Ways To Wind Down At Home When Feeling Stressed

Winding down at home may not always be easy. If you have had a busy day working from home or know you have lots of chores to do, it can be easy to let them get the best of you. Even if you do not spend all day at home, you can often feel uneasy when you get home after a long day. But, your home should act as your haven and the place you go to wind down. It is important to get downtime to ensure that you have a healthy work-life balance. Without a balance, you feel burn out and feel more stressed than you need to. If you are trying to find ways to wind down at home, enjoy winding down at home, and reduce stress here’s more. 

Give in to your cravings

Cravings should not always be considered a bad thing. Every once in a while you need to let go and give in. If you don’t, then you may crack under pressure and lack a healthy and balanced lifestyle for the majority of the time. Whether you want to enjoy some snacks on the sofa or watch an old TV show for the entirety of Sunday, then so be it. 

For instance, you enjoy watching shows about criminals shoplifting from walmart. If so, then watch those shows in your spare time. You should give in to your entertainment cravings once in a while to allow yourself to switch off.

You may often feel like you can’t wind down at home due to feeling like you have things to do. If so, then get the chores out of the way first. When they are done, you can reward yourself with your cravings. With it feeling more like a treat, you will allow yourself to wind down properly and enjoy your downtime. 

Take a warm bath

A bath is one of the most effective ways to calm your mind and your body. But, not when it’s too hot. Thus, when you have a bath at home to wind down, ensure that it is a good temperature. This will ensure you do not overheat and will encourage you to spend longer in the tub. 

With a wind-down bath, you can add bath salts to relax your muscles. Adding candles can also soothe the mind as some scents can promote calmness and emotional control. If you enjoy watching series, reading books, or drinking tea, these can be taken it with you too. You should make your bath your own and take your favorite hobbies into the bath (those that are appropriate anyway) to encourage you to spend longer relaxing. 

Read a book

Speaking of reading in the tub, you may enjoy doing this on the sofa, in bed, or in the garden too. Winding down and indulging in a good book is a great way to take your mind off of the day. 

Wherever you prefer to read, take your time and settle there for a while. The more comfortable you are, the more time you are likely to spend unwinding and relaxing. 

If you often feel stressed at work, on a commute, or find it difficult to take your mind off of things on holiday, reading a book can help. You can read them anywhere. Taking half an hour to read a chapter or two can calm the mind and help you regain control and focus. 

Candle-lit yoga

Yoga is a great practice for stressful days. Using it to energize the body before the day, or winding down after work, is ideal to de-stress both the mind and the body. 

Candle-lit yoga is ideal for when you are finding it difficult to de-focus on stressors and focus on calming your mind. A dim-lit room will help you relax and focus on the practice at present. With the candle-lit, you can add some zen music to help you maintain focus on the yoga. 

Yoga can help your mind focus on the present, find gratitude, and happiness within yourself. After practice, you will feel rewarded mentally and feel great for taking time to stretch and unwind on your mat. 

For those that find it difficult to rest properly and get a good night’s sleep, doing yoga before bed can help. A stretch class will calm the mind and relax the muscles, which will help you drift off into a well-rested sleep. 

Hydrate

Although having a drink may not sound like practice to help you relax, it really can. Staying hydrated can amazing mindfulness benefits. Drinking enough water can help to reduce heart rate, fight fatigue, and stress. 

If you find yourself reaching for a glass of wine or a beer in the evening, try swapping that for herbal tea or a glass of cold water. Healthier choices will likely feel you better physically and mentally. 

Journal

For those that often feel they are bad at relaxing at home due to having a lot of your mind, then try journaling. Writing down your thoughts and ideas is a good way to take the weight off of your mind.

You can write down thoughts, plan your week, or even get creative and write a story or a poem. Journaling is a great way to let your mind feel freer. After you have written down what you need to, you will likely have less on your mind and manage to be able to maintain focus on more mindful activities. If you feel very stressed before winding down for the evening, it can help to start by journaling. Then, you can go on to doing some bedtime yoga or having a warm bath. 

Cook when you have more time

Although some people may find cooking stressful, you may only feel that way when you know you need to put a meal on the table by a certain time. 

You could spend your weekends cooking and trying new flavors and recipes that you haven’t tried before. Instead of rushing your cooking and trialing new dishes in the week, it is best to practice when you have more time. Thus, the weekends are ideal for trying out new recipes. 

You could spend the day sourcing ingredients and get inventive in the kitchen. Not having a set timeframe will allow you to take your time, add your twist, and rekindle your love for cooking. 

For those that often feel stressed in the week due to having to cook a fresh meal every night, then you could use your weekend cooking time to meal prep. Whatever you cook up, you can divide them into meals and then reheat them in the week. This way, you won’t have to worry about cooking each night and know that you are going to enjoy a delicious meal that is already prepared. 

Dance to music

Dancing in your home might feel like a weird hobby at first. But, when you get in the swing of it, you can have so much fun. 

Although some might find dancing an exercise activity, it is a great way to let out stress and focus on the moment. Whether you are alone or with loved ones, you can put on your favorite songs and dance around the house. You could even do this while cooking or cleaning. Dancing is a great way to improve your mood and let go of all the stressful thoughts that are clouding your mind. 

In time, dancing at home will feel natural and you might find yourself doing it in the evening to wind down. It will release tension in the mind and body and help you feel relaxed before bed. 

You could even dance around the kitchen in the morning with your coffee. Your home is your haven and you should use it to your advantage. If you enjoy a song in the dance at a random time of day, then go for it and let your hair down. 

Take time for a morning drink

Speaking of a morning coffee, ensuring you take time for a morning drink (or even a spot for breakfast) will guarantee you a better start to the day. If you often roll out of bed 10 minutes before you need to leave for work, then you are likely to feel rushed and stressed. An unorganized start to your day will decrease your productivity levels and may make you feel unnecessarily stressed. 

Instead, ensure you get up on time and allow yourself to have a morning coffee, juice, or glass of water. During this time, you can gather your thoughts, maybe even write a daily schedule, to help you feel productive and organized.

Bottom line

We can often lose track of time and home and not use the downtime wisely. Instead, ensuring your get enough time to wind down and enjoy your favorite hobbies will help you feel less stressed and much happier day-to-day. Try giving into cravings, take time to stretch, or dance around the home and see how much lighter you feel.