Running any kind of business can cause a certain level of stress, especially when dealing directly with people, like in the case of a hotel or B&B. So we’d like to help you discover certain ways to release pressure and relax, without leaving the premises.
Let’s get started:
1. Take slow, deep breaths
Your heart rate, respiratory rate, and blood pressure can decrease by slowing down your breathing and utilizing the diaphragm and abdomen. Quick, shallow breathing is related to higher levels of stress. According to a study on people with hypertension, deep breathing techniques can cause a decrease in blood pressure and an increase in body relaxation. With each inhale, allow the abdomen and rib cage to expand as the lungs fill with air. Exhale, allowing the air to completely leave the lungs. Practice this technique for 5 minutes every day and you’ll see results.
2. Meditate on things you are thankful for
A lot of things can go wrong in a day, however we can always take a few minutes to think deeply and focus on things that make us happy, our spouse, kids or anything in our life that gives us a dose of positivism. Not sure what you are thankful for? It’s time to start a list and start remembering things from your childhood onward.
3. Go out in nature
Since you’re running a b&b or small hotel there’s a pretty good chance of having a green area around you. Take a few minutes and step out. There’s a study that showed evidence of lower frustration, engagement, and higher meditation when moving into the green space zone; and higher engagement when moving out of it. Did you know that famous composer Tchaikovsky took two walks per day, and felt these were essential for his health and creativity?
4. Smell flowers or use essential oils
Perfume and oils delight the heart. It takes just a couple of seconds to put some lavender oil into your palm and inhale. Breath in and relax.
5. Stretch or do short exercises
Take a five-minutes stretch break to loosen your muscles and rid your body of tension. Tim Ferriss wrote about this in his book The 4-Hour Body. The minimum effective dose (MED) is defined simply: the smallest dose of exercise that will produce a desired outcome. Ferriss claims that even eighty seconds are enough when it comes to the MED of muscular contraction to help “push” calories into the muscles instead of being stored as fat. You can go for a walk, or do some squats or wall push ups, in case you need to stay indoor. Have a healthier body in just a few minutes.
6. Jot it down
Putting what you feel on paper can help process emotions better. Also writing down accomplishments and acknowledging them instead of forgetting, brings out your good side.Try having a journal for a while a see how it goes.
7. Drink tea
Pause for a moment and prepare yourself a cup of herbal or green tea. Chamomile tea acts as a natural nerve tonic and green tea has been clinically proven to reduce stress. A study on 42,093 Japanese individuals revealed that green tea consumption is associated with lower psychological distress.
8. Laugh at that
A merry heart does good, like medicine. There a great connection between laughter and well being, it’s been said since biblical times and throughout history this concept received support from the scientific community too. In a 2006 study, researchers compared the ability of blood to flow throughout the body during two movie screenings: a comedy and a drama. They ultimately discovered that the inner lining of the viewers’ blood vessels grew in size an average of 15% during the comedy compared to a 47% shrinking during a stressful war drama.
9. Help someone else
It’s better to give than to receive. When you’re all stressed out and feel you’ve hit a wall, it turns out that actually defocusing from your own problems and extending a helping hand to others might actually get you out of the pit. There’s even a study that discovered providing tangible assistance to friends or family members helps avoid harmful situations.
10. Eat chocolate
Unless you’re diabetic or have a chocolate addiction problem, dark chocolate can reduce stress levels. Here’s the study that backs this up.
Have you discovered other ways to relax while running your hotel or b&b? Please share them with us in comments, we’d love to hear from you. If you found this article helpful, please share it with someone who might need it.