Entering a total state of zen without your worries disturbing your peace for just a few seconds feels incredible.
I may not get to it as much as I’d like to. But when I do get the chance to calm my nerves and leave the stresses of the world behind, I cherish those moments. One of the annual holidays that encapsulates that sense of tranquility is National Relaxation Day. The fact that it just so happens to fall on a Saturday this year is perfect since it’s always my chosen day to unwind.
With my goal of adopting the best methods that will help me unwind on National Relaxation Day and beyond, I presented two challenges to ChatGPT and Gemini: find me the 10 best ways to relax without spending any money and suggest some unorthodox relaxation methods I can try.
Both chatbots met my inquiry with a bunch of valuable relaxation techniques that are instantly recognizable and a few that I never even knew existed. I made a conscious effort to implement them into my National Relaxation Day chill sessions and bookmark them for my future lazy Saturdays.
ChatGPT and Gemini’s ultimate relaxation recommendations
National Relaxation Day is all about encouraging everyone to simply slow down and unwind as much as possible. With that theme in mind, I approached ChatGPT and Gemini with the sole purpose of discovering the best ways to loosen up and boost my positive mental state. First up are ChatGPT’s suggestions, which led me to add five winning methods to my batch of restoration procedures:
- Practice deep breathing: Try the 4-7-8 technique. Inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 7, then exhale for 8. Repeat several times.
- Have a “low-information hour”: No news, social media, email, podcasts, or scrolling. You can still read, walk, cook, stretch, or listen to music—just don't consume information.
- Have a fake vacation in your own neighborhood: Walk somewhere you've never explored, sit somewhere unfamiliar, and pretend you're a tourist for an hour.
- Write an aggressively unproductive to-do list: Put things like “stare out the window,” “make a ridiculous sandwich,” and “lie down for 15 minutes” on the list. Then check them off.
- Have a “bad art” session: Draw, paint, or doodle with the explicit goal of making something terrible. Removing the pressure to be good can make the activity much more relaxing.
The first, second, fourth and fifth relaxation tips that ChatGPT put forth worked like a charm during the time I spent indoors. Standing in place while practicing that signature breathing technique, turning my “low-information hour” into a two-hour one, adding “look up at the ceiling while listening to the sounds of crashing waves” to my unproductive to-do list and doodling like I used to do in grade school all put me at peace.
Tip number three paid off for me once I decided to step outside and walk aimlessly for an hour to see parts of my neighborhood I’d never been to before.
As for Gemini’s offering of relaxation processes, there were two that stood out to me the most:
- Practice Progressive Muscle Relaxation: This is a highly effective physical reset. Lie down, close your eyes, and starting from your toes, intentionally tense each muscle group for a few seconds before completely releasing it. Work your way all the way up to your face and jaw.
- EFT Tapping (Emotional Freedom Technique): Tapping involves using your fingertips to tap on specific meridian points on your head, face, and collarbone while repeating a phrase about whatever is stressing you out. It looks a bit silly to an observer, but it combines cognitive therapy (acknowledging the stressor) with somatic physical feedback. The rhythmic tapping sends calming signals to the amygdala—the stress center of your brain—telling it that you are safe, even while thinking about a stressful subject.
Both of those physical methods did more for my physical and mental well-being than I expected. I may have felt a little silly tapping my forehead while shouting out, “Watching my parents get older is really getting to me,” but this practice proved to be useful, as it gave me a central stress point to focus on while I soothed my head with soft taps.
Final thoughts
My National Relaxation Day was filled with a bevy of worthwhile techniques that made me feel a whole lot better than I usually do. Thanks to ChatGPT and Gemini, I learned about a few common and uncommon relaxation methods that will remain a permanent part of my chill Saturday sessions.
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