Plenty of us find it difficult to juggle the demands of modern life. Our ‘always-on’ culture makes it tough to leave worries at work and switch off after a busy day. From unanswered texts to unopened emails, there’s plenty that can play on your mind, eat into your precious downtime and negatively impact your sleep.
When Friday night arrives, it can be tempting to reach for a bottle of wine to relax, but there are healthier ways to make sure you get your chill on at the start of the weekend. We asked some of our favourite people in the wellness community to share how they choose to care for themselves after a busy working week. Here’s what they said.
1. Get outdoors
“I work from home, so for me it’s all about getting outdoors, and nothing beats a hearty walk armed with a coffee bought en route,” says Rob Hobson, head of nutrition at Healthspan (healthspan.co.uk). “I also find this helps to break up the evenings, which can feel really long if you have been indoors all day stressing over deadlines. I find cooking hugely relaxing, and I often start looking for supper inspiration first thing in the morning as a nice work distraction.”
Psychologist Dr Meg Arroll (drmegarroll.com) agrees in the power of the great outdoors. “I nurture my mind and body with nature,” she says. “This doesn’t mean going on an hour-long ramble. I simply take a moment outside and observe – what can I see, hear, smell? Even on cold winter days, there will be many sensations that you can tune into. This very quick ecopsychology technique helps me relax and release the tensions of a busy week.”
Read: What happens when alcohol and anxiety mix
2. Take a hot bath
Stressful days can mean the sympathetic wing of our nervous system is always switched on. To wind down and become relaxed, we need to activate our parasympathetic nervous system. Having a hot bath will do the trick, as the muscles relax when they become warm. If you struggle with insomnia, add a few drops of essential oil, such as lavender, rose or geranium oil, to the water, to help better induce sleep afterwards.
3. Start writing a gratitude journal
“At the end of a long day, I relax in bed with a cup of tea and a notebook,” says
psychologist Dr Aria (dr-aria.com). “Writing down a list of things that you’re grateful for changes your mindset, which impacts your body’s biochemistry.” According to Dr Aria, keeping a gratitude journal has been found to help lower perceived stress by 28 per cent, and gratitude is associated with 23 per cent lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol. “Research shows that practising gratitude can also reduce blood pressure, boost your mood and improve your sleep – it’s proof that the pen is mightier than a pint!”
Read: How gratitude lists can transform your wellbeing
4. Be supplement savvy
“I wind down by getting stuck into a creative project – right now it’s rewriting and editing my sci-fi novel,” says Healthspan medical director, Dr Sarah Brewer. If you struggle with sleep, she suggests switching out the wine for a natural supplement. “I take CBD and magnesium supplements to ensure a good night’s sleep, along with a mug of chamomile and honey tea.”
Stress, anxiety and insomnia are common symptoms of magnesium deficiency. Try to increase your intake of foods rich in magnesium, such as dark green leafy vegetables, legumes and magnesium-rich mineral water. If you’re concerned about deficiencies, remember it’s always best to check in with your doctor.
5. Avoid stress-inducing foods
Stress can be triggered or mediated by certain foods in our diet, producing symptoms such as allergies, anxiety to wakefulness and insomnia. So if you are already trying to manage stress, it can be really useful to track your food intake and note any post-eating symptoms. This will help you to reveal patterns and make it easy to remove any stress-inducing foods.
Some common food stressors include sugar, caffeine and alcohol, as they stimulate stress hormones, creating an unnatural stress response. If you are particularly sensitive to caffeine, one thing to try is to cut it out completely and note how you feel. Swap it for caffeine-free teas or a medicinal mushroom based coffee such as reishi – a mushroom known for its sedating effects. This may be useful in reducing anxiety or promoting relaxation for a restful nights sleep.
Read: How does your body react to a week without stress?
6. Set a sleep schedule
Between work commitments, Netflix and social occasions, it’s all too easy to find yourself slipping out of healthy sleep habits. If you want to better your chances of getting that all-important eight hours of shut-eye, Ross suggests setting a sleep schedule and sticking to it.
If stress is interfering with sleep, set up a healthy sleep/wake plan. Go to sleep at a similar time each night, sip a calming tea before bed, such as rose, valerian or lavender tea (which calm the nervous system), and make sure wake up at the same time every day too.
– With PA
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Disclaimer: This article contains general information about health issues and is not advice. For health advice, consult your medical practitioner.
