Keeping Cool – Relaxing Ways of Taking the Heat Out of Your Day

It’s hot, hot, hot, but once you’ve shut all the curtains, made temporary blackout curtains, filled the freezer with ice lollies, ice cubes, frozen your sheets, and put your feet in bowls of cool water what do you do next? 

The health advice is to slow down, and one way of doing this is to create. There are many ways of being creative without too much exertion. 

Writing
The last few years have been a source of constant change, just keeping a journal and recording all the different happenings in our world will be fascinating to future generations. But you can also indulge in more creative writing, you may enjoy writing poetry, many songwriters narrate stories from their lives, you may have an idea for a novel, a short story, a children’s book, a letter to yourself, or an elderly relative. 

Puzzles
This can be everything from jigsaws, to daily crosswords, or word games, nothing too challenging or stressful, just something that is absorbing.

Drawing
The advantage with drawing is that you need very little equipment, a pencil and paper, and again choose something not too challenging, and don’t worry about technique, there are many tutorials online. 

Watercolour painting 
Again this can use simple equipment, and it creates less fumes than other types of painting, just let your brush, the water and the paint meander across the paper, seascapes in particular can be very soothing.

Embroidery
One of the most relaxing forms of sewing is embroidery, from simple cross stitch to creating flowers, there are many sources of online inspiration, or in many craft books by publishers such as www.searchpress.co.uk

Reading
Reading is the ultimate in relaxation, you might want to re-read a favourite novel, or choose a new relaxing escapist read. We feature many in our sister website: www.mycreativenotebook.co.uk

Creating tasty treats
Normally we would suggest baking for relaxation, but in the heat, using an oven may not be the most relaxing, but creating cooling drinks, salads, and other tasty food, eaten slowly and perhaps followed by a siesta is another way of relaxing.

Sleeping
As mentioned above, adopting a more relaxed way of getting through the heat of the day, by having a siesta can help make up for sleep lost during restless nights. 

Arranging collections
Many of us have collections of photographs, and drawers of items, so gentle sorting can not only be relaxing as you find old memories, but also useful.

Creating a home spa
Whilst it may not be obviously creative, indulging in cooling showers, aromatherapy bathing, cooling face cloths, and even soaking your feet in a bowl of cool water can all help to relax and soothe you.

Finding shade
If you do have access to the outside try and create shady corners that you can sit in at the start and the end of the day, inside keep the curtains pulled, but let any breeze in.

Meditation
Sitting quietly and breathing in and out in a meditative way can help you relax at any time of the day. 

Hopefully, the temperature will soon return to more comfortable levels, but all these creative activities can help you relax at any time.