28 Relaxation Tricks To Try This Winter That Don't Require Leaving The House
Samson Katt | Pexels Winter is the perfect season to slow down and permit yourself to relax. When it's cold outside and the days get dark early, there's something satisfying about creating cozy, stress-free moments right in your own home. From simple breathing exercises to creative, calming activities, there are so many relaxation tricks to try when it's freezing outside, and you're looking to destress without leaving the warmth and comfort of home. (When the temps hit negative numerals, heck, we don't blame you.)
Studies have concluded that stress management is really energy management: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual energy management. People, events, situations, and your own thoughts can trigger you, deflate you, or drain your energy. One 5-minute difficult conversation can pull the plug on your momentum — emotionally and physically. Recognize it, raise your awareness of what you need to refuel, and go to your chill-out tool belt.
Here are 28 relaxation tricks to try this winter that don't require leaving the house:
1. Breathe
Right now, take 3 long, slow, easy deep breaths. Repeat, as you breathe, "I am enough. I have enough." The basic message of that nasty inner critic is that you are not enough for the situation, and that’s why the stress feels oppressive.
What if your inner critic is just plain wrong? Stop believing those thoughts and practice some new ones! Working on your breathing is the fastest way to chill out your frazzled brain and body.
2. Scrunch or stretch
Inhale and tighten up every muscle, as hard as you can — fingers, arms, shoulders, toes, cheeks, abs, and face. Now exhale and stretch every little part back out. Get long, tall, and refreshed as you feel the blood start to bring in fresh oxygen and take away stale tension.
3. Schedule a massage
Nothing like having self-care on your calendar. Massage has been proven by research to bring down the tension. It’s amazing how mental stress translates to physical tension. Sometimes, the faster way to relief is physical.
4. Try some reflexology on yourself
Use acupressure to self-calm. Give yourself a 2-minute ear massage. Dare yourself to do this in the middle of a meeting!
5. Strike a few yoga poses
Yoga combines breathing and stretching to decrease stress (and tone!) Again, you can use your body to calm your mind, release the tension. It’s not about the fancy lycra — yoga can be done at your desk.
Dr. Gloria Brame recommends gentle yoga as one of the healthier coping strategies that builds lasting resilience to stress. She explains that yoga promotes both physical and mental relaxation while lowering anxiety and stress by activating the parasympathetic nervous system.
6. Call a friend
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This is the kind of friend who helps you get your perspective back — or at least gets you laughing. Connection is a basic human need, wired into your brain. And just when you need it most (stressed!), you tend to withdraw. Put a few folks on speed-dial and use that "call a friend" option.
7. Laugh
Set the timer for 15 minutes and permit yourself to surf silly YouTube videos. It's easier to get back to better concentration after you flood your brain with some refreshing chemical relief. Laughter is the best medicine.
8. Go outside
Go outside for at least 15 minutes in the middle of the day — cold or not — get fresh air. Take a walking meeting. Eat outside. Or just circle the building and notice the outside world. This helps reset perspective, balance your brainwaves, and removes you from the sea of stress clues so you can clear your head. Breathe!
9. Take a power nap
Go ahead and put up a "Do not disturb" sign, close your eyes, and refuel for 20 minutes. It’s way more powerful for your brain than that cup of coffee. You are rebooting your system, replenishing the neurotransmitters, and improving your memory.
10. Do a worry dump
What would you tell your best friend to do if they faced these? Just naming them is helpful, but thinking about them from another perspective can help you find new possibilities or at least regain a little perspective.
Start with a blank page and write down everything bothersome — big and little — rumbling around in your stressed mind. Keep writing. Take a breath, smile, and send yourself a little love. Now, how would you like to spend your precious energy on these and the rest of your life? How many can you just let go?
11. Make a success list
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Write down the 3 or 5 times you've succeeded in the face of any big or little challenge. What strengths can you own and bring to your current situation? In the middle of stress, it's easy and even natural to focus on gaps, failures, and insecurities, even to the point of turning everything into a catastrophe.
Really, just because you blew it as a parent this morning, it doesn't mean your kids are going to need therapy for life. Bring to mind some parenting successes and strengthen your confidence and creativity.
12. Declutter
Find a little thing you can just dominate — like tackling, cleaning out one drawer with a vengeance. This gives you thought time and a sense of control over something.
13. Calm your senses
Light a lavender candle, close your eyes, and just notice the power of scent to change your mood. Your brain is programmed to take in clues from your entire world, not just your conscious stream. Use your other senses to help find your groove.
14. Tune in to good vibes
Turn off alerts and turn on relaxing music. It’s no mistake that music is used in medical situations to help patients deal with their challenges.
