According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Labor Day is “a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.” This year, to celebrate your impact on society, try taking a mental and physical break on Labor Day!

While rest and relaxation can be hard to fit into the work day, taking time and making it a priority can have both long and short term benefits. Making downtime a priority helps reduce everyday stress and stress-related health problems. Relaxation can also help ease feelings of burden and help people enjoy a better quality of life.

According to the Mayo Clinic, rest and relaxation can reduce stress symptoms by:

• Slowing your heart and breathing rate
• Lowering blood pressure
• Increasing blood flow to major muscles
• Reducing muscle tension, chronic pain, anger and frustration
• Improving concentration
• Boosting confidence to handle problems

Consider practicing these relaxation techniques:

• Take a leisure walk.
• Breathe slowly.
• Lift and rotate shoulders.
• Visualize images of a peaceful, calming place or situation using as many senses as possible including smell, sight, sound and touch.
• Receive a massage from a licensed professional. For more information on the benefits of massage therapy, read The Many Reasons Why Everybody Deserves a Massage.
• Try yoga or other relaxation exercises.

For more information on stress management and relaxation techniques, visit the Mayo Clinic’s stress management page and the Centers for Disease Control page on stress at work.