{"id":25559,"date":"2018-11-11T09:49:17","date_gmt":"2018-11-11T09:49:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thevoiceoflondon.co.uk\/?p=25559"},"modified":"2018-11-11T09:49:17","modified_gmt":"2018-11-11T09:49:17","slug":"relax-yourself-to-happiness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/relax-yourself-to-happiness\/","title":{"rendered":"Relax yourself to happiness"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><b>Ah&#8230;deadlines. They can be stressful and make you want to pull your hair out. It can feel as if everything is piling upon you and you can\u2019t get a break.<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">But fear not! We have some tips to help you relax and catch your breath for a minute. They are not only for relaxing, but to kick your feet up and have some fun as well!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">1. Cooking<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-25560\" src=\"http:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/64\/2018\/11\/1-Maarten-van-den-Heuvel.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"675\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Image: Maarten van den Heuvel via Unsplash<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This is <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bustle.com\/p\/7-emotional-benefits-of-cooking-thatll-make-you-want-to-actually-use-your-kitchen-9957022\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">therapeutic to many <\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">people who love to cook and also to people who love to eat. Cook something that makes you feel at home. Cuddle up in front of the TV or your laptop and watch a comedy or feel-good movie.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">2. Dancing <\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-25561\" src=\"http:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/64\/2018\/11\/2-Blake-Cheek.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"1350\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Image: Blake Cheek via Unsplash<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It doesn\u2019t matter whether you know to dance or not. Or even if you are any good at it. Just play some music and dance around your room like nobody is watching. It <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.psychologytoday.com\/gb\/articles\/200703\/dance-therapy-spin-control\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">releases endorphins<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> that make you feel refreshed and ready to get back to work.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">3. Taking a bath <\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-25562\" src=\"http:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/64\/2018\/11\/3-Anita-Austvika.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"1349\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Image: Anita Austvika via Unsplash<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">A hot bath with aromatherapy and candles \u00a0can create the perfect atmosphere. It\u2019s cliche but for a reason. Create a playlist of your favourite songs to listen to or play some music that calms you down. You could also read your favourite book for extra bonus points. If you don\u2019t have a bathtub, you could always follow the other tips!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">4. Going for a walk <\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-25563\" src=\"http:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/64\/2018\/11\/4-Mehdi-Thomas-Boutdarine.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"600\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Image: Mehdi-Thomas Boutdarine via Unsplash<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If you have a park near where you live, wake up early one morning and go out for a nice slow walk, ideally before the rest of everyone else\u2019s day begins. Breathe in the fresh air and enjoy the silence around you.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">5. Colouring<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-25564\" src=\"http:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/64\/2018\/11\/5-Mint-Owl.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"600\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Image: Mint Owl via Unsplash<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The rise of colouring books for adults has given us so many more options to explore our inner artist. You can colour the drawings in any way you like with your favourite colours. There are many free apps you can download on your phone, tablet, or laptop! You could also draw or paint or do anything creative that works for you!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">6. Meditation<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-25565\" src=\"http:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/64\/2018\/11\/6-Jared-Rice.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"1046\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Image: Jared Rice via Unsplash<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The thought of sitting and doing nothing can be terrifying. But <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.health.harvard.edu\/heart-health\/5-ways-to-de-stress-and-help-your-heart\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">meditating is one of the most effective<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> ways to relax your nerves and unwind after a long day. Meditation can also be extremely effective when done in the morning before starting your day. By meditating, you potentially respond to stressful situations much better, as well as have more energy to finish every task that you need to get done throughout the day. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">So there you have it! Six tips to de-stress and re-energise yourself after a long day. If you follow at least one of these tips, you are likely to be more calm and active, as well finish off your day on a high note. <\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Words: Shruti Tangirala | Subbing: Taylor Paatalo <\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Featured Image: Max Vertsanov via Unsplash<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ah&#8230;deadlines. They can be stressful and make you want to pull your hair out. It can feel as if everything is piling upon you and you can\u2019t get a break. But fear not! We have&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":476,"featured_media":25566,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[49,67,82],"tags":[716,1122,1459,1522,1690,2893,2894,4075,5213,6791],"class_list":["post-25559","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-f1","category-health-fitness","category-lifestyle","tag-bath","tag-calm","tag-colour","tag-cook","tag-dance","tag-health","tag-health-and-fitness","tag-meditate","tag-relax","tag-walk"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25559","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/476"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25559"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25559\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25566"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25559"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25559"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25559"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}