15. Relax your brainwaves with binaural beats
Binaural beats are sounds delivered to your ears in 2 different frequencies, and they have been shown to affect your brainwaves. There are Pandora stations and apps dedicated to this. Use earbuds!
16. Take back your lunch
Really, take 20 minutes to pause, breathe, nourish, change your scenery, or connect with someone will fuel your productivity for the rest of the day. No, you won’t lose your edge or your job! You'll ramp up your effectiveness and decrease stress.
17. Listen in
Use one of the zillions of guided meditations available to find a few minutes of peace. Check out Buddhify or Insight Timer for a voice and message you find helpful, with a range of time options from a minute to an hour. Take this powerful, powerful path to the resilience of mindfulness while waiting for an appointment, during a 5 min break, or at the end of the day.
18. Write a thank-you note
Focusing on gratitude is good for your mind and heart — a true stress antidote. It only takes a minute to dash off an email of appreciation, and you’ve created a positive shift for 2 people.
19. Do just one thing at a time for the next 25 minutes
Try the Pomodoro method when stress is compromising your focus. Chunking your focus between pauses is brain-friendly. You’ll feel more effective and confident. You’ve got this!
20. Take technology out of your bedroom
It increases your stress, and you must get sleep to be resilient. Create your new bedtime regime. Get creative and learn to put yourself to sleep the way you know works for you. You have to help your brain shift from the zoom of the day to the peaceful state, so you’ll awake refreshed and more resilient.
Dr. Rachel Needle observes that people who live the happiest lives end their days with intention by unplugging from external noise like emails and social media. This type of intentional wind-down helps calm the mind, reduce stress, and signal safety to your nervous system for better rest.
21. Vow to go to bed just 15 minutes earlier
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To help you relax, try listening to a guided visualization right before bed to help your brain wind down.
22. Keep a gratitude journal
Writing and reflecting reduce your cortisol and create a more stress-resilient mindset. Gratitude improves health and productivity.
Life coach Sidhharrth S. Kumaar explains that when you express gratitude towards the universe and nature, it enhances happiness and personal growth. Curating a reflection journal helps you review your day with a vision of learning and growing, where you can track what went well and what you're grateful for.
23. Have a chat with your inner critic
Give them a name and thank them for motivating you and keeping you safe. (They've been cracking the whip on you for years!) Then assure them you have it from here. You have many "voices" in your head, and you are not crazy, but when you are stressed, your inner critic gets louder. It’s up to you to practice finding your more benevolent and effective voice.
24. Practice faith, whatever that is for you
Joining others or creating rituals to remind you of your deep and wide beliefs gives you resilience. You can’t live without food and water, but never discount that spiritual energy sustains you. Feeling connected to your purpose and your place in a bigger world is the ultimate stress antidote. It is the driver of intrinsic motivation and your most powerful force.
25. Close your day well
Take five minutes to capture your "undoneness" and loose ends so you don’t have to fret overnight. No matter how smart and organized you are, keeping things in your head is asking your brain to keep working all night.
Dr. Needle also notes that happiness often lives in the quiet, consistent moments we create by winding down on purpose rather than autopilot. Setting intentions for the next day during your evening ritual helps reinforce a sense of purpose and keeps you feeling more grounded.
26. Keep track of your progress daily
Focusing on progress makes you happier and more successful on the way to your goals. Your goals are key motivators, engaging your emotions and pulling you forward. But keeping track of the tiny successes along the way fuels your energy and keeps you from being stressed by the gaps.
27. Read Brene Brown’s The Gifts of Imperfection
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Release the stress of perfectionism and never measuring up to unrealistic ideals. What if you upgrade your expectations for yourself or others to a more realistic version? I don’t mean compromise your greatness. I mean, get real and motivate yourself with what matters (intrinsic motivation), not some frustrating fantasy.
28. Never be afraid to ask for help
Our whole culture is almost allergic to this, but this is the most important. We really like to help others, so let someone help you, and you both feel better instantly. There is no shame — it’s the human advantage.
Perfectionism is self-sabotaging, but an oh-so-common challenge for high achievers. Your imperfections and mistakes are a critical part of your wisdom and humanity. Learn to be the best you and what that looks like in your life.
Tweak your way back to energy and confidence, happiness and health–back to chilled out and ready to handle what life throws you. Never underestimate the power of one tiny act of self-care to help you manage the crazy demands of this 24/7 existence!
Make your own list of go-to stress zappers and post them everywhere you need them to remind you that you've got this. Put them on your to-do list every day and take immense pleasure in checking them off.
Cynthia Ackrill leads stress and leadership workshops in many settings, from coaching and leadership programs to women's conferences.
