This way you relax more (even during the busy festive months) | Sponsored

Hanan Haddouch herself now knows how to ensure sufficient relaxation. “It has become a habit for me to build in moments of rest.” And Hanan wants others to do the same.

The work and organizational psychologist, who specializes in burnout, and is an expert in AH’s Mijn Leefstijlcoach app, explains why it is so important to relax and how to do that.

When do you relax enough?

“It is important to build in relaxation moments every day to regulate your stress system. That takes you out of the action mode we often find ourselves in and that is necessary to help your body and mind recover from stress. How often and how you do that is up to you. Relaxing means something different for everyone, there are no specific guidelines. Fortunately, because that way you can do what suits you and you can be inspired by others. If you relax too little, you will notice it yourself.”

Then what happens to you?

“Let’s start by saying that stress is not necessarily bad for you. In fact, you need it to get into action mode. What is bad is if you stay in the action mode for too long and therefore relax too little. Your brain thinks there is danger and remains active and alert, so your body does not recover sufficiently. We humans can keep that up for a long time, but if it takes too long, your battery will become empty.”

What complaints can you get?

“You can have sleeping problems, feel constantly tired and suffer from headaches, muscle aches and/or stomach aches. And it’s not just physical. You may experience that your head is full, causing you to worry more, feel rushed, be more irritable, have concentration problems and become more forgetful. It takes you more effort, at home and at work, to perform normal tasks and the risk of making mistakes increases.”

Many people find it difficult to relax regularly, especially during the busy festive months. How did that happen?

“If you ask how people are doing, they often answer that they are busy. And when you’re in action mode all the time, it’s easier to pay too little attention to the signals your body gives. Sometimes people don’t understand the importance of relaxing, especially during a busy period. That will come later, they think, for example on vacation. It is good if we become more aware that we need moments every day to recover and recharge.”

How do you take care of that?

“That can be done by adjusting very small things. In the app Mijn Leefstijlcoach from AH you will find all kinds of challenges that can help you with this, such as taking micro breaks, regulating energy guzzlers and refueling against a burnout.”

A few more tips from Hanan:

• (Experience) live consciously: be in the moment, when you walk, eat, etc.
• Opt for monotasking instead of multitasking.
• Make sure you get enough sleep when you are busy. A good sleep ritual helps with this.
• Think about who and what gives you energy or costs you.
• Keep moving. For example, go for a walk when the weather is bad.
• Plan small rest moments on busy days.
• Remember: being social also requires energy. So think in advance about who or what you are going to say no to. Not everything has to be done during this period; move something to January if it gets too much.

General practitioner Tamara de Weijer.

‘You can step on the brake yourself’

Tamara de Weijer, general practitioner and author, is one of the experts in the AH My Lifestyle Coach app. “Many people are on from early in the morning until late at night. Women in particular are often less successful in taking up space for themselves. They are good at pressing the gas, but not at hitting the brakes. While the latter is so important, because otherwise your nervous system will be overloaded and you can sleep less, get high blood pressure and, for example, start eating stress, which increases the risk of obesity. When you relax, your breathing, blood pressure and heart rate go down and more energy can go to the recovery of your body. The good news is that you can step on that brake yourself. You don’t have to meditate for 45 minutes straight away, but first take 5 minutes twice a day to sit quietly with your feet on the floor, hands on your stomach and feel your breathing. Set a reminder in your phone. People often don’t know how much effect a few minutes already have. And you can always expand.”

More fun, tastier and easier

My Lifestyle Coach from AH is a handy app that helps you achieve healthy goals step by step. Whether you want to eat better, move more often, relax more or sleep better: a team of experts will help you learn healthier habits. You will receive tips, inspiration videos, background articles, recipe suggestions and workouts in the app every day. This way, a healthier life becomes more fun, tastier and easier.