Practice progressive muscle relaxation.

Progressive muscle relaxation is a deep relaxation technique that teaches you how to relax your muscles by alternating between tension and relaxation in all the body’s major muscle groups. By focusing on each muscle and what it feels like when tightened and relaxed, you can become more present and aware of feelings in your body.

Lie down or sit comfortably and take slow, deep breaths, allowing your body to fully relax. Begin by tightening and creating tension in your toes for about five to seven seconds. Then release the tension, causing the toes to relax. Focus on the physical sensations you are experiencing as you tighten and relax the muscles.

Work your way up your body, repeating this process for each of the major muscle groups.

Try release writing.

Release writing is a powerful tool that can give you much-needed relief and help you relax and rest. Release writing is a fast-paced “stream of consciousness” process used to dump your thoughts and feelings while writing by hand.

Most people tend to avoid their feelings because they fear them or because it’s what they’ve been taught to do. However, avoiding and suppressing your feelings is extremely draining on your energy, and the long-term impact of this is far greater than the short-term pain you would experience by processing them.

When you suppress your negative feelings, you are storing negative energy in your body. Unexpressed sadness typically causes lethargy and depression, and unexpressed anger often manifests as anxiety and irritability.