10 Ways to De-Stress Yourself in 10 Minutes or Less

 People who live busy lives find themselves in a bit of a Catch-22 when it comes to de-stressing throughout the day. On the one hand, they have a really busy schedule which makes it feel like it’s impossible to take the time to de-stress. On the other hand, that busy schedule creates the stress that requires them to need de-stressing more than the rest of us. Unfortunately, if they do take too much time to de-stress, they sacrifice their schedules and then end up more stressed because they took the time to supposedly relax. What a stressful cycle to be wrapped up in!

Luckily, it is possible to break this cycle. You can learn to take little moments of de-stressing time throughout the day which will allow you to relax without infringing on your busy schedule. The following ten tips offer you insight into ten small ways to relax in less than ten minutes at a time.

1. Wake up ten minutes early each day. Nobody wants to wake up super early just to have time for themselves but everyone can manage to get out of bed just ten minutes earlier than usual. The key here is to make sure that you truly take this first ten minutes of the day to really relax. Don’t allow yourself to worry about what’s coming in the day ahead. Simply sit quietly with yourself – listen to the birds outside or light a candle and make a wish for the day. Note that these ten minutes don’t actually have to be the first ten minutes of the day. Some people find that it’s better to follow their normal morning routine but then to take those ten minutes right before leaving the house because they’re up and running enough to enjoy them at that time.

2. Deep breathing exercises. It doesn’t take a long time to relax when you’re doing deep breathing. There are many different types of deep breathing exercises that can get you into a relaxed state really quickly. One great example is alternative nostril breathing in which you plug one nostril, breathe in slowly as deeply as you can and then cover the other nostril and breathe out. Repeat this as long as it is comfortable to do so. It should take less than ten minutes and you should find that any stress you were feeling at the start of the exercise has diminished.

3. Trade five minute massages with someone in your home or office. You wouldn’t think that a five minute massage would to a whole lot to relax you but it actually has an amazing power to de-stress you. It reminds you about where your body is tensing up and brings you back into the center of your body where you can be more grounded. It also reminds you of the value of human touch which can improve your human relationships in a subtle way and reduce the stress in the air around you.

4. Enjoy a brisk ten minute walk. Getting outside and getting moving are both great ways to clear your head. A brisk walk gets the blood flowing and your lungs breathing better. This helps to make your mind focus better and reduces the immediate sense of stress that you may be feeling. Of course, it’s better if you can take twenty or thirty minutes at a time to walk out your stress but even ten minutes can do wonders compared to not taking any time at all.

5. Write out the positive. Whenever you feel yourself getting too stressed out, grab a journal and a pen and head somewhere quiet. Brainstorm a list of the positive things that are going on in your life or a list of things that you are grateful for. Re-focusing on the positive for ten minutes by yourself can bring you back to a happier place and reduce the feeling of stress in your life.

6. Immerse yourself in a scent that you love. We can drastically change our moods with the right scents. Learn a little bit about aromatherapy and figure out how to take a few minutes out of each day to bring yourself back to a calmer place using the right oils or perfumes.

7. Make sure to take at least ten minutes of your lunch hour just to eat. Most people multi-task during their lunch hours. You don’t have to give up the entire hour but do take the time to spend just ten minutes focusing on actually enjoying the food that you’re consuming. Mindful eating of healthy foods for just ten minutes can really brighten up your day.

8. Choose one song per day to listen to. With the amount of music we have accessible to us online and on our personal music players, it isn’t difficult to take only five minutes to find a piece of music that will relax us that day. Take the other five to simply listen to it. See how relaxed you feel when you’ve done this every day for a week.

9. Flirt a little. A little bit of harmless flirtation goes a long way towards brightening up the day and causing you to forget some of the stress that you have going on in your life. Send flirtatious text messages to your spouse. Find an online friend in another state that you can have an innocuous email flirtation with. Do something to add a little bit of fun and romance to your day and your stress levels will go down without taking up much of your time.

10. Take ten minutes at night to yourself. End the day the way that you began it so that you go to bed without stress on your mind. Get away from the spouse and the kids and the phone and the computer and take just ten minutes to yourself without any interruptions. Don’t over-think the day at this point; just put it behind you and be in the moment. Wash your face with warm water or enjoy a cup of tea or do whatever it is that allows you to relax alone for just a short period of time.