How To Relax When Living In The City: 10 Practical Exercises

If you want to understand how to relax while living in a city, you will love this article.

Nature is a strong source of strength and health. Even if you live in a city, nature is at your fingertips. Little effort is required to relax and recharge your inner batteries without having to travel far. In this article, we provide suggestions on how to do this.

How To Relax While Living In The City:

Exercise 1: Regeneration in the Garden

Trees are strange therapists. Contact with them can strengthen our vital energy and immune system and neutralize the harmful effects of positive ions (trees produce negative ions which promote health). Therefore, when you come home from work, find at least a small green corner.

Choose the tree that interests you the most at the moment. If you feel physically and mentally tired, oak can be of great help. Stand with your back to the tree of your choice, so that your back is against the bark. Feel the support and security that the tree gives you.

After a couple of minutes, turn in that direction. Hug the trunk with the entire front of your body and wrap your arms around it. Thank you for the energy it gives you. Remember that you’re also giving something to this incredible plant. Something very precious — your presence.

Exercise 2: Grounded in the yard

This is an excellent exercise if you spend eight hours a day in an air-conditioned room. Go to the park and stand in the grass or directly on the ground (preferably barefoot or wearing socks). Place your feet parallel to one another. Feel them stick to the ground.

Now imagine that deep inside the Earth is the powerhouse of the planet. Something like an internal power generator. It could be a ball of light, fire, or red-orange lava. Then focus on your feet again and watch the roots sprout. Your body is now like a tree: stable, firm, and connected to the center of the earth.

imagine the roots pulling up the life-giving sap. Wake your mind and see how the light from within this planet flows through your feet and into your whole body. Breathe consciously, feeling the stress and fatigue of the day coming off of you with every breath.

Exercise 3: The Power of Rain and Storms

Appreciate the health benefits of walking after a summer storm or heavy rain. The air is then saturated with negative ions which are good for our bodies. Cleaner, fresher and pleasant to breathe.

Allocate at least 15 minutes for walks, preferably in an area with trees (such as a city park). Contact with summer rains can bring the same positive benefits. Don’t be afraid to get wet or even drenched to the bone. Such “adventures” give a feeling of physical and mental cleansing.

Exercise 4: Time is precious in the forest

If you live in a big city, make sure to go to the forest at least once a week. You can use this as a chance to catch up with friends or loved ones. The forest is like a natural pharmacy; clean air quickly oxygenates the brain and all cells in the body.

As you walk, turn off your phone and focus on deep breathing (inhale through your nose, exhale through your nose or mouth), walk evenly (choose the pace that works best for you), and listen to the birdsong (1).

Exercise 5: Reading from the Clouds

Staring at the sky and past the clouds can be a really creative activity. Choose a sunny day when clouds appear in the sky, preferably charming and exquisite ones called cumulus.

Stare at them, wondering what shape it reminds you of: a human figure, an animal, a plant, an object? Allocate several to several minutes for this exercise.

Exercise 6: Positive photos

One way to make your office experience more enjoyable with nature is to choose a few photos that depict your favourite landscape (either against the landscape or simply nature).

Even a few seconds spent looking at photos a few times during your work day will help relax your brain, which associates these images with something positive and calming.

Exercise 7: A calming fountain

Watching the water flow up and down and hearing the sound of the water is a really calming practice.

You can do this easily: just go to a park or square with a fountain, sit near it and for 10-15 minutes give yourself entirely to watching and listening to the relaxing sound of water. This is pure mindfulness practice.

Exercise 8: Plant in the office

A study in England showed that the presence of plants in the office has a positive impact on employee productivity (2), health, and creativity. According to another study, people who work amongst plants enjoy their work more. This positive effect of communicating with plants is not accidental.

Plants purify the air of toxic substances, produce beneficial negative ions, and improve mood and physical condition. For the office, choose plants that don’t require special care and good sunlight. In particular, ficuses, dracaenas, sansevierias, chiffchaffs, spring figs, and ferns work well.

Exercise 9: Coloring the Town

Another way to incorporate nature into your everyday life is to ensure your apartment at all times has fresh colours.

Choose the colour and scent you need most right now. Red has an energizing, mood-boosting and invigorating effect. Orange stimulates creativity. Yellow enhances clarity of thought. Green has a calming effect. Blue facilitates communication, and purple inspires.

Exercise 10: Music with Nature Sounds

Lastly, I suggest a relaxation technique in a lying position. Prepare music in the sounds of nature for him (it’s best if it’s soft, combined with calm melodic lines).

Turn off the phone and ask your household members not to enter the room for 20–30 minutes. Now lie comfortably on the bed with your legs barely apart and your feet pointing outward. Place your hands a little further away. Concentrate on your breath. Feel your body become pleasantly heavy with each breath.

Gradually, you enter a state of relaxation, relaxing your body and mind. Your muscles relax, and your breathing becomes even and regular. You dive deeper into your inner world. You enter a space of peace, security and happiness. When you relax, your body regenerates.

After 20–30 minutes, start moving your body slowly; pull and move to a sitting position.

Thank you for reading this article on how to relax while living in the city and I actually hope you take my advice into action.

I wish you good luck and that I hope that its content has been a good help to you.