Time for me

Time with family is priceless. In these unprecedented times, it is important to find time to relax and make some time for you.

During these times it is important to relax and reduce anxiety with a few extra hours of relaxation, serenity and reflection.

Here are six good tips to reduce stress.

Tip no. 1: Not everything has to be perfect - especially at the moment!

Good "anti-stress tools" create calmness but we should also try to rethink our expectations. We should reflect on those stressful moments and decide for ourselves how much stress we want to put up with? For example, we should ask ourselves: Does everything really have to be absolutely perfect? Or is it enough to try as hard as we can? Then it might be a bit easier to live and work in harmony with our own strengths. In order to make well-informed decisions we should accept the phrases ‘I can't do that anymore’ or ‘that is too much for me’.

Managing work and everyday life whilst respecting your own limitations is one of the best methods to reduce stress.

Tip no. 2: Puzzle – slow down your mind

Everything that involves pleasure is relaxing and helps us slow down. Activities like puzzling are meditative and they allow us to lose ourselves and our problems. These moments allow us to be at ‘at-one’ with ourselves. Puzzling is therefore not just about pure relaxation, but also one of the most effective and easiest methods to experience small moments of happiness in everyday life without too much effort - for children, as well as adults! Puzzle fans know from many years of experience: there is something calming about gradually sifting through a pile of chaotic puzzle pieces, sorting them and putting them into a beautiful and perfect order.

Tip no. 3: Music puts you in a good mood

Scientists have discovered that music can instantly boost your mood and give you more energy - thanks to a direct connection between our auditory nerve and the limbic system, our emotional centre. The trick is to take your time and find a comfortable place to listen to the music. Our favourite songs are the ones that allow us to get lost in our own thoughts and dreams.

Tip no. 6: Painting relaxes everyone, adults and children alike

Ever tried it? Inspiring and particularly detailed colouring books or mandalas for adults offer a special form of relaxation. Colouring detailed templates calms your brain and stops the unrelenting flow of thoughts that stressed people often suffer from. By concentrating on accurate colouring with high-quality pencils and splendid colours, a pleasant inner peace is created, which in turn creates the conditions for reducing stress. And like meditating, your mind becomes pleasantly clear when all you are concentrating on is the picture you are colouring. Go on, give it a go!