National Relaxation Day is observed on August 15th every year. It’s a day designed to slow down, relax, unwind, and decompress. Sean Moeller founded National Relaxation Day in 1985 as a fourth-grader, which goes to show that sometimes the wisest insights into what people truly need can come from the most unlikely of places. This special day is an important one because all of us need to take a break from the fast-paced, ultra-busy lives we live. Taking time to recover from the stresses of everyday life, rejuvenate our tired minds and bodies, and refresh our spirits may help prevent many health risks. As Sean suggested, too much work can make us tired, sick, and run down.
Sean may have been young, but he understood how life works even in fourth grade. Studies have proven that stress is not only harmful to both our mental and physical health, it’s actually the root cause of many modern diseases and health issues. Doctors agree that finding various ways to relax and reduce stress will improve our overall health.
Do you have a favorite way to relax? If you’re too busy to think of one, here are 20 ways we came up with to relax and take it easy:
- Take a nap
- Read a book
- Take a walk in nature
- Go swimming
- Find a hammock and just chill out
- Ride a bike
- Attend a live comedy show
- Stretch out on the lawn and watch the clouds roll by
- Treat yourself to a massage
- Have a picnic
- Give yourself a spa day
- Take a drive in the country
- Listen to your favorite music
- Spend some time in your garden
- Go window shopping
- Take in a movie
- Go to lunch, drinks, or dinner with friends
- Attend a concert
- Drive out in the country at night and go stargazing
- Have a tickle-fest with a loved one (laughing releases endorphins!)
The benefits of taking a day to focus on relaxing (which is really focusing on your health!) can’t be overstated. If you can take the entire day off from work, do it! If not, maybe you can take half a day. If you can’t get out of work at all, plan now to engage in one or more of these activities before bedtime on August 15th. Since numerous studies show that even taking just a few minutes to unplug from your stressors (like work, for instance) refreshes your ability to tackle tasks.
