City life can hike your stress levels. Studies show the risk of developing anxiety and depression is 20% higher in urban dwellers than those outside the city. With these areas’ fast-paced and high-pressure lifestyle, it’s no wonder many people feel drained by city life.
However, caring for your mental and physical well-being is crucial for maintaining a healthy and balanced life. You want to explore the best ways to relax and recharge to find peace and tranquillity despite the hustle and bustle of urban living. Here are four ways to relax if you’re drained by city life.
1. Take a trip outside the city
One of the best parts about living in an urban location is having access to an expansive transportation network. You should visit the countryside or any location outside the city whenever possible. For example, if you live in Liverpool, the nearest countryside location is the Wirral Peninsula, just across the River Mersey. It offers a variety of rural landscapes, including beaches, hills, and fields.
Other nearby countryside locations include the West Lancashire Plain to the north and the Cheshire countryside to the south. The abundance of hills, water bodies, and lush greenery in these locations will allow you to reconnect with nature. You can take long, uninterrupted walks through fields and pathways and feel rejuvenated in the fresh air. But if you can’t head to the outskirts, find urban green spaces in your city and recharge there.
2. Practise deep breathing
The stress and demands of fast-paced city life can leave many with hunched shoulders and poor breathing habits. Most people take short, shallow breaths that only use a third of the lung capacity and offer no calming effect. Such poor breathing techniques usually promote panic attacks in stressful situations. It’s also been linked with insomnia and inadequate sleep. Practise deep breathing by drawing air into your diaphragm several times each day. Take about three deep breaths each time, dropping your shoulders for maximum effect.
3. Create a healthy bedtime routine
Sleep is crucial to enjoying wellness in draining city life. You want to ensure your body gets at least seven or eight hours of uninterrupted sleep each night. And it all starts with your bedtime routines. Start by ensuring that your home is peaceful and offers a calming environment. Next, identify simple routines that can help you relax right before bedtime. For example, you can practise yoga, read a book, listen to soothing music, soak your worn body in a bath, etc.
4. Drop those bad habits
It will also do you great if you drop those unhealthy city habits. Alcohol, fast food, unhealthy snacks, etc., can all affect your wellness. Regularly smoking cigars can also compromise your wellness, so keep this in mind. You might want to consider using vaping with e liquid as a substitute for traditional smoking. Many studies show that vaping is effective for people quitting traditional smoking.
Bonus: What Actually Makes You Feel Relaxed?
So, what actually makes you feel totally relaxed, as in, no stress whatsoever? For example, while video games, just like first-person shooters or anything competitive, can be entertaining, they’re not relaxing compared to slower-paced games like Solitaire. The same can be said for scrolling on your phone; it can be entertaining to scroll through Instagram or TikTok, but this isn’t necessarily relaxing, especially if negative content is posted. So, you really need to think about what actually relaxes you, not entertains you, but what’s truly relaxing because they’re not inherently the same.
Urban living can be stressful, but you can still find ways to relax. Hopefully, you’ll consider these tips to achieve the desired outcome.
