Unwinding and Destressing at Home

Fast paced, high pressured, conflict ridden days plague us all. Job stress is increasing. Relationships are complicated and often hard to understand. Sometimes it feels like you have to put on your armor just to leave the house. Your mental and physical health is being constantly compromised by the life style you live. You need your time at home to rejuvenate, recover, relax, and repair in order to be able to maintain that chaotic existence.

Here are some tips on how to make your home your sanctuary.

You need time to unwind. The family needs to give you some space when you come home. No knocking on the bathroom door. Make a house rule - after everyone gets to say hello you get a half hour alone. Put on comfortable clothes.

Don't have dinner waiting for you on the table. Eating while you are tense from the day can cause indigestion, chest pains, nausea, stomach cramps and other physical discomforts. If the kids have to go to sleep before you are ready for dinner make up for the lost time on the weekends. Or read a quiet story to them before you have dinner. There is no rule that says family time must be at the dinner table.

Keep the noise down. Loud music and screaming kids keep you anxiety level high. Conversely, background music is very soothing. Keep the music on - just stay away from heavy beats and ear piercing volume.

Have home lighting on dimmers. There is no need for bright lights when you have dinner or watch television. If you brought work home - and you should always try not to - make sure the lighting is sufficient. If the room is too dark you will strain your eyes to see, become very tired, and fight sleep to complete your task. This will heighten your tension and anxiety.

There's nothing like a good relationship to soothe you after a long hard day. Coming home to an angry, hostile, conflictual mate makes you feel as though you have no safe haven. Work on your relationship and make it better. A supportive mate can provide stress relief in many ways. Having someone to share your thoughts with and meet your physical and emotional needs leads to better all around health.

Find things to do around the house that you enjoy. Going out to the movies and dinner and being with friends is important. But being content to be home is also important. Learning to slow down and not be on the move all the time provides recovery time for your mind and body.

Don't think that the two weeks of vacation you get each year is sufficient to keep your mind and body healthy. By making your home a calmer, quieter place everyone will benefit all year long.