Skip to main content

BlissMark may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

3 ways to relax at home (that aren’t meditation or yoga)

Between work and caregiving responsibilities (for a child, pet, or aging relative), we often dedicate much of our time to others. Add in the constant onslaught of one doomsday headline after another, and you may notice that all this is beginning to take a toll on your mental health.

Taking time for mental relaxation shouldn’t be a luxury–you deserve a moment or two (or three or five) to yourself without feeling guilty. Meditation and yoga are go-to ways to chill out without leaving your pad, and for a good reason. They’re proven to reduce stress and blood pressure, but they’re also not for everybody. There are more passive, low energy ways to take a load off during the day.

Recommended Videos

If you’re looking for other relaxing things to do at home, consider adding these three elements to your daily routine.

Good: Spotify Premium Subscription

The old adage “music soothes the savage beast” might be your self-care mantra. Music really does trigger mental relaxation. Soothing tunes are particularly therapeutic, but even a throwback dance party can give your body a release by elevating your heart rate and improving focus.

Spotify is full of everything from classical piano to boy band jams that will take you back to your TRL days. We recommend investing in the premium service because there are a host of limitations to its

free mobile services

such as limited skips, no offline listening, and constant advertisements. There’s nothing worse than trying to jam to your favorite songs and being interrupted. With a premium subscription, Spotify also analyzes your listening patterns to create playlists just for you, so you can just press play and chill.

Better: My Coffee and Book Club Subscription

Curling up with a good book can transport you to another place or time, which is a massive luxury, especially nowadays. Reading promotes mental relaxation by decreasing stress and anxiety and keeps you sharp cognitively, especially if you’re reading a paper copy.

My Coffee and Book Club offers subscriptions that allow readers to choose from five genres: fiction, non-fiction, science fiction, mystery, and horror. Each month, subscribers receive a book from their preferred genre plus whole bean or ground coffee to sip while flipping pages. Those who swear by it say that waiting for their box to come each month is as exciting as a thriller, and it gives them two relaxing things to do at home at once (sip a cup of Joe and reading).

mental relaxation during at home spa treatment
Sora Shimazaki/Pexels

Best: FaceTory K-Beauty Subscription

If you can’t get to your local spa these days, bring the spa to your doorstep. The FaceTory K-Beauty Subscription box sends four packages per year so that you can treat yourself to a luxe experience from the comfort of your own home. They’re full of goodies that keep your skin soft and fresh, and you mentally relaxed like masks, full-sized lotions, and serums tested and hand-picked by experts. Don’t worry if you’re not an esthetician — the boxes come with guides for how to use the products, and subscribers rave that they learned a thing or two about how to better care for their skin.

Mental relaxation isn’t a luxury. It’s a necessity, and you deserve it. If you’re not into meditation and yoga, there are a variety of other relaxation techniques available, no physical fitness required. Just taking some time to listen to a few songs and read a good book, coffee in hand, can be the perfect blend of mental relaxation. And although you may not be able to get to your favorite salon or spa every week, you can learn how to give your skin a little TLC from home.

BlissMark provides information regarding health, wellness, and beauty. The information within this article is not intended to be medical advice. Before starting any diet or exercise routine, consult your physician. If you don’t have a primary care physician, the United States Health & Human Services department has a free online tool that can help you locate a clinic in your area. We are not medical professionals, have not verified or vetted any programs, and in no way intend our content to be anything more than informative and inspiring.

BethAnn Mayer
Beth Ann's work has appeared on healthline.com and parents.com. In her spare time, you can find her running (either marathons…
Why video games can be a great way to de-stress
two people playing video game on flatscreen

Video games have something of a bad reputation. One year a study will say they make people violent, and a few years later, another one will debunk it. People who grew up without video games may like to grumble that, “Kids these days are always playing video games,” and usually follow up that “back in their day, we spent all day helping around the house or playing outside.” The implication is that video games make us lazier and less social and deprive us of fresh air.
While getting outside is great and all, and helping out is important, everyone copes with stress differently. Some people swear video games help — not hurt — them. Which is it? Can video games relieve stress? Let’s explore the link between video games and mental health.

Benefits of using video games to destress
Despite video games’ bad rap, a growing body of research says they can help reduce stress. It’s also important to note that video games don’t always entail one person playing by themselves. Gamers can compete against one another or as teammates. One 2015 study of 100 participants found that both competitive and cooperative games helped players soothe stress, and cooperative ones were the most beneficial.
What’s more, researchers at the University of Saskatchewan discovered that video games helped people relax and feel more motivated and connected.  Another study of more than 1,600 participants found video games were good tools for coping with stress.

Read more
4 most relaxing yoga poses you should try
a person meditating in the sand by the ocean

Yoga is one of the most relaxing activities you could add to your daily routine. During practice, you focus intently on your breathing and movements and paying close attention to keeping proper form can be a welcome distraction from life's daily stressors.
Though going into a studio where an instructor is available to provide individual feedback, it can be less expensive and time-consuming to work on your flow from the comfort of your own home. Services like YouTube and Amazon Prime have thousands of classes aimed at bona fide yogis and beginners alike, so there's virtually no barrier to entry.
If you don't have time for a whole 30 minute or hour-long class, try to spend a few minutes sinking into these four relaxing yoga poses.

Happy Baby
This gentle and easy pose serves as a hip opener, making it especially beneficial for runners and cyclists who may be prone to tightness in their groin areas.

Read more
Relax your mind with these 4 simple summer gardening projects
multi-colored-succulents-over-rocks

“How does your garden grow?” reads one line from the nursery rhyme “Mary, Mary Quite Contrary.” If your answer is “not at all,” you might want to reconsider, particularly if you're having trouble relaxing.
It turns out, flexing your green thumb can lower stress, depression, and anxiety. Gardening is also linked to increased happiness and self-esteem. (And as a bonus? It can also count as exercise.)
If you’ve never gardened before or tried and didn't do so well, you may be a bit apprehensive about giving it a try. However, you don’t need to be a landscaping legend to reap the benefits of gardening. There are a few simple projects that can relax your mind all while growing something truly beautiful. Consider adding one of these four easy gardening projects to your summer bucket list.

Herb garden
If adding a little fresh spice to your meals sounds nice, consider growing an herb garden. You’ll literally be able to reap what you sow when you go out to pick some herbs from your garden right before cooking dinner. Many herbs, like basil and bay, can even be grown indoors, making this project accessible to city dwellers, as well.
First, think about what herbs you want to grow and research what conditions help them thrive. For example, basil and dill do best in full sunshine, while mint prefers shade. You’ll also want to know what plants grow best together. Mint actually grows best when solo, but basil’s companion herbs include cilantro, parsley, and chives. You can find ready-to-plant herbs at a local gardening store or big-box retailer like Lowe’s.
Choose well-draining soil and add well-composted topsoil instead of fertilizer. Maintenance for herb gardens includes watering in the morning when the soil is dry (the dryness should reach about an inch below the surface) and trimming, clipping, and picking every so often to prevent overgrowth.

Read more