5 Tips For Relaxing At The End Of (And During) A Stressful Day

It’s the middle of October and I’m still in shock that it’s been two months since I was relaxing on the beach in Italy worrying about nothing other than when it would be time for my next gelato. Sigh. College students are getting ready to be swamped with midterm exams, my work pace is picking up with big events we’ve been planning that are coming up this month and next, and my sleep schedule… well, that has definitely taken a hit.

Something that’s incredibly important for me to remind myself every day (and to remind all of you!) is that when you take care of yourself, everything else will fall into place. Take that lunch break, go get that facial, treat yourself to a piece of chocolate cake or glass of wine at the end of a long day – avoid burnout. When you show yourself some love, even the most stressful parts of your life seem manageable again! Today I wanted to share with you some of my favorite ways to decompress at the end of a long day, even when you don’t have much time to spend on yourself and your wellbeing.

Keep reading for five of my favorite tips for relaxing at the end of a long, stressful day.

1. Take a long, hot shower (or bubble bath)

It probably won’t surprise you that I take some of my lifestyle cues from spiritual and wellness queen – Oprah. One of her biggest stress-relievers at the end of a long day is to spend an hour in a bubble bath or bath bomb bath. As humans, water is something we’re drawn to and it naturally relaxes us. Giving yourself an hour to cleanse your body (and mind!) is meditative and cathartic. If you try this once at the end of a long day – and promise to unplug from technology during that hour – you’ll find yourself looking forward to it all day. Here are some of my bath time essentials below:

2. Splurge on a facial – or use a face mask

If you haven’t seen my post about the Cygalle Gold Kinetic facial I tried last month – you might not know that I’m now kind of obsessed with facials as a semi-instant mindfulness hack. As it’s not in my budget to splurge on facials a few times a week my masking routine has become top notch. If you follow me on Instagram you’ll see my stories are mostly about different masks I’m doing with my sister multiple times a week. Yup, she’s obsessed now too! I do an exfoliation mask twice a week and brightening masks on one to two other days. I like to keep the masks on for around half an hour, which is longer than recommended but it definitely prolongs that period of relaxation where I unplug from technology (sense a theme here?!) and do something like read or meditate. I’m sharing some of my favorite masks below!

3. Take a yoga class

Or at least squeeze in a few downward dogs and cat-to-cows. Working at an office, I find myself sitting down and admittedly slouching for most of the day. My commute is three hours a day spent on trains, so by the time I get home at the end of the day my muscles are very unhappy with me. When I’m able to get home early enough to make it to yoga, I do everything I can to get to the studio on time. Spending one hour stretching out my body and quieting my mind honestly does make a world of difference in my mindset the rest of that day and even for the remainder of the week. When I don’t make it to yoga, I set up my mat at home and do a yoga video. Though I feel more motivated during an actual class, the videos are certainly the next-best-thing. Not to mention, they’re free!

4. Treat yourself to a massage

Sometimes you have so much tension in your neck and shoulders that your head feels so tight and like it’s going to explode from stress overload (come on, I know it’s not just me!) Massages are the simple solution for helping this tension and stress that we carry in the nooks and crannies of our body. Can’t get an appointment at your favorite spot or don’t want to spend the cash? I’ve found that using an AirFlow massage pillow and the MyoBuddy at-home massager works wonders as well. Combine this with Treets Traditions all natural chakra balancing massage oil and you’ll be in a state of relaxed bliss – promise!

5. Take a brisk walk at lunch

And if you’re stuck in the middle of an insanely stress-filled day and don’t know how you’re going to make it until 6, 7, 8 o’clock or whenever you’ll manage to leave that day, you need to listen to your inner voice and TAKE A BREAK! It’s required by law that you take at least a half hour lunch break each day, but whether you honor that enough to leave your desk and computer screen is up to you. Stressed out? Go outside and go for a brisk walk. I’m lucky enough to have the South Street Seaport next to my office and I go for walks under the Brooklyn bridge or on the pier. Being near the Hudson River is incredibly calming to me and getting my body moving helps me refresh my mind as well.

Stay Classy! xx