{"id":76920,"date":"2023-06-14T11:31:10","date_gmt":"2023-06-14T16:31:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/?p=76920"},"modified":"2024-04-06T04:15:11","modified_gmt":"2024-04-06T04:15:11","slug":"a-priority-for-summer-learn-to-relax","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/a-priority-for-summer-learn-to-relax\/","title":{"rendered":"A priority for summer: Learn to relax"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"lee-article-text first-p\">\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-76921 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/pexels-tembela-bohle-4983184-scaled-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"2560\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/pexels-tembela-bohle-4983184-scaled-1.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/pexels-tembela-bohle-4983184-scaled-1-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/pexels-tembela-bohle-4983184-scaled-1-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/pexels-tembela-bohle-4983184-scaled-1-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/pexels-tembela-bohle-4983184-scaled-1-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/pexels-tembela-bohle-4983184-scaled-1-600x800.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" \/>Summer is a time of year that\u2019s synonymous with relaxation. The warm air and glowing sun of summer helps people to relax and take some time away from work to smell the roses. Or so it may seem.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"lee-article-text\">\n<p>According to the U.S. Travel Association, Americans accumulated 705 million unused vacation days in 2017. That\u2019s 43 million more unused vacations than the year prior. Americans\u2019 neighbors to the north seem to be following suit, as a 2018 survey from ADP Canada found that only one in three Canadian workers use their two weeks\u2019 of vacation each year.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"lee-article-text\">\n<p>Unused vacation time may be having a more adverse effect on workers than they know. The American Institute of Stress notes that various studies have shown that job stress is a major and primary source of stress for American workers. When workers don\u2019t use their allotted vacation time, they never get a break from that stress, allowing its effects to accumulate and put their long-term health in jeopardy.<\/p>\n<div class=\"lee-article-text\">\n<p>The arrival of summer presents a perfect opportunity for professionals to take some time off from work and focus on reacquainting themselves with relaxation. The following are various practices that can help people relax, courtesy of the NorthShore University Health system.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"hidden-print \"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-76922 alignright lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/pexels-armin-rimoldi-5269899-231x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"231\" height=\"300\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 231px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 231\/300;\" \/><\/div>\n<div class=\"lee-article-text\">\n<h2>Breathing<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"lee-article-text\">\n<p>Healthy breathing techniques can help the body take in more oxygen, which can relieve anxiety, slow the heart rate and stabilize blood pressure. Deep breathing exercises can teach people how to control their breathing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"lee-article-text\">\n<h2>Meditation<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"lee-article-text\">\n<p>Various forms of meditation can be employed to help people alleviate stress. Meditating for as little as five to 10 minutes can be effective. The Synchronicity Foundation for Modern Spirituality notes that meditating for as long as you feel comfortable, whether it\u2019s 10 minutes or an hour, can be effective, and that it\u2019s even possible to meditate too much. The group advises paying attention to your meditation tolerance and set aside enough time to benefit from meditation without overdoing it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"lee-article-text\">\n<h2>Yoga<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"lee-article-text\">\n<p>Many people find yoga to be great exercise for the body and an excellent way to alleviate stress. Combining various poses with breathing exercises, yoga can relax the mind and promote flexibility in the body. That latter benefit can be especially useful for people whose muscles tighten as a result of stress.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"lee-article-text\">\n<h2>Visualization<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"lee-article-text\">\n<p>Visualization involves participants imagining relaxing settings and focusing on their details. The goal of visualization is eliminate stressful thoughts and calm the body.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"lee-article-text\">\n<p>Summer is a time of year that\u2019s synonymous with relaxation. It also marks a great time for people dealing with stress to embrace various relaxation techniques that can help them reduce their stress and restore their energy levels.