Relaxation Ideas: Why Sitting Around the Fire Is Perfect for Relaxing

Stress and anxiety play a major role in modern American life.

With nearly 80% of Americans reporting feelings of stress on a daily basis and 33% of people saying they experience extreme stress, there’s a clear need to reevaluate our collective mental health. Being able to relax and de-stress at home is something not enough Americans make the time to do.

Part of that has to do with how busy we are with work, our families, and our social lives. Another part is simply that we don’t make enough time to come up with relaxation ideas. If you’re going to make more time for relaxation, you need the incentive to do it.

One of the best ways to relax at home is to sit by the fire. In this post, we’re going to tell you why and how relaxing by the fire can alleviate some of the stress you’ve been feeling. We’ll also give you a few tips to help you make the most of your fireplace time.

If you don’t currently have a fireplace in your home, keep reading, and you’ll see how a nice wood, gas, or even electric fireplace can promote relaxation.

Flames Promote Calm

Sitting by your fireplace promotes a sense of calm like few other household activities can. There’s a reason you’ve got a dedicated fireplace channel on your television.

According to this article from the Sydney Morning Herald, there’s a correlation between starting at an open flame and boosting a general sense of calm. The results are supported by various studies and trials, including one psychologist claiming that just 15 minutes in front of a flame can have a significant effect on your mental health.

There’s also the medical fact that the heat from a flame can increase blood flow. This helps to reduce inflammation, which relaxes your body and mind simultaneously.

Picking Up a Book

Simply sitting down in front of your fireplace is all you need to do to experience the benefits listed above. That said, not everyone has the mental makeup to sit staring at a fire for 15-plus minutes at a time.

If you need a secondary activity, one of the things you can do is pick up your favorite book and give yourself some reading time in front of the fire. Now, reading has its own mental health benefits that, when combined with the healing properties of fire, can really boost your well-being.

We should all make more time to read. Sadly, the number of people who read regularly is in steep decline, which may coincide with the mental health crisis our country is going through. It’s about making time for yourself and giving your brain the nourishment it needs.

Meditation

One of the main reasons why we’re so stressed out all of the time is that our lives are so busy. Our society has conditioned us to never take breaks, so even when we do stop for a moment; our minds don’t. If you’re having trouble slowing your mind down to relax, meditation could be the answer.

People all over the world have been meditating for thousands of years. Whether it’s Zen Buddhism in China and Japan, Indian insight meditation, or Native American smudging, every culture has its own way of connecting the mind with the earth. You can use your own method in front of your fire.

Staring at an open flame in a wood or gas fireplace is inherently meditative. Even if you have an electric fireplace, you can enjoy the meditative side of things because it looks and feels like a real fire. All you need to do is look at the flames and focus on your breathing to create a sense of relaxation.

It’s a Sensory Experience

What makes sitting by the fireplace such a relaxing experience?

It’s probably that it engages multiple senses at the same time. There’s the sight of the flames dancing around, which can put you into a trance-like state after just a few minutes.

There’s also the sound of flames crackling that distracts from all of the thoughts going through your head. If you’ve got a wood fireplace, there’s also the smell of the burning wood filling your home.

It all combines to put you in a particularly relaxed state of mind. Whether you’ve got work or personal stress, sitting in front of your fireplace is guaranteed to take the edge off. This is probably why humans have been gathering around the fire since time immemorial.

Relaxation and Family

Spending time with loved ones is another extremely helpful way to reduce stress and promote relaxation. Some people say that having kids is like having little warm fires burning throughout your home. Gathering everyone together with your fireplace is a great way to promote that sense of familial calm.

Family engagement is proven to ease feelings of stress. Of course, not every family is relaxing, but because fire already promotes a sense of calm, combining it with your loved ones is a great way to boost relaxation and get closer to your favorite people.

If you have a fireplace, you should make it the centerpiece of your living area. Make sure there’s plenty of comfortable seating around the hearth for your spouse, kids, and any guests that come by. Having a nice fireplace to sit in front of will boost the family’s collective relaxation.

Taking Relaxation Ideas to Heart

Coming up with relaxation ideas can be stressful in itself, but not when you have a great fireplace. As you can see, there are few things in life that can provide you with a greater sense of calm than relaxing by the fire. Carve a bit of time each day to enjoy the warmth and cracking flames.

If you don’t currently have a fireplace installed, you probably want one now. To get the best fireplace installation and services in Philadelphia, it’s time to contact Dreifuss Fireplaces. Over the last 150 years, we’ve been helping people find that sense of calm and relaxation, so let us help you too.