Learning how to unwind anywhere is a skill. Anyone can relax at home, surrounded by the perfect setting where you are completely in control. Learning how to take a quick break in stressful settings, such as work, takes practice.
Learn which relaxation techniques work for you so you can build your toolkit for stress relief. Once you know how to create small moments for unwinding, you can handle stressful situations better than ever.
These are a few ways that you can take small moments to relax anywhere you happen to be. Once you find a technique that works for you, no amount of stress will overwhelm you again.
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Taking a Pouch
Nicotine pouches offer a quick way to relax, no matter where you are. The relaxing effects of the nicotine in pouch form are not limited by no-smoking laws, so you don’t have to run around looking for a place where you can legally light a cigarette or hit a vape.
You consume a nicotine pouch by placing it between your gums and cheek. The Zyn slowly releases nicotine, giving you a relaxing effect that lasts longer than many other unwinding techniques. You also don’t have to do anything after placing it because it acts on its own.
Nicotine pouches are most popular in Scandinavia, but people all over the world are now catching on to the quick, relaxing effects of this product.
Chewing Gum
If you only have a few minutes to unwind, pop a piece of gum. Gum does more than freshen up your breath (although even that has its benefits since you won’t be worrying about having halitosis and worrying others).
Gum is scientifically proven to reduce stress. Studies have shown that chewing gum reduces stress among many participants, although there is still no consensus around how this actually works. Some research shows that the act of chewing distracts people from ruminating on the source of their stress and breaks the fight-or-flight response cycle.
Gum is a portable stress-relaxing tool that yields results in just a few minutes. This is a good tip to have in mind when you are dealing with a stressful meeting at work or other situation, and only have a few minutes to unwind.
Listening to Music
Music is one of the fastest and adaptable ways to unwind. If you have a smartphone, you can listen to music no matter where you are.
The benefits of music on stress relief are so pronounced that many professional psychologists recommend it to patients. Therapy practices recommend listening to relaxing music such as classical or new age instrumentals. These genres calm the nervous system and reduce feelings of stress and anxiety.
These genres are most often used for stress relief, but any music can help you unwind as long as it’s something that you like listening to. Taking a break to listen to your favorite music, even if that is gangster rap or screamo, can help you forget about sources of stress and help you feel more refreshed after you take your headphones out.
Before you leave the house, make sure that you have what you need to listen to music anywhere. Bring headphones so you can listen to music in public without bothering other people. Download your favorite songs to listen to so you don’t have to rely on spotty public Internet.
Light Movement
Exercise is scientifically proven to relieve stress. Multiple studies prove that exercise releases endorphins, neurotransmitters that trigger feelings of happiness. Exercise is a psychosomatic emergency brake for the fight-or-flight response, stopping the physical response to stress, which makes managing your emotions easier as well.
You don’t need a long, intense gym session or pilates class to get the stress-relieving benefits of exercise. Just 10 minutes of light movement reduces anxiety and stress and improves overall positive emotions.
Adjust your movement practice to your own preferences and the setting that you’re in. If you’re able to go outside, take a quick, brisk walk. This works even better if you have access to a park or green space. If you can’t go outside, a few minutes of stretches and basic yoga movements are just as effective at helping you unwind.
Practicing Mindful Meditation
People have a misconception that meditation is only for Buddhist monks or yoga obsessives attending retreats in peaceful temples. However, mindful meditation is something that you can practice wherever you are. The whole point of meditation is that it is a practice that can benefit all people, anywhere.
Mindful meditation works by taking your focus inward, away from different demands on your attention. This breaks through the doom loop that people often get trapped in when they are stressed. You still acknowledge the things that are stressing you out, but are able to view them from a calm, detached perspective.
There are a few ways that you can use mindful meditation to unwind, no matter where you are. It helps to master the art in a comfortable setting before you try it while out and about. Develop a meditation practice at home so you can see what works for you and what doesn’t. Once you know what you need to slip into a meditative state, you can do so while you’re away from home.
If you like having meditative sounds around you, then download a few meditation playlists or guided meditations that can help you find mindfulness, no matter where you are. However, you don’t even need this to meditate. All you need is a place where you won’t be disturbed and a few moments to see the benefits of mindful meditation.
Reading Something Fulfilling
Reading something, whether that’s a book or a long-form article, can help you unwind and prevent the development of some pretty nasty habits.
Many of us immediately reach for our phones whenever we have a few spare minutes. However, our phones are not going to help us relax. Social media applications are purposefully designed to be addictive, and the act of scrolling is numbing, rather than relaxing.
Social media is also designed to be enraging, purposefully serving you posts that will make you mad. Instead of unwinding, after spending time on your phone, you’ll be angry and irritated at people you’ll never meet and who are not relevant to you at all.
Reading helps you prevent this source of stress from entering your life by giving you something to do with your free time that isn’t scrolling on your phone. Redirecting your energy helps you build habits that are better for you than increasing your social media addiction.
Productive reading is also more likely to help you relax and unwind. Spending even 15 minutes focusing on a story improves your attention span and energy. You feel more connected to the world around you, build positive connections in your brain, and reduce the feelings of guilt that you get when you spend too much time on social media.
Thanks to new technology, you can bring a book with you anywhere you go. An e-reader is more portable than even most paperbacks. If you don’t mind the small font, you can download books on your phone and read them on the go. Many public libraries have e-book lending as well as physical copy lending available to patrons.
Even reading long-form articles and essays online can help you unwind. Find a publication that you like and check out its website when you have some free time to improve your mind.
Enjoy a Favorite Hot Beverage
An underrated way of winding down is by brewing a pot of coffee or your favorite tea. Taking a few minutes to drink something you enjoy activates the pleasure receptors in your brain, increasing feelings of happiness and relaxation.
Enjoying hot drinks is also a somewhat meditative practice. Focusing on the process of heating the water, portioning out the coffee or tea, and then precisely pouring the drink takes your mind away from other sources of stress. While you’re drinking your beverage, focusing on the sensations in your mouth and your enjoyment of it is an easy form of mindful meditation.
You can brew yourself a drink whenever you need a quick break at home. If your workplace has a kitchenette, like most offices do, enjoy coffee and tea during your work breaks as well. Just make sure that you stock up on the supplies you need ahead of time.
If you’re on the go, stopping into a coffee shop for a favorite beverage is a great way to unwind. Your favorite coffee or tea is a fun reward after a full day of running errands.
Finding Moments of Relaxation Anywhere
Knowing how to relax while on the go will reduce your overall stress and anxiety. Building these habits will also make you a better employee, travel buddy, and person, since you will no longer let stress govern your responses.
Little tools can help you find moments of relaxation, no matter where you are. Stock your bag before you leave home with your headphones, a favorite drink, or a tobacco pouch of your choice so you can access a relaxing headspace from anywhere.
