Therapeutic Thursday

So today's blog post is all about what ways I unwind, relax and generally survive such a busy job and life generally. These are the things that keep me going, that calm me down after a stressful day.

1. The boy

As cheesy as it's going to sound, my boyfriend is probably top of the list. A simple hug from him and all the stress melts away, I can just forget about it all. Shame he's usually 100 miles away though! =(

2. Bubbles and candles

Unfortunately my bath isn't nearly as nice as this one but a good bubble bath with candles is just what the doctor ordered after a difficult day. I don't know about anyone else but I find that I settle down in the bath and have a definite 'ahhh' moment and start to relax. Thankfully my bath isn't 100 miles away!

3. Bed and a film

At the end of a hard day, I do like to put everything to bed by going to bed myself and watching a film or a series (Suits is the one of the moment!) and just forgetting about it all. My problem is that I struggle to switch my brain off so a film occupies my brain which helps.

4. Simba

If you have a cat, I think you'll know just what I mean and I don't need to say any more.

5. Music

Music has the power to put me into any kind of mood. It can hype me up and calm me down so I have a special de-stress playlist on my iPod full of chilled songs that help me to just chill.

6. Going for a drive

This is something I've got from my Dad I think. I have so many memories from when I was a child of going for drives with my dad. Sometimes to chill out if something had annoyed him, sometimes for no reason at all. I can remember many times when I wouldn't be able to sleep or when my asthma would be bad and I'd get in the back of the car with my duvet and drive around with my Dad, usually until I fell asleep. This is still something I do today (minus the falling asleep and duvet bit), if it's been a tough day sometime's I'll go for a drive with no specific destination in mind, making a decision about which way to go whenever I get to a turn. It helps me clear my head if I've been stressed out about something or gives me space to think through things if that's what I need to do.

So there's my six main things that help me to relax and get over a stressful day.