With nine months of pandemic life behind us, I think it’s safe to generalize that it’s been a stressful year for all of us. Between health scares and fears, losing or being kept apart from loved ones, and disrupted special occasions and everyday routines, we have all felt the effects of COVID-19 in some way.
Here are ten online stress relievers that may be new to you:
- Pixel Thoughts is a 60-second meditation that asks you to type a stressful thought into a large star and over the course of a minute, watch your worry get smaller and smaller and fade away into the vastness of space. https://pixelthoughts.co/#
- Spend a few minutes doing some guided breathing with Breath Bubble. Syncing your breath with the visual bubble makes this exercise easy to follow. https://youtu.be/uxayUBd6T7M
- Grab a cup of hot chocolate and watch the snow fall outside, without the need for shoveling! https://youtu.be/WPvfhLDj0c8
- Animals are fascinating to watch, but visits to the zoo this year have been limited. You can visit the San Diego Zoo online, and choose from a variety of live webcams. https://zoo.sandiegozoo.org/live-cams
- Or if space is more your thing, you can view the Northern Lights here: https://youtu.be/T75IKSXVXlc
- Being in nature is another way to de-stress. Up for a virtual walk in the forest? You can spend five hours in here and not break a sweat! https://youtu.be/rq54xLahoiA
- Relaxing waterfall, not only mesmerizing to watch, but if you’re looking for some white noise at the same time: https://youtu.be/rq54xLahoiA
- I’ve always enjoyed lying in bed listening to a good thunderstorm. https://youtu.be/nDq6TstdEi8
- Many of us cancelled or postponed our 2020 vacations. If you’re dreaming of a tropical getaway, check out this video: https://youtu.be/b7Cl7S0pLRw
- Finally, this video may have been created with kids in mind, but I found watching its floating lanterns combined with relaxing music to be very calming. https://youtu.be/4ROrW727q_s