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Relaxation

Relaxation

It's quite normal for people to live very busy and fast paced lives, as a result of this we forget to prioritise rest. However, we now know that making time to rest is vital for our body to function effectively and therefore reduce any chances of illness and injury.

By taking part in restful and relaxing activities we help reduce our stress levels. One of the main hormones being released when we are stressed is cortisol. When we rest and relax, our digestive system works better, we sleep better and our immune system functions better. S

Stress and Inflammation

When we are stressed our body goes into flight and flight mode, it doesn’t know that we are not about to fight a tiger but are actually running late for an appointment. The body’s immune system goes into overdrive as it is preparing itself to heal any injuries or fight infections that may occur as a result of this dangerous animal encounter.  Our body going into this over-reaction results in more inflammation in the body to fight infection and to heal. If we are living in high levels of stress our body is in high levels of inflammation a lot of the time. Stress for short periods is a normal biological function but long term it can result in disease and illness.

Many chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, depression, joint pain, irritable bowel syndrome have been linked to long term inflammation in the body.

So prioritising time for you to do the things that you enjoy and allow you to relax is very important for your overall health and wellbeing. Scheduling time for this may only mean 5 minutes breathing, a 15 minute walk, a 10 minute bath, it doesn’t need to be long to make a difference, the important thing is that it is regular.

When looking at improving your life balance and health I’d encourage you to look at your morning routine and schedule some time for your health and wellbeing first thing in the morning such as meditation, exercise, journaling and eating a healthy breakfast. 

If we leave self-care until later on in the day often we find that other things take over and our time to do things to keep us healthy and fit get pushed down the priority list.

Ideas for a Morning Routine

  • Walk in nature
  • Drinking a soft or hot drink in the garden or by an open window with no distractions
  • 2 minutes of focused breathing
  • 5 - 10 minutes of exercise
  • 5 - 10 minutes of mindful meditation
  • Journaling

 

Self-care activities don't need to be long, they just need to be part of your daily or weekly routine to make a big difference to our stress levels and productivity for the rest of the day.

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