Some days you only have a few minutes where you can afford to relax or have a minute to yourself amongst your busy schedule. From being completely tried up with work to house chores to family life, sometimes you don’t have any time where you can be by yourself. So what can you do when you don’t have any time to spare? I’ve been finding myself in this position for the last few weeks with huge work projects and trying to fit in the few house chores I can manage to get to in the reminder time frame. And I thought it would be a good idea to spare just a few ideas or ways to relax when you only have an hour to yourself.
Twelve Ways to Relax in One Hour:
- A yoga or meditation session. If you’re not into this type of exercise, any will honestly work as it helps calm your spinning head.
- Light-hearted TV or YouTube videos… or if you’re me end up watching an episode of The 100 or The Handmaid’s Tale. Which are not light-hearted but they are around an hour long so I can squeeze one episode in during my work break.
- Ice cream or coffee date with a friend.
- Listen to some peaceful music or your favorite music. I find peaceful music can put me in a bad or depressed mood sometimes. So I have to flip over to alternative or rock music. My favorite in those times is normally Linkin Park as it has for many years. I don’t know what it is about their music that just takes me to another world and helps me work through all my stress and anger at the same time.
- Taking a walk either with a dog or by yourself.
- Browse for treasures at a local thrift store.
- Play from mindless video games. I prefer Stardew Valley, Minecraft, Overwatch, or The Sims. Just something that doesn’t take a lot of brain power.
- Journal or read a book. These help you take your mind off of your to-do list and focus on another world with people you don’t know, and their problems are not your problems. It’s an easy escape from reality.
- Spend some quality time at the library.
- Treat yourself to a pedicure or manicure. Whether at a salon or at home.
- Do a photography walk, I love doing these in the woods near my house as there are always new plants sprouting or blooming in the area.
- Go to a local animal shelter and visit with the dogs/cats. When I was in college, any time I felt stressed out I would take the bus to PetSmart to go pet the cats. It was the best stress relief. And it still is considering I work part-time at a pet hotel and have a dog of my own. Petting a furry friend does wonders to help relieve any stress you might be feeling.
What are some ways you de-stress or relax when you only have an hour to yourself?
