Relaxing has been scientifically proven in many different research studies to reduce our levels of stress. When you are less stressed, life is healthier, happier, and even more productive.

Relaxing can make us feel calmer and reduce our stress symptoms. It can:

There are many different ways to relax to reduce our stress, such as –

Relaxing is a very effective method of reducing stress for many people. However, it doesn’t work for everyone. Some people find trying to relax, listening to sounds of nature actually increases their stress levels. Others can find that trying to relax causes them to think about their problems which is less than ideal and not the intended purpose.

This is where the term “stresslaxing” has come in. Stresslaxing is a term used when trying to relax actually makes people feel more stressed. Or where they increase their stress levels by trying to force themselves to relax. The clinical term for stresslaxing is relaxation induced anxiety.

Taking a soothing bath or listening to sounds of nature doesn’t work for everyone.  We relax to try to reduce our stress levels. So if relaxing increases them, what is the point? It can lead to more worry and anxiety for the person.

A part of our brain, the amygdala, is always looking for danger.  Our brains are designed to protect us from things that threaten us. Some people will find it hard to put these negative thoughts out of their mind. They may need to stay busy because when they are trying to be calm, their brain continues to search for threats, or negative memories or experiences.

People are also finding it harder to relax due to technology, social media, emails, cell phones etc make it harder for us to “turn off,” to relax. In the past, people tended to have weekends off, or finished work at 5pm. The world has now changed and the working day and working week has spread. Technology has also blurred the line between relaxation and work time, because we might still get work emails or calls or messages when we are not at work, or supposedly relaxing. 

Effects of Stress

If we are not able to relax properly, then we will suffer the same consequences as anyone else who is stressed, such as:

What Do You Do If You Find Relaxing Stressful?

Before even trying to relax, it is important to set boundaries in your life. Decide on your boundaries between work and home. For example, you might finish work at 5pm and decide to turn off your phone and computer. Or perhaps, you decide you will answer anything until 7pm, and then that is it.  Perhaps you won’t work at weekends. Or won’t put your computer on when you get home. Only you can decide on your boundaries but set them and stick to them.

Set boundaries with technology too. Again, these are your boundaries, so you might decide not to look at social media after 8pm, for example. Or only check your messages and emails at certain times of the day.

Keep a to do list. Not everything is a crisis or needs to be done now. So if it’s not super urgent, put a task into a non-urgent part of your list. Perhaps decide daily what is urgent, what is important but not urgent, and what can wait until tomorrow or next week.

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