5 Easy Ways to Unwind From a Stressful Day
Some days leave you wound tight — shoulders up, mind racing, unable to properly switch off even once you are home. The problem is that a stressful day keeps your nervous system stuck in “go” mode long after the stress itself has passed. Unwinding is how you switch it back.
At Elysian Solara, we think about this a lot, because deliberate recovery is at the heart of feeling well. Here are five easy, evidence-informed ways to unwind — and the simple biology behind why they work. None of them require you to buy anything.
First, What “Unwinding” Actually Does
Your nervous system has two gears. The sympathetic branch is your stress response — alert, tense, ready for action. The parasympathetic branch is “rest and digest” — calm, restorative, the state your body recovers in. After a stressful day, you tend to be stuck in the first gear. Every method below is really just a different way of shifting you toward the second.
1. Slow Your Breathing
This one is free, takes two minutes, and works anywhere — which is why it goes first. When you deliberately slow your breathing, you nudge your nervous system toward a calmer state.
This is one of the better-evidenced items on the list. A 2022 systematic review and meta-analysis pooled 223 studies of voluntary slow breathing and found it consistently increased vagally-mediated heart-rate variability — a measure of parasympathetic, “rest and digest” activity — both during the breathing itself and after a course of practice [1]. In a separate small randomised trial, four weeks of daily slow “resonance” breathing improved heart-rate variability and lowered perceived stress scores in young adults, compared with a control group [2]. That is one modest study rather than settled proof, but it points the same way as the larger review.
A common practical version is to make the exhale longer than the inhale: breathe in for four counts, out for six, for a couple of minutes. The specific ratio is a matter of comfort rather than something the research has pinned down — the slowing is the active ingredient.
2. Step Into the Heat
Warmth is a reliable way to help the body let go of physical tension. A warm shower, a bath, or a sauna session all encourage muscles to release the tightness they have been holding all day, and within minutes the physical signature of stress — the clenched jaw, the tight shoulders — often begins to ease.
It is worth being straight about what the evidence does and does not show here. A 2021 mechanistic review looking at sauna bathing for people in high-stress occupations concluded that sauna use is a promising practical intervention, but noted that data on stress hormones are scarce and that markers such as cortisol respond to heat in a highly variable way [3]. Heat is not a reliable way to lower your stress hormones. What it does do — well established, and easy to feel — is raise your heart rate and core temperature during the session, in a way the review describes as similar to moderate exercise [3]. The calm most people report tends to arrive in the settling afterwards.
Heat also creates something valuable that has nothing to do with physiology: a screen-free, interruption-free pocket of time that belongs only to you. That alone is a powerful reset.
3. Disconnect From Screens
Scrolling feels like relaxing, but for a stressed brain it often is not. The constant stream of information, notifications and bright light keeps your mind switched on. Giving yourself even 30 screen-free minutes in the evening — especially before bed — gives your nervous system a genuine chance to downshift, and costs you nothing to try.
4. Move Gently
You do not need a workout. A short walk, some light stretching, or a few minutes of easy mobility can help shift the physical residue of stress and bring you back into your body and out of your head. Gentle movement paired with warmth — a light stretch after a hot shower or a sauna, for example — is especially soothing.
5. Build a Wind-Down Ritual
The most useful tool of all is repetition. When you do the same calming sequence each evening — dim the lights, warm up, breathe slowly, then rest — your brain starts to associate that ritual with letting go. Over time, simply starting the routine begins to relax you, because your body knows what comes next.
The sequence matters far more than the equipment. A hot shower and five slow breaths, done every night, will do more for you than an elaborate setup you use twice a month. A ritual removes the decision-making from unwinding: you are not trying to relax through willpower, you are following a path your body already trusts.
The Elysian Solara Take
Unwinding is not a luxury — it is how your body recovers from the demands of modern life. The easier and more inviting you make it, the more reliably you will do it. Start with the free options, since they carry the strongest evidence and the lowest barrier. If you later want to build a dedicated space to step into at the end of the day, that is a way of making the habit easier to keep, not a substitute for having one.
One caveat worth stating plainly: this article is about everyday stress and general wellbeing. If stress is persistent, is affecting your sleep, mood or health, or does not lift with rest, that is worth raising with your GP. It is not information a wellness article can settle for you.
FAQ: Unwinding From Stress
What is the fastest way to relax after a stressful day?
Slowing your breathing is the quickest evidence-backed option. A meta-analysis of 223 studies found that voluntary slow breathing increased vagally-mediated heart-rate variability during the breathing session itself [1]. Warmth — a hot shower, bath or sauna — is also a fast and reliable way to help release physical tension.
Why can’t I switch off after work?
A stressful day tends to keep your nervous system in an alert state. Deliberate wind-down activities help shift you back toward a calmer, restorative mode.
Does a sauna help with stress?
Many people find it deeply calming, and heat encourages muscles to release tension. The research is more cautious than the popular claim, though: a 2021 mechanistic review reported that stress-hormone data for sauna use are scarce and that markers like cortisol respond to heat variably rather than simply falling [3]. Treat it as a pleasant, plausible way to unwind rather than a proven way to lower stress hormones.
Does a sauna slow your heart rate?
No — the opposite, during the session. Heat exposure raises heart rate, blood pressure and cardiac output as your body redirects blood toward the skin to sweat, a response described as similar to moderate exercise [3]. Any settled, calm feeling comes afterwards, as your body cools and recovers.
How do I make unwinding a habit?
Repeat the same simple calming sequence each evening, and keep it small enough that you will actually do it on a bad night. Consistency teaches your brain to associate the ritual with letting go.
References
- Laborde S, Allen MS, Borges U, Dosseville F, Hosang TJ, Iskra M, Mosley E, Salvotti C, Spolverato L, Zammit N, Javelle F (2022). Effects of voluntary slow breathing on heart rate and heart rate variability: A systematic review and a meta-analysis. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews. PMID: 35623448
- Chaitanya S, Datta A, Bhandari B, Sharma VK (2022). Effect of Resonance Breathing on Heart Rate Variability and Cognitive Functions in Young Adults: A Randomised Controlled Study. Cureus. PMID: 35308668
- Henderson KN, Killen LG, O’Neal EK, Waldman HS (2021). The Cardiometabolic Health Benefits of Sauna Exposure in Individuals with High-Stress Occupations. A Mechanistic Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. PMID: 33513711
Create Your End-of-Day Reset
At Elysian Solara, we help Australian homeowners design premium wellness spaces — saunas, ice baths, infrared therapy and recovery technology — built around long-term value and the way you actually want to feel.
If you are planning a dedicated wellness space, we are happy to talk it through.