Are You A Victim Of ‘Stresslaxing’?

We’ve all read the advice on how to destress these days, from doing meditation to taking a bath. But are you one of those people who find even the most relaxing tasks stressful?

Well, you’re not alone. In fact, so many people find it anxiety-inducing when they try to take a break, there is now even a term for it – ‘stresslaxing’.

Apparently, between a third and half of people suffer from this when they try to do relaxing things, despite their good intentions, according to a study published in APA PsycNet.

So why does this occur? The Conversation revealed some of us find the effort of trying to relax stressful because we’re in denial. We might not believe we have a problem of stress to begin with and, therefore, we aren’t fully addressing the cause of the issue in the first place.

Another reason we might not be good at relaxing is that we worry what other people are saying about the fact we want to take time out.

While we all know the importance of ‘me time’, this can still sound self-indulgent, making some people feel guilty about having time to themselves.

“You might even be worried that people will think badly of you for taking time off. Ultimately, this can negatively affect wellbeing,” the publication stated.

‘Stresslaxation’ could also occur when the individual cannot decide what relaxing thing to do. Finding it hard to make decisions is a symptom of anxiety and depression, which is why it is not surprising lots of people find the act of choosing something to do to relax actually stressful in itself.

Instead, you could focus on why you’re trying to relax and forget about the other choices, or seek guidance from a personal life coach in London to help you really embrace the calm.