Category Archives: Rest & Relaxation

6 Ways to Everyday Relaxation

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Relaxation isn’t something that should happen only when you’re on vacation. Ideally you should find time to relax each day – to reduce stress, lower your heart rate, quiet your mind, and to just plain ole’ feel good…as we like to say!

A great way to make sure you relax each day is to plan it out ahead of time.  A week ahead works really well: each Sunday take a few minutes a decide what you’ll do each day for the next week to relax, and when you’ll do it.

On days when you have more time, do something more involved like taking a long hike or going to the beach.  And on really busy days, squeeze in some time for something easier but equally calming.

Here are some relaxation ideas to add to your week:

1. Take a quiet walk.  

Get out and listen to the birds and the sounds of nature.  Even if you don’t have trees or green space around you, being present and tuning into whatever surroundings you find yourself in – even the sounds of the city – can be incredibly relaxing.

2. Breathe.

Yes, so very simple.  Sit for a few minutes and take several slow, deep breaths.  We tend to breath in slower, shorter breaths when we are stressed out.  So taking deeper breaths, you’ll find youself feeling much more grounded and centered even after just a few minutes.

3. Take a cat nap.

It’s no secret that we think naps rule! Getting in a quick little cat nap is a fantastic way to unwind and de-stress.  We wrote all about naps here.

4. Sit and do nothing.  

Find a quiet, soothing place.  A comfortable chair, or maybe a swing or hammock.  Sit for at least 5 minutes in silence, with no phone or other distractions.

5. Get a massage.

Not only do massages feel great, but they also help your body to rest and rejuvinate.  Regular massage therapy lowers stress levels, relaxes your muscles, decreases blood pressure, increases flexibility – and the list of benefits goes on!  We think it’s the perfect execuse to treat yourself…

6. Take a bath.

Soaking in a hot bath is a really easy way to ease tension and relax.  It’s a great way to calm yourself before bed.  Add some soothing music, a candle, and some aromatherapy, and create a little mini-spa experience right in your own home!

Photo Credit: caiteesmith photography. via Compfight cc

How to Feel Good

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You deserve to feel good.  It’s a simple idea really, but one that can get overlooked in the midst of everyday life.

The Pajama Company was founded because we love to make people happy and help them feel good. Of course, we think one of the best feel-good pleasures in life is relaxing in your favorite jammies.

But, there are lots of other ways to add more “feel-good” to your life.  So today we’re sharing some of our favorites…

1. Have designated “Me” time.  Put some time aside just for you where you can do just what you want to do.  Maybe it’s time to relax, go out and meet up with friends, or get a massage.  The idea is that it’s all about you.

2. Take walks.  Whether you work in an office or from home, movement during the day can really help you to feel refreshed.

3. Treat yourself to something beautiful.  A bunch of fresh flowers.  A beautiful new bracelet.  A gorgeous journal.  Surrounding yourself with beautiful and meaningful things will go a long way in boosting your good mood!

4. Engage in regular random acts of kindness. Here are 10 easy ways we’ve shared to spread kindness.

5. Take a nap.  Feeling sluggish or groggy?  Even just a 15 minute power nap can work wonders!

6. Wear something you love.  Nothing helps you to feel good than wearing something you love and that you know you look good in. Make a point to dress in your favorites each day!

Now over to you…what do you add to your everyday life to feel good?

Five For Friday: Warm & Cozy

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Happy Friday! We’re sharing some things that are keeping us warm and cozy today…

All You Need is Tea & Warm Socks // Paperchat via Etsy

 

Boxercraft Royal Blue Flannel Blanket // The Pajama Company

Mason Jar Candle Holders // Smokestack Studios via Etsy

Kashwere Plush Chenile Socks // The Pajama Company

Cardamom & Orange Spiced White Hot Chocolate // Will Cook for Friends

7 Ways to Fall Asleep Faster

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Falling asleep after a long day can sometimes be a challenge. Especially if you’re feeling charged up and stressed out and have a lot on your mind.

