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Learn to Relax from Celebs Emma Watson, Hilary Swank and Christina Aguilera

We all know that relaxation is important for a balanced life. You can’t just keep working all the time or you’re going to get burnt out. Unfortunately, while we’re working, we tend to ignore this piece of wisdom. We get so caught up in being productive, making money and building a reputation for reliability that we completely ignore ourselves and what we really want to do.

If we give ourselves some time for relaxation, we’ll find that we get new ideas. We become more innovative and more creative. As a result, we can often do the same work in half the time. We learn to work smart instead of just working hard.

So relaxation is important in and of itself but it’s also important because it helps us to continue along the path we’ve chosen. It helps us to get back to work and make something of our lives. Here are a few ways to relax that we can learn from our favorite celebrities:

“It sounds so geeky, but I really do like studying and reading, and if I’m not working on ‘Harry Potter,’ then my greatest relaxation is to sit with a book.” – Emma Watson.

We are all familiar with Hermione from the Harry Potter books and it seems like Emma Watson has a few things in common with the character she plays. Hermione was always a bookish girl, from the beginning of the series, and Emma Watson loves books too.

It’s true that reading a book can be very relaxing, especially if it’s a cozy romance, mystery or fantasy book. There’s something soothing about disappearing out of our lives into the lives of the characters in the book. At least for a little while, we don’t have to think about our problems anymore because we get immersed in solving the problems of others. And often, that feeling of absorption in something else, which takes us away from our own lives, can help us to find the answers that we’re looking for in our own situations.

So the next time you feel anxious, unable to sleep or just plain tired, pick up a book. Make sure to choose something that actually appeals to you rather than something you think you should read.

“My relaxation has always been my animals—going to the dog park with them, going to the beach.” –Hilary Swank.

Having pets is relaxing for many people. Whether you are a dog person, a cat person or an iguana person, caring for someone other than yourself and making sure that they have everything that they need can be a source of relaxation.

Having a pet is something that takes you out of your own life and immerses you in someone else’s. In that moment, you’re free of your own problems because you’re thinking about somebody else.

If you’re not an animal person, you could be a plant person. Even caring for plants, watering them and enjoying the way they look on your windowsill, can be relaxing.

“My idea of relaxation is not lying down by a beach. I have to move around, do stuff.” – Daniel Radcliffe.

Although his co-actor from the Harry Potter series likes to curl up with a book, Daniel Radcliffe prefers to relax in a movement-oriented way. Although this is not how most people prefer to relax, it’s still a valid way to do so. As long as the activity you’re doing takes your mind away from your daily worries and anxieties, it counts as relaxation. And the advantage of relaxing in this way is that, by the time night comes around, you’re going to be really tired. So you won’t have any trouble going to sleep.

There are many activities of this sort, including running, walking, yoga, any sport like tennis or soccer, cleaning up your home, going shopping and trying out clothes, cleaning out your closet etc.

You may not think of yourself as a very active person. However, there must be some activity-oriented things that you have done in the past and enjoyed. Since these activities distract you from the problems facing you in the moment, they can be relaxing and cathartic.

“I love doing normal things—movies, shopping, going out with friends, writing, reading, taking hot bubble baths—that’s a big one for relaxation. I also love to go to art and history museums.” – Christina Aguilera.

As we can see, Christina Aguilera likes many of the active methods of relaxation, such as shopping, going out with friends and going to museums. But she also just likes to kick back and relax with things that don’t involve movement, such as movies and hot baths.

Baths are a great way to relax because the water and the heat help to loosen out all your muscles. Going for a swim or just playing around in the pool can also be a good way to relax because the water stretches out your muscles and leaves you feeling limber.

Keep in mind that sometimes, educational things like museums can also be relaxing. You can lose yourself in looking at a piece of art, just as you can lose yourself in a movie. The same goes for music. A jazz concert can be enlivening and relaxing at the same time.

“If you do what you love, it is the best way to relax.” – Christian Louboutin.

Not many of us can afford a pair of Louboutin heels but we can all take Christian Louboutin’s advice.

Haven’t you always found that when you’re engaged in something you don’t like, you get more anxious, more worked up and generally more unhappy? All that tension gathers in your body and doesn’t let you relax. The only way you can get any relief is by complaining about it to friends and family, which is not a long-term solution.

However, if you find that you are doing a lot of complaining, take a moment to draw back and think about what you’re doing wrong. Are you engaged in a profession you despise? Have you left behind your dreams? Maybe you wanted to become a writer but you became an accountant instead because everyone told you that it was a more practical thing to do. Now, you can’t relax or get a good night’s sleep without a sleep aid. So maybe it’s time to reconsider your profession.

If that’s too much to think about right now, at least try to make sure that you spend some of your free time doing the things you actually like.

“If you want to relax, watch the clouds pass by if you’re laying on the grass, or sit in front of the creek; just doing nothing and having those still moments is what really rejuvenates the body.” – Miranda Kerr.

If it would give us the type of body that this Victoria’s Secret model has, we would all love to relax and watch the clouds passing by.

Seriously speaking, however, Miranda Kerr has hit upon one of the best things that can help people to relax—communing with nature. Haven’t you ever gone on a picnic and lay down on the grass to watch the clouds pass by? Each of us has done this and we’ve all been fascinated by the way the clouds move. There are so many little miracles in nature and so much beauty that we can remain transfixed for a long time.

You don’t have to go to a forest or climb a mountain to be one with nature (although those options work too). You can just go to the nearest park and enjoy looking at the trees and flowers. Kick off your shoes and let your feet touch the grass. You’ll find that relaxing in this way will also help you to sleep better at night.

Contact your local Urban Mattress store for more great tips to help you kick back and relax.