5 Simple Steps to Unwind After a Stressful Day

Learn how to unwind and relax after a stressful day. Discover effective strategies to reduce tension, headaches, and muscle pain.

You are done and you’ve had it. Today has been one of those days where co-workers are on your nerves, work tasks took too much time/effort and most of the meetings of the day could have been emails. Throw on top of that cake some icing such as having to deal with insurances, appointments, a call from the school and more, well, I think you get the picture.

Stress looks different for different people but results in a lot of the same symptoms. Tension, increases in cortisol, sore jaw, headaches, aching teeth, tight back, muscle and joint pain, the list goes on and on.

When you have just had it with the day and stress seems so strong you can taste it, there are a few ways to help yourself healthily unwind after a stressful day.

Let’s dive right in.

• Step #1: Change Clothes
• Step #2: Drink Some Water
• Step #3: Stretch or Workout
• Step #4: Eat a Snack
• Step #5: Rebalance Your Mood

Step #1: Change Clothes

It sounds strange, but changing out of the clothes that you had to deal with all the stress in can help your brain kickstart a cool down period. Clothes end up smelling like work or what you ate for lunch or maybe your kid threw up on the way home. It doesn’t matter what the situation is, change your clothes.

More importantly, change into something comfortable. Most professional clothing is restricting or utilized to keep your skin safe from harmful chemicals. Throw those clothes in the wash, take a shower, and get into something comfortable that literally makes you sigh and relax.

Step #2: Drink Some Water After a Stressful Day

I’m not talking about making yourself miserable here if you aren’t a water lover. Make the water the way that you like it. If you have the time, here are a few quick ways to dress-up your water:

• Add in flavored ice cubes
• Splash in your favorite juice
• Add a sports drink mix to your water
• Squeeze in fresh citrus

Each of these additions are going to give your body something more than just hydration: vitamins and minerals! Your body is D-O-N-E done with the day and it has probably used up a lot of your water and nutrition from the day to deal with the stress. You have to replenish to feel good!

Also read: 10 Signs That Tell You To Drink More Water

Step #3: Stretch or Workout

Working out may not be your thing or you may not be that flexible. Either way, choose some sort of movement that gets your blood moving through your body. Avoid stationary stretching and try to bounce and move around to get your blood pumping through.

This will help wash cortisol through your system as well as help you begin to slow down your mind and your heart. If you tend to be a gym rat then you will be increasing your heart rate, but the aggressive activity can greatly decrease cortisol when done appropriately.

Keep in mind that the purpose of this practice is to get your tension moved out through your body so that you can process the day more easily.

Step #4: Eat a Snack

If you have seen the Snickers commercials about how you aren’t yourself when you are hungry, then you probably get this way to unwind! The truth of the matter is that when the body is hungry, it is going to release even more stress hormones into your system which isn’t going to help anyone.

Your snack doesn’t have to be big and it doesn’t have to be small. If you need a larger snack, it’s okay to grab something a little more substantial. Don’t pressure yourself into eating outside of what you normally eat and make sure you eat something that you like.

Great quick snacks are fruits and nuts, cheeses, protein bars, deli meat, and more. These are great for when you come home from a stressful day because they are easy to grab and don’t require a lot of work.

Step #5: Rebalance Your Mood After a Stressful Day

I will say that sometimes after a stressful day, it doesn’t matter how many activities you do, the stress just won’t release. Your back stays tight, your mind stays in a state of stress, and even meditation isn’t helping.

Conclusion

Stress sucks! It makes life harder, increases weight gain, and just makes you feel miserable if you can’t get it under control. Try out these tips to help you restructure your mental space into one that is calm, cool, and collected.

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