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Our big ‘Feel Good Guide’ to the bank holiday weekend
Posted by Claire Boote, on August 23, 2021.
Estimated reading time: 1 minute(s)
We may be enjoying a little more freedom than the August bank holiday last year, but leisure time and holidays are still giving us sleepless nights: airport tests and traffic light changes or gridlocked motorways and packed beaches? Arghhh!
So we don’t blame you if you’re choosing to stay at home this bank holiday. Just take some tips from our ultimate guide to relaxing and change the ‘arghhh’ to an ‘aaahhh’…
Meditation
Just 10 minutes of daily meditation can calm the mind, giving your brain a break from its usual internal monologue. Meditation apps, many of them free, have really taken off in the past few years allowing you to download, login and bliss out wherever you are. Headspace, possibly the most well-known, offers a free 10-day beginner’s course to guide you through the essentials of meditation and mindfulness. But there are plenty of other options to suit you including Calm, Buddhify and Serenity to name but a few.
Music
The effect of music on our brain is incredibly powerful. Researchers have been exploring its effects for years with numerous studies revealing insights such as music reducing stress and anxiety in pre and post-surgery patients, and relieving depression and increasing self-esteem in elderly people. It can ignite nostalgic memories or inspire us to get up and dance!
So spend time creating mood-boosting playlists – slow classical music is a guaranteed soother, or upbeat pop or dance tunes will give you an excuse to throw some shapes at your own kitchen disco. And if you also want music to ‘transport’ you, the amazing Radio Garden (website and app) allows you to tune in to live radio stations anywhere in the world (we’re hooked!).
Play a game
“We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing” Very true words from George Bernard Shaw, and something worth remembering this bank holiday weekend. It could be a sporting game such as rounders in the park, or a classic board game if the weather turns; it can be with your family, just two of you, or with even remotely with a friend via Zoom – let’s not forget to play!
If you’re a bit board of snakes and ladders, try these 15 best board games for all ages. Or get outdoors with this selection of games including quoits, skittles, limbo and something involving giant inflatable pigs….10 best garden games.
Laugh
It really can be said that laughter is the best medicine – it has a number of psychological and social benefits such as relieving pain, reducing stress and enhancing social bonds. Get your fix this bank holiday by watching a comedy film on iPlayer, a comedy boxset on 4OD or download one of these funny podcasts. Or simply phone up one of your funniest friends for a laugh and a natter.
Read
Let a book transport you to another world without leaving your sofa (and what’s a holiday without a great book?). Research has revealed that reading can reduce stress by up to 68% – a gripping story can command our attention, taking us out of any cyclical thinking in an almost meditative way. Allow yourself a solid couple of hours (or more) of uninterrupted time with a book, no digital distraction and your most comfortable seat at home. Stock up at your local library with one of these recommendations for best reads this summer.
Relaxed now? Good. Don’t forget, we’re putting the ‘aaahhh’ into bra this summer and celebrating how fabulous a well-fitted wirefree bra can make you feel. Treat yourself to one of our most comfortable wirefree bras, such as the organic cotton Eden, stylish Maisie, beautiful Zahra or, the ultimate in comfort and support, the Blossom.