We’ve gathered some tips for shaking off the day and getting to sleep faster. You might even consider doing one or more of these things regularly and build a night time ritual. Doing these things regularly can act as a cue to your body that it’s time to slow down and relax, making it even easier to drift off.

1. Take a bath or hot shower.

I won’t go into the science, but basically raising your body temp helps you get to sleep faster. Use lavender or some other aromatherapy for even better results. There’s something very soothing about getting into warm PJs after a nice hot bath!

2. Enjoy a cup of herbal tea.

Sitting and sipping a cup of hot herbal tea is a great way to relax into sleep mode. Yogi Honey Lavender Stress Relief is my favorite soothing tea with lavender, mint, and chamomile. Make this into your nightly thing and you’re likely to look forward to it each night!

3. Be sure your room is dark enough.

If there’s any kind of light around you, it will definitely be harder to fall asleep. If it’s a street light or even a bight moon, you might invest in black out shades or curtains. Or consider using a mask like this one.

4. Read to relax.

If your mind is racing and you can’t stop obsessing over the events of the day, reading before bed is a surefire way to distract yourself. Sometimes if you’re in the middle of a really good book, reading it before bed might be a little too stimulating. If that’s the case, pick up something less exciting – maybe a magazine article – and lull yourself to la la land…

5. Release your thoughts.

Depending on what’s going on in your life, you may need to release some of your thoughts and ideas in order to clear your head and get to sleep. Use a journal to work out what’s occupying your mind for a few minutes before bed, and you’re bound to find it easier to relax.

If you are not so into writing, you may want to get a set of Guatemalan worry dolls. Tell your concerns to these tiny dolls, and place them under your pillow. The legend is that the dolls take on your worries and allow you to rest peacefully. Try it out!

6. Visualize your happy place.

Picture a relaxing and serene place. Think about what is most soothing about that place. Maybe the sound of the waves crashing in shore. The feel of cool grass beneath your feet. The warm sun or gentle breeze on your face. Imagine yourself there, feel the sensations, and let any tension melt away.

7. Check your comfort level.

If you toss and turn before sleep, give it some thought. Are your pajamas and bedding truly comfortable? When you get into bed are you able to easily find a comfy sleeping position? If not, you may need to switch out your PJs or your pillow or blanket. Check out this article for more information on when to replace you

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10 Signs You’re a Homebody!

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1. Your couch bears the permanent indentation of your body.

2. You just binge watched a whole season of House of Cards and you’re just coming back to life.

3. You curiously note that you replace your pajamas much more often than your jeans.

4. You’re on a first name basis with the Thai food delivery guy and you’re pretty sure he’s expecting a Christmas gift.

5. Your idea of the perfect night out is catching the early-bird special so you can come home after and immediately get in your PJs!

6. Books, books, books!  Need we say more?

7. Your friends call you the Imelda Marcos of slippers.

8. Snow day? No problem. Your pantry and fridge are already stocked to feed you for weeks on end!

9. When a friend calls to cancel plans, you’re not mad at all. In fact you feel like you just won the lottery!

10. Your motto: pajamas + wine = happiness.

Photo credit: ashleyg via etsy.

Time for Tea

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time for tea“I say let the world go to hell, but I should always have my tea.”

-Fyodor Dostoyevsky

One of the best things about the cooler months is having hot tea on a more regular basis.  You can really drink hot tea anytime, but enjoying a cup of tea in your PJs can become a nightly ritual to look forward to in fall and winter.

Here are some fantastic teas to try!

Harney & Sons

African Autumn – Delicious flavor!  This is an herbal tea made with Rooibos, a South African red bush, and flavored with orange and cranberry.  Not only does it taste really good, it makes the whole room smell divine while your brewing it!  A great choice for fall.

Love Life – Visit the Harney & Sons tasting room in Millerton, NY and you’ll be hooked. We can’t enough of this one. It’s a green tea with coconut, vanilla, and strawberry and it’s delicious!

Yogi – Honey Lavender Stress Relief – This is another Rooibos based tea.  The lavender and chamomile make this one really soothing and relaxing.  One you’ve had a cup, you’re ready for bed!

