By Devanshi Thakkar

Take a deep breath. Hold it for a moment, and then exhale. Feel more relaxed? Breathing exercises are one way to relax. Here you will learn about different ways to relax your mind and body. Being relaxed can help ease stress. It can also relieve anxiety, depression, and sleep problems.

• To relax means to calm the mind, the body, or both.
• Relaxing can quiet your mind and make you feel peaceful and calm. Your body also reacts when you relax. For example, your muscles may be less tense and more flexible.
• There are different ways to relax. You may find one or more ways to help to calm you down and feel at peace.

How can you relax your mind and body?

There are lots of ways to relax—some forms designed to relax your mind and some to relax your body.

You may want to try one or more of the following relaxation tips to see what works best for you.

1.Help yourself to a little honey.

From our buzzy friends, the amber elixir may help relieve anxiety, fight off depression, and even protect the brain Trusted Source.

Drizzle honey in your tea, coffee, yogurt, or go straight for the jar with a spoon. The sweet stuff also works for a quick energy boost.

2.Visualize what you want or need

Creative visualization is a mindfulness exercise developed by Shakti Gawain in her book Creative Visualization. The technique involves mentally imagining what you want to happen in your life or how you want to feel. It can slay stress fast.

3.Take your frustration out on a stress ball

It’s OK to be angry at times. Stress can bring on rage, and what’s important is how you deal with that fiery emotion. It might be tempting to throw your laptop out the nearest office window or lay on your horn in traffic, but squeezing a stress ball is a safer — and cheaper — option.

4.Find some alone time.

A hot soak in the company of bath bombs and candles might sound perfect, but any space that gives you privacy will work. All you need is five minutes of alone time to get you a wee bit closer to calm.

5.Stare out the window

Permit yourself to do absolutely nothing but gaze. Looking at nature scenes like trees and public parks can be more relaxing than staring at a tech screen. But even if nature is nowhere near, just viewing the outside world for a few minutes might get you out of your head.

6.Get your heart rate up.

The hustle and bustle of the day can leave you feeling burnt out. Getting the blood and endorphins flowing can reinvigorate you to tackle whatever task is at hand.

Bust out some burpees, jumping jacks, or push-ups. Or jog in place. Even brief bouts of exercise can help beat stress.

7. Listen to your favorite tunes.

Indeed you have a Spotify playlist to pep you up or soothe your soul. Crank it. Just listening to music has relaxation benefits; one study shows Trusted Source. And if you’re not going to bug anyone else, go ahead and sing along. You know you want to.

8.Laugh

Cue up some YouTube videos. Nothing busts a lousy mood quite as well as the giggles. Even science says laughter is the best medicine. But you can see for yourself. Get a load of these fitness-obsessed felines for a few chuckles.

9.Try progressive muscle relaxation. 

This process involves tensing and relaxing each muscle group. Progressive muscle relaxation can reduce anxiety and muscle tension. If you have trouble falling asleep, this method may also help with your sleep problems. When you relax your muscles, your body gets the signal that it is OK to fall asleep.

10.Pracyice Yoga

Yoga increases body awareness, relieves stress, reduces muscle tension, strain, and inflammation, sharpens attention and concentration, and calms and centers the nervous system. Yoga’s positive benefits on mental health have made it an essential practice tool of psychotherapy.