Your essential 10-step guide to unwinding after-work

Working from home? Whether it's important meetings with new clients, presentations via Zoom or Skype to your team or just keeping on top of your email inbox, we all have action-packed days. Following a relaxation ritual will help with stress management, lowering your adrenaline levels while ensuring you're well rested and ready to whip through your to-do list the next day. From switching your phone off to using lightly scented lavender products for a relaxing atmosphere, we have put together some tips that will leave you feeling blissfully relaxed and ready for another day at home!

Exercise

Exercise naturally reduces stress by stimulating endorphin levels.

If cardio is your favourite way to unwind, lace up your trainers, run around the block and get a breath of fresh air. Prefer something gentler? An online yoga or meditation session has the same calming effect on the mind.

Some people find intense exercise in the evening has the opposite effect and can invigorate them. If you relate to this but you don't want to give up your runs, try some progressive relaxation after your session. Tense every part of your body in turn – your face, your shoulders, your hands – before relaxing them. This helps to release unwanted tension you weren't even aware of!

Light some fragranced candles

Scents have a powerful effect on the brain. They can evoke happy memories or send a signal to relax. A distinctive fragrance like lavender, which blankets Provence's rolling hills with its purple hue and fills the air with a herbal aroma, has a calming effect on the central nervous system. It creates a feeling of well-being, instantly whisking you off to those French pastures.

For a moment of well-being and peacefulness, you can set the mood with a Relaxing Lavender scented Candle accompanied by soothing ambient sounds or your favourite music.

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Bathe with essential oils for natural stress relief

Run a bath or step into the shower and wash your cares away. Our Relaxing Body Wrap will bring you a moment of well-being and relaxation. Silky and sumptuously soft on skin, this product has a blissful effect on the senses.

For a special treat, take it one step further and schedule an appointment at your nearest L'Occitane spa. 

Pamper your face and nails

Taking off your make-up is symbolic: it indicates you're winding down for the evening. Our Aqua Gel Cleanser will invigorate your skin while lifting away impurities. The cool gel transforms into a light, supple lather, that leaves skin clean, soft and comfortable.

After washing your face and enveloping yourself in a fluffy robe, reach for your nail polish. Concentrating on this repetitive task can help to take your mind off the daily challenges of work. For added pamper points, use Shea Nail & Cuticle Nourishing Oil, which is rich in vitamin E for a naturally conditioning finish. It helps to strengthen nails and leaves them feeling nourished.

Create a soothing atmosphere

Tidy your devices away. Blue light – the light that emits from your phone, laptop or tablet – can hamper your sleep, so although it's tempting to check work emails one last time, you'll sleep better if you switch it off an hour before bedtime and pop it in a drawer until morning.

Spritzing your bedroom and pillow with the Relaxing Pillow Mist will also help you to relax and ease into sleep. Close your eyes and imagine strolling through the fields of Provence, with the warmth of the sun falling on your skin.
These stress management techniques involve healthy habits that help to reduce any work stress you're feeling,
leaving you refreshed and raring to go again.

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