5 Simple Relaxation Tips That Any Business Travel Executive Can Do

Always on the go? Are you constantly taking business trips and feeling overwhelmed? This is normal for a busy business travel executive. I often felt this way when I traveled as well. But there is a solution! Check out these 5 simple relaxation tips that anyone traveling on the go can do:

1. Deep Breathing Exercises

Whether it be in the back of your corporate limousine service vehicle, on the airplane, or in the lobby before your big presentation. Practicing deep breathing exercises will help you relax and are simple to do in any situation. Here are our 2 favorite exercises, and we even found these step by step instructions on WebMD:

Belly Breathing

1. Sit or lie flat in a comfortable position
2. Put on hand on your belly just below your ribs and the other hand on your chest
3. Take a deep breath in through your nose, and let your belly push your hand out. Your chest should not move.
4. Breathe out through pursed lips as if you were whistling. Feel the hand on your belly go in, and use it to push all the air out
5. Do this breathing 3 to 10 times. Take your time with each breath
6. Notice how you feel at the end of the exercise 

4-7-8 Breathing

1. To start, put on hand on your belly and the other on your chest as in the belly breathing exercise
2. Take a deep, slow breath from your belly, and silently count to 4 as you breathe in
3. Hold your breath, and silently count from 1 to 7
4. Breathe out completely as you silently count from 1 to 8. Try to get all the air out of your lungs by the time you count to 8
5. Repeat 3 to 7 times or until you feel calm
6. Notice how you feel at the end of the exercise

2. Check in with family and friends

There is no better way to relax and take some pressure off your business trip than having a quick call with a loved one. See how the kids day at school went, check in with an old friend from high school, or how about giving your spouse a quick "I love you" call! Even if it's only for 5 minutes in between meetings, those precious moments of smiles and laughter will bring up your mood and give you a boost of extra energy. Another great resource for checking in (and checking out of your business world) is your social media network. Scroll through your Facebook or Twitter feed and see what everyone else is up to. This will get your mind off work stress and you may even learn a thing or two.

3. Eat Relaxing Foods

I don't mean go overboard and eat like a health freak on every business trip - as we all know this can be nearly impossible for a business travel executive. But there are certain foods and drinks you can have that will put you in a relaxed state of mind. Here are our personal favorites while traveling on the go:

Green Tea - great source of L-Theanine, a chemical that helps relieve anger
Mango - contains linalool that helps lower stress levels
Honey - reduces inflammation in the brain which fights depression and anxiety

4. Listen to Music

Put your headphones at the top of your list of things to pack! Recent studies have show that just listening to music can be a quick fix for a bad mood. Even if you aren't in a bad mood, can it really hurt to listen to your favorite song and maybe do a little dance? But please limit the dancing to the privacy of your hotel room please!

5. Laugh

Easier said than done right? Sometimes a laugh isn't really practical during your business trip but it is an amazing relaxation technique. Laughter increases blood flow and boosts immunity. YouTube is a great source for a quick laugh. My go-to search is usually funny videos of babies or dogs, haha!

As you can see, these 5 relaxation tips are so simple, any business travel executive can do practice these. We would love to hear about your relaxation or stress relief tips as well, so leave us a comment below or share with us on Facebook and Twitter. Happy travels!