How many times have you said things like:

I will take a break after this or

Just this last one, I want to quickly wrap this up…

A lot of times right?

Most times you believe you are easing off stress but you might want to ask yourself if you are really relaxing?

Hanging out with friends, reading a book, watching a movie or surfing the internet, might seem like a true dose of rest. However, while doing these, you get immersed and tired and the strain from all the activities above just add to the heightened anxiety that once existed.

It’s quite challenging, trying to adapt to this new normal as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Hence, it is important to actually rest – taking out time to think about nothing. Sometimes we believe that engaging in these activities (going to the club, sharing a drink, dinner at a restaurant) offer stress relief but being indoors for a while and having to work from home and not share working spaces with other people can take its toll on us. What this current situation has revealed to people all over the world is that a lot of us never get to truly rest. We only engage in the same routine and pile up emotions of anxiety, overwhelming situations and stress.

But this situation can be utilised by taking out time to rest. One doesn’t necessarily have to sleep, just laying on a couch or bed and bringing the mind to rest by understanding the tensed areas of the body and loosening it up can do the magic.

Another effective way of relieving stress is to take a stroll. Get immersed in nature, clear your thoughts and just enjoy the serenity that nature brings. Of course, this is one stress reliever that we should all adopt. 

Do away with your gadgets! Keep it far away from you. When you take a break from work or you have a rest time, truly, what do you catch yourself doing? Your phone right? A lot of us are constantly with our phones and computers and accessing different social media apps and we intend to relax by doing this. But you would most likely not feel refreshed afterwards.

Clearing your head from any form of anxiety can just involve simple activities like listening to music, meditating, drawing, visiting the spa or anything one is passionate about that doesn’t involve thinking of work. Sometimes, thoughts of work will try to creep in but just try to enjoy these little things.

For a better and healthy lifestyle, true rest is important. Taking our time to understand when the body craves for rest is key. This helps you know when to pause, take a break and hop on the rest train.