You’ve just come home from your summer holiday yet you’re feeling exhausted.
I’m sure at some point we’ve all heard ourselves saying, “I need a holiday from my holiday”.
A holiday over the festive season can leave you feeling more exhausted than rested.
While it’s all enjoyment and laughter while we booze it up and party all night, far more than we usually would, it all catches up with us as soon as we settle down and have to head on back to work.
When we have to get back into our nine to five routine, we need to get our bodies and minds into top gear.
As we step into the new year, now is the time to revitalise your body. Essential Living has shared five ways to remain to maintain those positive vibes throughout the day.
Mindful meditation
Mindfulness meditation has a number of positive health benefits, including improving your immune system function, improving interpersonal relationships, and reducing stress and anxiety.
All you need to do is find some place quiet and relaxing, and dedicate a minimum of 15 minutes to freeing your mind of thoughts.
While it may take some practise to get used to the process, once you do, you'll start noticing yourself more hyper-focused in everyday situations.
Read
Particularly for those who stare at screens all day, your brain can start to feel tired and lacking in creativity. Therefore, reading a piece of fiction or perhaps something related to your job before a meeting, will help reactivate your brain.
The more often you read, the more accustomed your brain will become at storing information, improving your intelligence. All that information will eventually come in handy as you engage in conversations, work on projects, and try to solve complex problems.
Socialising
Now that remote working is a permanent part of many people’s lives, it is easy to go whole days without socially interacting with work colleagues or friends. However, social interaction is extremely important for keeping your brain energised and educated.
Despite the uncertainty of further restrictions, there are still safe ways you can socially interact following social distancing guidelines.
Social interactions allow you to learn new facts, new perspectives, and new ideas, and all the while, you'll develop your abilities to focus, learn, and analyse a situation.
Physical exercise
Physical exercise is proven to have a positive effect on your mental health, providing more oxygen-rich blood to your brain, giving you direct and temporarily greater, mental stimulation.
Even a small amount of exercise, whether it be a few minutes walking, jogging or a few stretches, will help to stabilise your mood and increase focus and attention.
The short-term and long-term benefits of physical exercise (both aerobic and anaerobic) are well worth the time investment, particularly if completed once or twice a day.
Breathing technique
Deep breathing (the kind used in meditation) will help you focus and feel energised throughout your day. Try to conduct breathing exercises whenever you start to feel tired or stressed.
Sit or lie in a comfortable position, keeping your legs and spine straight and place one hand on your abdomen and one on your chest.
Then inhale slowly and deeply through your nose and into your abdomen, until your lungs are full.
Pause for a few seconds, then exhale slowly through the mouth, making a quiet whooshing sound, until your lungs are empty. Repeat the process until you start to feel calmer and are more mentally prepared to continue your day.