Good Earth – Sweet & Spicy – This tea has a really tasty cinnamon flavor and is equally good hot and cold.  It doesn’t need any sugar so it’s a great one to drink if you’re watching your calories. Even if you’re not big on cinnamon, give it a whirl.  It actually has a very similar flavor to the Chai Tea that Oprah recently released with Teavana.

Do you have a favorite tea or tea ritual?  Tell us about it below!

P.S.  – Did you know that George Orwell actually wrote an essay on crafting the perfect cup of tea called “A Nice Cup of Tea” back in 1946?  Check it out…

Photo Credit: Sunchild57 Photography via Compfight cc

How to Create a Cozy Bedroom Retreat

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by Becky Boyd, The Pajama Company Editor

I like to think of my bedroom as a mini sanctuary. It’s the one place I can go to be cozy and at ease, and forget about the stress of the day.

Your bedroom should feel luxurious and comfortable, and be your very own haven to unwind and recharge.

Here are some things to consider in creating a bedroom retreat you’ll love to relax in:

Decorate with Intention

Be thoughtful about your space. Choose calming and soothing colors over bold bright ones. It’s okay to have some colorful accents, but going for over all neutral colors will create a much more peaceful atmosphere.

Decorate with artwork and other objects that you find inspiring. Add a scented candle. If you have wood or tile floors, consider putting a rug beside or under your bed as a soft place for your feet to land.

Cozy Bedding

Buy the best bedding and pillows that you can. Choose sheets and blankets that are super soft and will wash well. It’s always a good idea to have an extra blanket or two around, just in case you get chilled during the night. A nap blanket at the end of the bed is my personal must-have!

Ditch the Technology

Reserve your bedroom as the place to settle down and chill out. As tempting as it is to bring them along, leave the laptop, cell phone, and TV for the other rooms of the house. Instead, keep stacks of your favorite books and magazines to read while you wind down for the night. If you insist on having a TV, find a place for it where it can be tucked aside so that its not the centerpiece of the room.

Keep the Chaos at Bay

Are you the type of person who ends up with half of your closet strewn about your bedroom by the end of the week? Or maybe you have baskets of clean clothes that just sit there for days, waiting for someone to put them away.

If you’re not in the habit of putting things away regularly, make a promise to yourself to spend just five minutes picking up each day. It will go a long way in keeping your bedroom clutter-free and feeling like a peaceful and relaxing space you intended it to be.

Pajamas

A cozy bedroom calls for some equally cozy PJs, of course!  Having just the right pajamas, a soft robe, and some comfy slippers will add just the perfect finishing touch!

Relax…unwind…and enjoy…

What’s your secret to a cozy bedroom space?

Photo Credit: The Little Greene Paint Company via Compfightcc

6 Signs It’s Time for a Pajama Day

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by Becky Boyd, The Pajama Company Editor

Tomorrow is the start of a long holiday weekend for a lot of people! Yippee!

Time to have some fun and hopefully some relaxation too. But we know that sometimes holiday weekends can get away from us – booked up with family events, picnics, parties, etc. By the time you’re done running around, you wonder: what happened to my long weekend!?!

If you’re feeling overworked and exhausted, its the perfect time to consider taking an extra day off just to do nothing. We call it a Pajama Day. It can take a few days to un-plug and decompress, so tagging an extra day off onto a long weekend is a great idea.

Just in case you need a nudge to recognize when some down-time is called for, here are 6 tell-tale signs a Pajama Day needs to be in your immediate future!

1. Little things set you off.

You feel irritable and cranky. Little things annoy you that normally wouldn’t, a sure sign of anxiety. Time to get out of your head and into those PJs!

2. You feel really negative.

Its that niggly, critical voice in your head and its seems to have gotten louder lately! Its not saying very nice things and you can’t seem to shake it.  Your prescription? A little Pajama Perspective is in order, my friend!

