It can be hard to find time to relax in this busy world. Once we’re added up all the hours spent working, commuting, taking care of other people, sleeping, and eating, there isn’t always that much time left for relaxing.
Relaxation, however, is crucial for good health – both mental and physical – and it’s an important way to reduce stress, feel happier, and be more productive. So if you find it hard to put time aside to relaxation, here are some excellent ways to help you maximize any small amounts of relaxation time you might have.

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Go Virtual
One of the biggest issues with trying to find time to relax is not the relaxation method itself, but the time it takes to prepare. This might be the journey to get to a gym class or the set up that comes with painting on a canvas, not to mention clearing everything up again at the end.
If this is what is stopping you from relaxing more, why not go virtual? By using the online world, you can cut out a lot of the additional time needed when you are attending a physical class, and much more besides. You can log straight on and get started with your yoga, your art, your music, or anything else. It’s a much quicker process, and therefore easier to fit into your day.
Multi-Task
Most of the time, the received wisdom about multi-tasking is not to do it. This is because, rather than being more productive, you will usually end up doing several tasks to a lower standard.
However, when it comes to relaxing, multi-tasking is much more easily accomplished, with better results. For example, if listening to music relaxes you, you can do this while cooking dinner, or cleaning the house. If you like math logic puzzles for adults, you can do these while commuting to work or during your lunch break. If you like painting, you can do this while catching up on the news.
Sleep Late (Sometimes)
Ideally, you should have a sleeping and waking routine that doesn’t change, even at the weekend. The more you can stick to your schedule, the better you will feel. However, on occasion, it can be useful to sleep late. As little as 30 minutes more sleep can help you to feel much more relaxed and give you an excellent start to the day.
If you can’t sleep late, try going to bed earlier instead. Again, those extra 30 minutes can be just what you need to relax and de-stress.
If you find you are always tired and unable to concentrate, then you may need to re-look at your sleeping schedule; perhaps that extra 30 minutes is something you should include every day.
Take A Cold Shower
Taking a shower every day is something we do out of habit a lot of the time, and it can be pretty relaxing by itself. A few minutes under hot or warm water, and you can emerge feeling a lot less stressed than when you went in.
But did you know that a cold shower is better for you, at least in terms of relaxation? It serves a dual purpose of relaxing you and energizing you at the same time. The best way to do this is to start in a warm shower and gradually turn the temperature down until it’s much cooler. This has also been proven to boost your immune system, so it’s well worth trying once in a while.