How to Unwind Without Alcohol
Written by Kathryn Stone.
How to Relax Without Alcohol
Alcohol is a common way to relax when we are feeling stressed and want to come down. Want to unwind after a stressful day at work? Grab a drink! Nervous before a date? Have a drink! Had a hard day? Grab a gin and tonic!
But whilst temporarily alcohol might help us feel a little more relaxed or a little less stressed temporarily, in the long run using alcohol as a crutch to help relax can be harmful.
So you’ve started mindful drinking or you are sober curious, or you just don’t want to lean on alcohol quite so much. You might be wondering “how can I unwind without alcohol?” Well, luckily there are many, much healthier ways to relax without alcohol.
Here are eight of our favourite ways to relax without alcohol:
1. Go Outside
Studies show that being outside, in nature, lowers your stress hormone (cortisol) and decreases your heart rate. This means on a very biochemical level your body is relaxing.
So an ideal way to de-stress without alcohol is to get outside, have a stroll by the river, in your local park or in the forest or just sit in the garden and let nature do the rest. As an added benefit you can soak up some vitamin D too.
2. Do Some Exercise
If you are capable of exercising, it is one of the most powerful ways to de-stress the body and mind. It doesn’t matter what form your exercise takes, as long as you enjoy it, so you could go for a walk, a run, practice yoga or tai chi, or even take up a more niche sport like ultimate frisbee.
When you do aerobic exercise, you reduce your cortisol and adrenalin levels, both of which contribute to stress.
At the same time, you create endorphins which give your body a natural high feeling, as they are the body’s natural mood elevators and act as natural painkillers. And you can even stretch the tense areas of your body.
3. Have a Bath
Every self-care advice article ever includes taking a bath, and there is a reason for that. Baths are incredibly good for you, and they are an ideal way to relax and unwind without drinking a drop of alcohol.
Taking a bath helps to calm the nervous system and reduces pain and inflammation. All of these allow your body to de-stress and allow you to relax and process a stressful or busy day.
For an added bonus you can use bath salts, a bath bomb, or bring a cup of tea and a book or listen to music. You won’t be thinking about alcohol at all with this level of luxury!
4. Play With a Pet
Do you have a furry friend at home? Experts say that playing with or cuddling a pet can decrease feelings of loneliness, boost your mood, and importantly they can reduce your blood pressure and lower your cortisol levels. And playing with your pet, unlike alcohol, does not have any negative health consequences, other than a few scratches here are there if your cat gets too boisterous!
5. Meditate
No list of methods to de-stress would be complete without meditation. If you are stressed or need to relax you might find that you have a lot of background chatter running through your mind: grocery lists, to-do lists, and messages you need to send. You name it. Meditation is a great way to de-clutter your mind and reduce your input.
All you need is five to twenty minutes free from distraction and, if you are new to meditation, a follow-along meditation practice, and you will reap all the benefits of meditating.
How does it work? Well, when you meditate, you trigger your body's relaxation response, so instead of being in fight or flight mode, you can completely de-stress your mind and fully relax. This gives short-term relief and helps extensively in the long run too!
6. Read a Book
Want to switch off from your daily stress? Dive into a different world, and you can distract your mind from your daily stressors. Studies have shown that people who read for just six minutes a day have lower stress levels, less muscle tension and lower heart rates.
So instead of grabbing a glass of wine when you get home from work, why not brew a tea, cuddle up in a blanket and read something interesting?
7. Cook Something
Cooking can help relax your mind and body. Tasks such as chopping or stirring are easy and repetitive and can be almost meditative.
When you cook you focus all your attention on what you are doing and because cooking uses so many senses, it is therefore very absorbing. This means you can clear your mind of the daily clutter or stressful thoughts floating around in your head. There is no time to stare into space and stress about anything when you are trying not to burn soup!
If deciding what to eat every night stresses you out then you can use free online meal plans or meal plan services so you can enjoy cooking without the stress of deciding what to eat.
8. Reach for an Alcohol Free Beverage
If you want to make a moment out of reaching for a drink, but don’t want alcohol, then try an alcohol free beverage. Alcohol free drinks such as alcohol free beer give you the same positive relaxation benefits as alcohol, with none of the harmful side effects.
Studies have shown that when you drink alcohol free beer your body releases the same chemical as it does when you are drinking beer with alcohol. When your body smells the alcohol free beer, it thinks it contains alcohol and releases dopamine, which is what leads to the initial rush of feeling good.
Not sure which alcohol free drink to start with? Want a new alcohol free cocktail recipe every month?
With the JOMO subscription box, you will get all the ingredients for new mocktail recipes, snacks that pair with the drink, and a range of pre-made drinks each month. That way you can make a moment out of enjoying your alcohol free drinks and let your body unwind after a long day.