In the UAE, people are often drawn to heavy work schedules, develop strong work ethics and also enjoy the nightlife of the city. Though this may sound like an ordinary day, there are no amounts of dieting and exercise that can undo or alleviate the toll and strain your heavy schedule takes on your body. This is where relaxation comes into play.

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People often overlook relaxation as it is a means of being unproductive or even being lazy. What most people don’t know is relaxation is just as important as physical and mental work to your health. Relaxation does not only help you sleep better, but it can also restore the energy lost from poor sleep quality or sleep deprivation.

Benefits of Relaxation

Relaxation is important

Without a balance of productivity and relaxation, you can be harming your body as well as other aspects of your life. Relaxation is not only enjoyable but can help you mentally focus better as well as managing stress levels.

Mental health is strongly linked with relaxation; however, it isn’t the only aspect that can be improved by relaxation. Physical health and wellbeing can also be enhanced and improved by sufficient amounts of quality relaxation.

So no matter how busy your day is or how cluttered your schedule may be, finding a time to relax and unwind can only do wonders for your health. But be warned, too much of anything can be harmful, and so is relaxation.

Here are a few benefits you can get from more and better quality relaxation:

  • More energy
  • Better sleep quality
  • Better organisation skills
  • Improved mood
  • Better athleticism
  • Weight loss
  • Reduce stress
  • Decrease the chances of depression or anxiety

How to Relax Better?

Relaxation is important

1. Eat Better and Exercise More

A healthier body is a healthier mind. When your body is feeling healthy, energised and full, your mind can worry about other things. Supplementing the body with a healthy diet will provide it with the nutrients it needs to manage a busy day.

Physical exercise will help the body to keep a good shape as well as reduce stress through the release of serotonin. This is a compound that releases endorphins in the body that can enhance your mood. All in all, treating your body the right way will help you to relax better each day.

2. Develop Better Sleeping Habits

By developing better sleeping habits, you are setting yourself up for a comfortable rest as well as conserving energy for the next day. Try to develop a routine that you can practice on a nightly basis before sleep.

This can be drinking your tea or practising a relaxing activity just before bed. This also means getting rid of distractions such as TV and mobile phones closer to bedtime. If you can develop these routines into a habit, your mental and physical health will greatly benefit.

3. Take Time Out of Your Day

No matter how busy your schedule is, try to find a window of 10-30 minutes a day for yourself. As work, study and daily tasks can drain your energy and cause you to stress, taking a few minutes between tasks just for you to unwind can greatly benefit your mood and stress levels.

10 to 30 minutes is enough time to take for yourself to calm down and relax. You can use the time to exercise, get something to eat, meditate, stretching, have a power nap, or even sit down and relax. These small changes in your day can enhance your mood and physical wellbeing in the long term. 

4. Turn off the Phone

Nowadays, it’s not uncommon for people to carry their phones to the bedroom, to the toilet, or anywhere they go. This is an extremely bad habit as the phone can serve as a distraction when doing other things.

By turning off or leaving your phone behind before bed, when you go to the toilet, when you go to work, when you exercise, when you meditate or when you are socialising with others, you will be able to focus better on what you’re supposed to be doing, and you’ll be able to relax a little better. Having fewer things to worry about will stop you from multitasking, and you’ll be able to relax a little.

5. Try Not to Overthink

Overthinking is often linked with anxiety, stress, and ultimately depression. Relaxation is one of the best things to combat this. Even though overthinking is extremely easy to do and can snowball into a habit, remember that it can be controlled.

And one of the best ways to combat overthinking is to develop better organisational skills and to understand it. This brings us to our next point.

6. Plan and Organise Your Time Better

When you organise your time and daily schedule better, you’ll have less stress throughout the day. This not only helps you to relax better but also makes your day better.

Try developing a schedule that works for you. By having better organisational skills, you’ll work better, stress less, be more productive and relax a little better.

7. Practice Meditation or Reflection

Meditation and relaxation are one of the best ways to unwind from a stressful day. What makes meditation and reflection so important is that they don’t require you to do or think of anything outside of what is in your control.

The practice of meditation requires you to physically be still, breathe better, relax the body as well as focus on yourself. This will stop you from stressing or overthinking matters that are out of your control and also help you to get away and unwind from your daily stresses.

The Importance of Mental Wellbeing

Relaxation is important

Depression and anxiety have become significant concerns in our inner and broader society. Relaxation and mental health wellbeing are important to combat this issue. However, at some points, it may no longer have much impact should someone’s mental health worsen.

If you notice your mental wellbeing is deteriorating through feelings of overwhelming stress, anxiety or depression, seek help. Your medical practitioner is also available to help you tackle this issue.

Head over to the Okadoc app to immediately book an appointment with your health practitioner.