It’s not a luxury, but a need to take a mental health day in the hectic work environment of today. You can better manage life’s obstacles by recharging, revitalizing, and resetting your body and mind on a mental health day. Here are three strategies to relax and enjoy your day off to the most.
1. Visit a Spa or Get a Massage
After a long, stressful day of work, if one of your first thoughts is “where is the closest spa near me?” then you’re well on your way to finding an oasis of relaxation without breaking the travel budget. The simplest way of explaining the relaxing nature of massages is that you’re treated by professionals who understand how to make your body feel better, all while you yourself merely lay down and take in the enjoyable sensations of massage therapy. On a more scientific level, there is ample evidence to support the therapeutic benefits of massages. This includes improved circulation, decreased muscle tension, and increased mental and emotional well-being.
Aside from traditional massages, spas tend to include a range of other relaxation services such as facials, hot stone massages, and aromatherapy. Unsurprisingly, these are all intended to revitalize your body and mind.
Cortisol is the body’s main stress hormone, and a quick fix to reduce the amount of cortisol in your body is to engage in these treatments, which are conveniently almost all available at a local spa. With its peaceful ambiance and calming background music, a spa can help you detach from work-related stress and truly make your mental health a priority. Following your spa visit, expect to feel revitalized mentally and physically, full of energy and with an elevated mood.
2. Immerse Yourself in Nature
As an avid hiker myself, nothing can replace the good ole outdoors. Especially in an era of mobile devices and constant screen time, it can be easy to become stuck indoors often. But getting outside and witnessing all the beauty that the natural earth has to offer is truly breathtaking. A day immersed in nature encompasses strong mental and physical toughness, putting forth your best self to brave the various elements that nature may bring. This can include steep hills, rolling rocks, weather, and narrow downhill paths. Alternatively, you can also explore nature in a more traditionally relaxing setting, such as a picnic in a green park. Spending time in nature opens up your exposure to nature’s insects, sounds of the wind, and the soft touch of grass.
Going to a park can be as extensive as visiting a national park such as Shenandoah National Park in Virginia, or just visiting a park in your local town. Either way, the experience should increase your mindfulness if you remember to concentrate on the sights, sounds, and scents of your surroundings.
3. Practice Mindfulness and Meditation
Meditation and mindfulness are useful techniques for lowering stress and fostering emotional well-being that have been around for thousands of years of recorded human history. Being mindful entails focusing entirely on the here and now – otherwise known as the present moment – while objectively examining your thoughts and emotions. Meanwhile, meditation is a relaxation technique that can support the development of consciousness and inner peace.
Mindfulness and meditation are achievable in a number of ways, and with consistent practice, both can become routine aspects of your daily life. A guided meditation session using a mobile app like Headspace or Calm is a great place to start, since the paid version of these apps come with hundreds of scripts that can be catered to the type of relaxation you’re seeking. If you’re looking to stay away from technology and get a more in-person experience, you want to make your way to a local retreat or meditation class. Here, you can learn alongside like minded individuals how to slow down your thoughts and re-establish a connection with yourself with mindful solo walking and deep breathing. You may think these are easy, simple parts of everyday life but until you actually focus on them specifically, you may learn that the art of breathing is a lot more complex than initially thought.
It’s important to incorporate some aspect of meditation or mindfulness into your life if you are looking for sustained mental calmness. If the goal is to incorporate more mental peace until your work life, then don’t worry about utilizing these practices after work or waiting until the weekend. Planning out (in advance) occasional days off will break up your week into smaller segments every once in a while, lessen your workload, and allow you to more greatly appreciate the journey of life.
