There’s no doubt there’s a lot of anxiety floating around right now! Many of these worries are helpful for keeping us safe, but many are harmful to our mental health. These harmful worries are born from our minds getting carried away with fearful focused thinking and usually start with... "What if...?"
I could come up with a hundred different examples that have popped into my head over the past week. Like, "What if I never get to leave my house again?" or "What if I never find another roll of toilet paper?!"
Keep some of your many worries at bay with our latest mental health tip - Try yoga before bed.
For all of us, stress was around well before the new pressures of the Coronavirus kicked in. It's now more important than ever (since all our routines are turned upside down) that we take the time to manage our mental health.
Remember, it’s normal to experience stress to some level, but excess amounts can make people feel dejected or anxious, and can even take a toll on their mental health long term.
Taking a few minutes before bed to relax has a multitude of benefits, from helping people fall asleep faster, minimizing the chance of a restless night of sleep, and also increasing your long term mental and physical health—and one of the best ways to relax is by doing yoga before catching some zzz’s.
Simple yoga poses, like the cat-cow, can help relieve muscle tension and back pain, so you feel relaxed and ready for sleep. To do the cat-cow, first, get into tabletop position with your palms and knees on the ground. Hollow your spine and lift your tailbone towards the sky, then, do the reverse and arch your back towards the ground. Continue this for as many times as you would like, focusing on your breathing and staying present in the moment.
Another fantastic yoga pose to relax before bed is the corpse pose, which helps to put your body in a state of rest and get your mind ready for a good night’s sleep. To do this pose, lay on your back with your eyes closed and muscles relaxed. Concentrate on feeling each part of your body, and ensuring it's relaxed towards the ground. Be sure to focus on your breathing during these exercises to get the maximum relaxation benefits they can provide.
To get the best night’s sleep, it’s important to be in comfortable surroundings as well. A clean room, comfortable bed, and no-phone-before-bed policy can help ensure you are relaxed and ready to get the most out of your eight hours of rest.
Interested in taking up yoga as part of your pre-bedtime ritual, or suggesting it for a student in your life?
Try this great easy to follow guide: '17 Yoga Poses to Strike Before Bed'.
A big shout out to Casper for collaborating with us and sharing their useful infographic below!
