How Can I Relax? Simple Strategies for Support
It can feel challenging to relax these days, even when you genuinely want to. So, rather than trying to think your way into relaxation, sometimes it’s more effective to act your way into it.
Small actions can communicate safety to the nervous system and gradually help the body move away from a heightened stress response and toward a more regulated state.
If relaxing feels surprisingly difficult, it may help to first understand what your nervous system is doing and why it can feel so hard to relax. When your body has become accustomed to stress or being on alert, relaxation may take practice.
Read on for simple strategies, helpful insight, and ways to begin supporting your nervous system.
How Can I Relax? Start With the Body
Relaxation doesn’t have to mean sitting perfectly still, clearing your mind, or somehow convincing yourself not to feel stressed.
Sometimes, changing what your body is experiencing can help create the conditions for your nervous system to begin settling.
Here are a few simple places to start.
Spend Time Outside
Step outside and spend a few minutes in natural light, especially in the morning. Exposure to natural light helps support the body’s circadian rhythm, which plays an important role in our sleep-wake cycle and overall well-being.
While you’re outside, pay attention to what you can see, hear, smell, and feel around you.
If it feels good, take off your shoes and place your bare feet on grass, dirt, or sand. Some people refer to this practice as grounding or earthing and simply find the experience of physically connecting with the outdoors calming and restorative.
You don’t have to make it complicated. Sometimes just stepping outside and changing your environment can be a good place to begin.
Move Your Body
From gentle stretching to more intense exercise, moving your body can be a helpful way to work with the physical energy and tension that often accompany stress.
An easy example is to go for a walk.
Walking can support mood, circulation, and overall well-being while giving your mind and body a change of scenery. Even a short walk can provide an opportunity to move, breathe, notice your surroundings, and release some of the tension that has built up throughout the day.
The goal isn’t necessarily a workout. It’s movement.
Stretch. Walk around the block. Dance in your kitchen. Practice yoga. Choose something that feels supportive to your body in that moment.
Slow Your Breathing
Your breath is one of the few things you can intentionally change that also interacts with processes your nervous system manages automatically.
Slow, intentional breathing may help reduce feelings of stress and encourage the body toward a calmer state.
For full-body breathing, focus on allowing your breath to expand through your chest, belly, sides, and even the back of your body as you inhale and exhale.
Keep your jaw and shoulders relaxed. Rather than forcing yourself to take the biggest breath possible, let your breathing feel comfortable and easy.
You can also experiment with gently slowing your breathing or allowing your exhale to become a little longer. Continue for a few minutes and simply notice what happens in your body.
Give Your Body Permission to Rest
When we allow ourselves to lie down or settle into stillness, we can communicate something powerful to our nervous system:
“I’m safe enough to rest.”
Even ten minutes of intentional rest may give your body an opportunity to begin settling.
The same goes for closing your eyes.
Our brains constantly process information from the world around us. Simply closing your eyes for a minute or two reduces incoming visual stimulation and gives your brain a brief break from everything it is taking in.
You don’t have to fall asleep. You don’t even have to feel completely relaxed.
Give yourself permission to stop doing for a few minutes and notice what it feels like to simply rest.
Spend Time in or Around Water
Many people experience water as calming, soothing, or restorative.
A warm bath or shower may help relax tense muscles and create an opportunity to slow down. Swimming or simply spending time near water can also provide a change in sensory experience that some people find calming.
Pay attention to what feels good to your body. Relaxation isn’t about finding the one thing that works for everyone—it’s about learning what helps your nervous system settle.
Connect With Someone
Humans are wired for connection.
Spend time with your pet. Call a trusted friend. Share a meal with someone you love. Reach out to a counselor or therapist.
Even a brief, positive interaction with another person can create a sense of connection and remind us that we don’t have to navigate everything alone.
Sometimes relaxation doesn’t come from getting away from everyone. Sometimes it comes from being around someone who helps us feel safe enough to be ourselves.
Notice What Keeps You Activated
Take some time to reflect—without judgment—on the parts of modern life that may be making it harder for you to slow down.
Screen time, constant scrolling, traffic, chaotic schedules, pressure to be productive, lack of sleep, caffeine, or simply moving from one obligation to the next without a break can leave our minds and bodies feeling continually stimulated.
This doesn’t mean you need to eliminate everything stressful from your life. That probably isn’t realistic.
Instead, get curious.
What tends to leave you feeling more activated? What helps you feel more settled?
Simply noticing these patterns can help you begin making small choices that better support your nervous system.
Relaxation Is a Practice, Not a Perfect State
You don’t have to do all of these things. You also don’t have to find the “perfect” relaxation technique.
Start small.
Go outside for a few minutes. Take a walk. Close your eyes. Call someone you trust. Take three slower breaths.
Then notice how you feel.
The goal isn’t to remain calm all the time. Stress is a normal and necessary part of being human. Instead, we can practice giving our nervous systems opportunities to move between activation and rest—and gradually become more flexible in how we respond to the world around us.
How We Can Help
At Mind Body Healing Collective, our goal is to help people experience what regulation and relaxation can feel like—and leave with practical tools they can continue using in everyday life.
Through compassionate support and evidence-informed, body-based approaches, we help people better understand their nervous systems and reconnect with their natural capacity for rest, resilience, and healing.
For some people, that may include exploring Somatic Experiencing® or somatic therapy to better understand patterns of stress and activation. Others may connect with Somatic Yoga, breathwork, mindfulness practices, Reiki, educational workshops, or supportive groups.
There is no single right way to relax, and what helps your nervous system feel supported may look different from what works for someone else.
Sometimes the first step is simply learning to notice what your body is asking for—and giving yourself permission to respond.
