Relaxation station
Your place to chill out. Take a few minutes just for you.
Getting ready to relax
Make a cup of your favourite tea
My favourite to relax with is jasmine green tea!
Get comfortable
Lie down or sink into a comfy chair, and grab a blanket and some pillows.
And anything else that helps you relax
Open the window for some fresh air or change into comfy clothes: anything that makes you feel comfortable.
Close your eyes
Shut out visual distractions and rest your eyes.
Take a deep breath in and slowly breathe out
Focus on your breathing. Let thoughts happen, and just watch them pass by.
Relax and browse
Play a calming sound and get lost in the gallery of serene images.
Breathe
Soothing sounds
Play a gentle background sound while you breathe, read or rest. The ocean, rainforest and cows are real recordings; the rain and hum are made by your browser.
Recordings from Wikimedia Commons: ocean by Luftrum and rainforest (Lamington National Park) by ssimple (CC BY); cows by MichaeltheFox8621 and Secretlondon (CC BY-SA).
Ground yourself: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
When your thoughts are racing, bring yourself back to right now by noticing:
- 5 things you can see
- 4 things you can touch
- 3 things you can hear
- 2 things you can smell
- 1 kind thing you can say to yourself
Calming pictures
Imagine yourself in these calm, scenic places. Feel the fresh air and the cool water, and hear the birds chirping and the water lapping. You are safe, you are strong. You can overcome anything.
And because cute animals help too, there are a few of those at the end. Choose a picture to see it large.
Photos from Unsplash. Photographers are named under each large picture.
Take a playful break
Sometimes a little distraction helps. Help my dogs Charlie and Chai find their bones and dodge the vacuums. If you win, you get puppy pics (or you can skip straight to them).