3. Your productivity has taken a dive.

You feel like you’re spending more time staring at the computer screen than actually working. It’s taking you double the time to get something done than it normally would. The reality is that there’s only so much work you can do and creativity you can muster, before you just need a break.

3. You’re not sleeping well.

You’re exhausted, but you feel like you can never quite catch up on sleep. You toss and turn at night thinking about work projects and wake up feeling just as tired as when you went to bed. Yup, its time!

5. You’re not feeling well.

You’re starting to feel achy and your body’s just not right. Your shoulders are tense and your stomach may be tight. You might even feel a cold coming on. Chronic stress takes its toll on the body, and some rest is what you need.

6. You dread Sunday night.

Sunday evening rolls around and all you can think about is the fact that you’ve got to start the work week all over again.  Ugggggh. Yup, you’ve caught it…its the Sunday blues and its time to break the cycle…

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Why Its Good to Be Lazy

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“Don’t underestimate the value of Doing Nothing, of just going along,

listening to all the things you can’t hear, and not bothering.”

-Winnie the Pooh

Have you noticed how much laziness really gets a bad rap?  As a culture, we place so much value on doing and striving and accomplishing, that resting or taking a break is looked down upon. But what about the proven benefits of slowing down?

As it turns out, laziness is not a bad thing at all and is something we all need to embrace.  Being a couch potato and allowing yourself to chill out is actually good for you!

Laziness helps you to renew your energy and motivation.

Its no secret we’re big fans of napping around here.  When you rest and sleep, you allow your brain time to rejuvenate.  You also enhance you memory function.  Letting your body rest gives you the chance to restore your energy, much like filling the gas tank of your car.

Being lazy sparks your creativity.

Lounging around allows our conscious mind to slow down, it calms our thoughts and helps to quiet the mental chatter.  Giving yourself time to daydream and veg out often actually sparks creativity.  This is because when you rest, it stops the process of over thinking – a loop that we often get caught in – which reduces our ability to come up with creative ideas.

Laziness leads to good heath.

Being stressed out is obviously bad for your health.  It takes its toll on your heart, among other things.  Resting gives your body time to repair wear and tear that’s happened during the day.  Even the oldest man in Britain gives credit to his laziness for helping him to live so long!

Laziness helps you avoid burnout.

We all have our limits and there’s only so much we can do until we need to rest or else risk burnout.  I always thought burnout just meant you got really tired.  But as I’ve experienced first hand, not only is burnout really bad because of the level of exhaustion that comes with it, but most times it also includes losing interest in what burned you out in the first place.  Yikes!  So even if you’re doing something you’re passionate about, its still important to step away.

We say, embrace your love for rest.  Not only is it good for you, but you deserve it too!

Happy weekend!  Here’s to spending it sleeping  in, hibernating, and relaxing…

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Pajamas & Happiness: what’s it all about?

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by Becky Boyd, The Pajama Company Editor

We have a saying at The Pajama Company:

“Pajamas just make people happy”.  

So what’s the connection between pajamas and happiness, anyway?

When you get down to it, its all about simple pleasures.  Lots of people chase happiness, thinking the next thing they attain or goal they reach will finally, once and for all, make them happy. Goals and desires are a part of life, but when we’re constantly looking down the road, we’re missing what’s right in front of us: the simple things that make us happy right now.

Here are just a few of the reasons why we believe pajamas can add to your happiness…

Comfort & Relaxation

Getting cozy in your pjs after a long day at school or work can be so soothing. Its a signal to your body that its time to slow down. Giving ourselves time to recharge is key in maintaining inner peace and happiness.

Family Time

Being at home in your pajamas usually means time with family: pancake breakfasts, movie marathons, or just hanging out! We know that connection and belonging – whether it be with family or friends – increases our well-being and joy.

Being Yourself

Pajamas give you another way to express yourself, and maybe even in a way you wouldn’t normally during daily life.  You get to wear what ever you want.  Piggy pjs?  Superman underoos? Fuzzy frog slippers?  Its all about YOU and what makes you feel good!

So how about you: what is your simple pleasure?  Tell us in the comments below!