For most people, lying on a couch while watching the television is what it means to relax, but that’s far from the truth. Sure, you may feel comfortable doing it, but it’s in no way relieving you from stress. You may even develop back pain if you do it for a long time. Simply put, there’s more to relaxing than you think, and a real relaxation technique relieves you from not only stress but also pain. Below are four tips for achieving pure relaxation and managing pain:
- Learn About Therapeutic Techniques
Dozens of therapeutic techniques exist out there. Some may exercise the mind, while others aim for relaxation. Either way, the best method should be one that fits your lifestyle, schedule, and diet, which is why a therapeutic technique may work for your friend but not for you. Here are some of the top options:
- Deep breathing
- Progressive muscle relaxation
- Meditation
- Yoga
- Tai chi
Another therapeutic technique that’s trendy nowadays is red light therapy. Although its concept is a bit unique, it’s showing great results for many people. This article explains everything you need to know about it.
When choosing a technique, make sure to set a schedule to perform these therapeutic techniques. Moreover, even with the best technique, you shouldn’t expect that there will only be positive results. It’ll mostly be a cycle of ups and downs, so there’s no use getting too impatient. What you can do is complement the technique with proper diet.
- Monitor Your Diet
Fitness enthusiasts often mention the importance of achieving a healthy diet, and it’s quite understandable that food can affect your body. On the other hand, it’s a bit absurd if you think about how food can impact your relaxation, but it does.
The reason for this is that neurotransmitters in your brain decide whether you can relax or not, so as long as you can influence these compounds, you can also control your mood.
One way to do that is by eating food that stimulates the nutrients in your brain. Studies found that the following types of food and beverage may help reduce anxiety and brighten your mood:
- Salmon
- Chamomile
- Dark chocolate
- Turmeric
- Green tea
However, if your main goal is to relieve pain, you can consume these foods instead:
- Ginger
- Pumpkin seeds
- Virgin olive oil
- Blueberries
- Mint
- Chili peppers
As you can see, achieving relaxation and managing pain is easier as you think, as long as you can spare some effort or money. However, achieving a balanced diet requires moderation, and too much of anything can be a bad thing.
- Connect With Nature
Believe it or not, connecting with nature has a lot of benefits. It can brighten your mood, reduce stress and anxiety, improve your self-esteem, and even improve your physical health.
As previously said, you can do this by going outside and breathing the fresh air every now and then, but there are other ways to connect with nature, such as:
- Watching the sunset
- Growing plants
- Hugging a tree
- Lying in the grass
- Having a picnic outdoors
Connecting with nature is as easy as that, but there’s an even easier way. For example, scientists have found that staring at images of greeneries or nature sceneries can have an immediate benefit to your mood, which proves just how powerful nature can be.
Speaking of which, just like how you should connect with nature, it’s also advisable to avoid things that can be considered the opposite—technology.
- Stay Away From Devices
Devices such as smartphones and tablets use blue light for their screens. You may not be familiar with ‘blue light,’ but you can be sure that it does more harm than good to your body.
For starters, blue light prevents your mind from sleeping, which is why sometimes, your body desperately needs a rest, but you simply can’t sleep.
Perhaps you watched the television all night, or maybe you were texting someone a few minutes ago. Either way, you can’t hope to sleep soundly if you keep using your gadgets, and this lack of sleep will eventually lead to anxiety and your inability to relax. Pain is also inevitable.
For that reason, one of the best things you can do to relax is avoiding devices, and not just those with blue light, but gadgets altogether. You’ll be surprised how big of a difference this can make.
Conclusion
No matter what you do for a living or what your hobbies are, you’ll eventually face stress, anxiety, and constant pain. Although these things are unavoidable, you can minimize them to improve your quality of life, and these following these tips can be your first step in doing so.
