Does a quiet room help you to think more clearly? Or is it a special scent, a relaxing playlist, giving the children a quiet activity to work on? How do you centre yourself?
We asked, and you answered! Read on to discover your top 5 tips on how to find five minutes of silence.
Alter Your Environment
Beautiful cosy styling from Dominique @cottagerenovationcwmrhys
Give your senses a rest by changing up your environment. It may seem like a small thing, but in times of stress when your brain is working overtime, a small gesture to settle your senses can work wonders. In fact, small changes to the area where you spend most of your time featured in 40% of your top tips!
Your top suggestions are: dimming bedside lighting to rest your eyes, putting on a calming playlist to quieten your mind, and setting a home fragrance diffuser with a soothing scent.
For us, there are few things more relaxing than fresh bed linen. Take five minutes to change your luxury bed linen and enjoy the crisp scent of new French linen bedding!
Walk It Out
We don’t need to tell you the benefits of gentle exercise. An overwhelming 73% of you advised a short walk as your top tip for getting 5 minutes of silence!
It is important to remember that exercise doesn’t have to be a workout for us to feel the benefits. Getting out the house for a short walk of 5-10 minutes every day has huge benefits on our mental and physical health.
Movement and deep breathing are extremely helpful in aiding relaxation, and allows us to appreciate our surroundings. In with the fresh air, out with the stress!
To ensure a truly relaxing night’s sleep, consider investing in a luxury mattress. Mattresses made from natural materials are breathable and help regulate body temperature as you sleep, leaving you relaxed, recharged, and ready to face a new day.
Read For Five Minutes
Ultra-relaxing bedroom styled by Nisha @ourlittlebrickcottage
Reading may seem like something to do after your to-do list is complete, but what if we told you, it could actually help you focus? If you’ve ever read something you became completely absorbed in, you’ll know what we mean.
Helping the brain to focus on one task for five minutes allows it to rest. It can help us gain clarity about other issues on our mind, and many of you say it slows down your thoughts.
When choosing between a playlist and a book, 82% of you said that reading a book was the activity that relaxed you the most! Why not make it a daily ritual? Curl up with a luxurious bedspread and a riveting read, and tune out the world for a few minutes.
Go Dark
Just as reading will help you relax and focus your energy, so will time on your phone have the opposite effect! We’ve all experienced the effects of so-called ‘doom scrolling’. Five minutes becomes an hour, and you feel no more rested than you did before.
Consider setting a ‘curfew’ for your phone usage – messages received after a certain hour can be answered the next day, allowing you to relax and engage with the people in front of you – perhaps snuggled up on a sofa or a French bed with a velvet bedspread.
Your top tip to avoid endless scrolling? 38% of you advise setting aside a specific time to purposefully reply to messages and making sure you complete this within a set time frame.
Declutter Your Space
Amanda @holly_lodge_home relaxes into autumn
Our homes work hard for us and our families. After a busy day, the last thing we want to meet when we come home is mess and disorder.
56% of you said that taking five minutes to declutter a room created a calm and peaceful environment to relax in, whether by yourself or with the family.
Start with decluttering your wardrobe or your linen closet. Then any other area in the house that will make the biggest difference to you.
The key is to declutter little and often. By spending 5-10 minutes regularly, you’ll soon start to feel the difference!
So, now you know the top tips for how to find five minutes of silence, as suggested by you!
Alter your environment – sooth your senses.
Read for five minutes – curl up, and switch off.
Go dark – those messages can wait.
Walk it out – melt the stress away
Declutter your space – little and often is key.
