can do it too. Tense and relax your muscles, body part by body part. If you don't have time to do your whole body, focus on tensing and relaxing your arms, neck, shoulders, and upper back.

Massage your hands - Our hands go through so much every day, spending a little time massaging them can go a long way towards relaxing. 

Get a tennis ball - Running a tennis ball under your feet while you're at your desk can be a great way to help relax your feet, and your whole body. It's also something that can easily be done in an office setting.

Getting a little bit of relaxation every day is extremely important in order to allow your mind, and body, to reset. Steal five minutes a day to help keep your mental and physical health at peak performance.

To learn more about your health, wellness and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Annapolis, Md.