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/richmond.com\/news\/community\/powhatan-today\/a-priority-for-summer-learn-to-relax\/article_8bf8ef4c-0946-11ee-a203-abc9945a381e.html\">Original post\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pexels.com\/photo\/faceless-male-traveler-in-inflatable-ring-on-ocean-admiring-sunset-4983184\/\">Photo by Tembela Bohle<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pexels.com\/photo\/relaxed-woman-lying-on-air-mattress-5269899\/\">Photo by Armin Rimoldi<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Summer is a time of year that\u2019s synonymous with relaxation. The warm air and glowing sun of summer helps people to relax and take some time away from work to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":76923,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"give_campaign_id":0,"pmpro_default_level":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false},"categories":[139,166],"tags":[136,137,141,143,279,145,155,120,147,167,151],"class_list":["post-76920","news","type-news","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-life-blog","category-wellness","tag-ais","tag-american-institute-of-stress","tag-health","tag-mental-health","tag-relax","tag-relaxation","tag-research","tag-stress","tag-stress-management","tag-wellness","tag-workplace-stress","pmpro-has-access"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>A priority for summer: Learn to relax - The American Institute of Stress<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/a-priority-for-summer-learn-to-relax\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A priority for summer: Learn to relax - The American Institute of Stress\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Summer is a time of year that\u2019s synonymous with relaxation. The warm air and glowing sun of summer helps people to relax and take some time away from work to [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/a-priority-for-summer-learn-to-relax\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The American Institute of Stress\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-04-06T04:15:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Research-Roundup-2018-4.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"379\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/a-priority-for-summer-learn-to-relax\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/a-priority-for-summer-learn-to-relax\/\",\"name\":\"A priority for summer: Learn to relax - The American Institute of Stress\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/a-priority-for-summer-learn-to-relax\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/a-priority-for-summer-learn-to-relax\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Research-Roundup-2018-4.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-06-14T16:31:10+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-04-06T04:15:11+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/a-priority-for-summer-learn-to-relax\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/a-priority-for-summer-learn-to-relax\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/a-priority-for-summer-learn-to-relax\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Research-Roundup-2018-4.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Research-Roundup-2018-4.png\",\"width\":600,\"height\":379},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/a-priority-for-summer-learn-to-relax\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"News\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"A priority for summer: Learn to relax\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/\",\"name\":\"The American Institute of Stress\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/#organization\",\"name\":\"The American Institute of Stress\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/AIS-logo-C.svg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/AIS-logo-C.svg\",\"width\":1440,\"height\":432,\"caption\":\"The American Institute of Stress\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"A priority for summer: Learn to relax - The American Institute of Stress","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/a-priority-for-summer-learn-to-relax\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"A priority for summer: Learn to relax - The American Institute of Stress","og_description":"Summer is a time of year that\u2019s synonymous with relaxation. The warm air and glowing sun of summer helps people to relax and take some time away from work to [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/a-priority-for-summer-learn-to-relax\/","og_site_name":"The American Institute of Stress","article_modified_time":"2024-04-06T04:15:11+00:00","og_image":[{"width":600,"height":379,"url":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Research-Roundup-2018-4.png","type":"image\/png"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/a-priority-for-summer-learn-to-relax\/","url":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/a-priority-for-summer-learn-to-relax\/","name":"A priority for summer: Learn to relax - The American Institute of Stress","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/a-priority-for-summer-learn-to-relax\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/a-priority-for-summer-learn-to-relax\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Research-Roundup-2018-4.png","datePublished":"2023-06-14T16:31:10+00:00","dateModified":"2024-04-06T04:15:11+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/a-priority-for-summer-learn-to-relax\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/a-priority-for-summer-learn-to-relax\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/a-priority-for-summer-learn-to-relax\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Research-Roundup-2018-4.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Research-Roundup-2018-4.png","width":600,"height":379},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/a-priority-for-summer-learn-to-relax\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"A priority for summer: Learn to relax"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/","name":"The American Institute of Stress","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/#organization","name":"The American Institute of Stress","url":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/AIS-logo-C.svg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/AIS-logo-C.svg","width":1440,"height":432,"caption":"The American Institute of Stress"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/76920","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/76923"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=76920"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=76920"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=76920"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}