After a long day at school or a busy week, everyone needs time to relax. Relaxing means taking a break, calming down, and letting go of stress. But instead of just saying “I need to relax,” people often use special phrases called idioms.
Idioms are fun expressions that don’t mean exactly what they say, but they help explain a feeling or idea better. In this article, you’ll learn different idioms people use when they want to relax or feel calm. These phrases can help you talk about resting in a more colorful and fun way.
Idioms for Relax
1. Take it easy
Meaning: To relax and not worry.
Samples: After school, I like to take it easy and watch cartoons. / My dad told me to take it easy this weekend.
To Put it Another Way: Don’t stress. / Just rest and stay calm.
2. Chill out
Meaning: To calm down or relax.
Samples: She needed to chill out after a long day. / We chilled out by the pool.
To Put it Another Way: We rested. / She needed to stop being tense.
3. Let your hair down
Meaning: To relax and have fun.
Samples: At the sleepover, we let our hair down and laughed all night. / It’s time to let your hair down and enjoy.
To Put it Another Way: Be yourself and have fun. / Stop worrying and just enjoy.
4. Kick back
Meaning: To rest and enjoy free time.
Samples: I kicked back on the couch after soccer. / Let’s kick back and watch a movie.
To Put it Another Way: We relaxed. / I took a break.
5. Take a breather
Meaning: To pause and rest for a short time.
Samples: After the game, we took a breather. / She took a breather before starting homework.
To Put it Another Way: We stopped to rest. / I took a quick break.
6. Put your feet up
Meaning: To sit or lie down and rest.
Samples: My grandma told me to put my feet up and relax. / I put my feet up after the long hike.
To Put it Another Way: I rested. / I lay down to feel better.
7. Take a load off
Meaning: To sit down and rest.
Samples: Come in and take a load off. / He took a load off after school.
To Put it Another Way: Have a seat. / Sit and relax.
8. In your element
Meaning: To feel comfortable and relaxed doing something you enjoy.
Samples: She’s in her element when painting. / I’m in my element reading in bed.
To Put it Another Way: I feel good doing this. / This makes me happy and calm.
9. Unwind
Meaning: To slowly relax after being busy or stressed.
Samples: I unwind by listening to music. / She unwinds with a good book.
To Put it Another Way: I calm down. / I take time to feel peaceful.
10. Breathe easy
Meaning: To feel calm and free from worry.
Samples: I could breathe easy once the test was over. / Mom told me to breathe easy, everything was fine.
To Put it Another Way: I felt calm again. / I didn’t feel stressed anymore.
11. Hang loose
Meaning: To stay calm and not worry.
Samples: Just hang loose until the party starts. / He told me to hang loose and enjoy the ride.
To Put it Another Way: Stay cool. / Don’t stress out.
12. Without a care in the world
Meaning: To feel completely calm and worry-free.
Samples: She played outside without a care in the world. / I read my book without a care in the world.
To Put it Another Way: I felt peaceful. / Nothing was bothering me.
13. Cool as a cucumber
Meaning: Very calm and relaxed, even in stressful times.
Samples: He was cool as a cucumber during the spelling test. / She stayed cool as a cucumber at the dentist.
To Put it Another Way: She stayed calm. / He didn’t get nervous.
14. In chill mode
Meaning: In a relaxed, peaceful state.
Samples: After dinner, I went into chill mode. / She was in chill mode while drawing.
To Put it Another Way: I was resting. / I was calm and quiet.
15. Go with the flow
Meaning: To not worry and let things happen.
Samples: He just goes with the flow during group work. / I decided to go with the flow on the trip.
To Put it Another Way: I didn’t try to control everything. / I stayed calm and followed along.
16. At peace
Meaning: Feeling calm and happy inside.
Samples: I felt at peace during our walk. / She was at peace sitting by the lake.
To Put it Another Way: I felt calm. / Everything felt right.
17. Rest easy
Meaning: To stop worrying.
Samples: You can rest easy now that your homework is done. / I rested easy once I called my mom.
To Put it Another Way: I stopped feeling anxious. / I felt fine again.
18. Sit back and relax
Meaning: To stop working or moving and enjoy resting.
Samples: Just sit back and relax after practice. / We sat back and relaxed during the movie.
To Put it Another Way: Take it easy. / Stop doing things for a while.
19. Time to recharge
Meaning: A break to get energy back.
Samples: I needed time to recharge after gym class. / Weekends help me recharge.
To Put it Another Way: I rested to feel better. / I took a break to get my energy back.
20. Take five
Meaning: To take a short break.
Samples: Let’s take five and come back later. / I took five before cleaning my room.
To Put it Another Way: I paused for a moment. / I rested for a bit.
21. Clear your head
Meaning: To relax your mind and stop thinking about worries.
Samples: I went outside to clear my head. / She took a walk to clear her head.
To Put it Another Way: I needed a break from thinking. / I tried to calm my thoughts.
22. Lighten up
Meaning: To stop being serious and enjoy things.
Samples: My brother told me to lighten up and have fun. / She needs to lighten up before the party.
To Put it Another Way: Be less serious. / Don’t worry so much.
23. In a good place
Meaning: Feeling happy and calm.
Samples: I’m in a good place after finishing my chores. / She’s in a good place now that her work is done.
To Put it Another Way: I feel calm. / Everything feels right.
24. Take time off
Meaning: To rest from work or school.
Samples: I took time off from soccer practice to rest. / Mom took time off to relax.
To Put it Another Way: I paused my work. / I rested for a while.
25. Slow down
Meaning: To move or do things at a calm pace.
Samples: He slowed down after running around. / Mom told me to slow down and breathe.
To Put it Another Way: Move calmly. / Stop rushing.
26. Ease up
Meaning: To stop pushing yourself so hard.
Samples: I eased up on homework to rest. / Coach said to ease up after practice.
To Put it Another Way: I took it easy. / I stopped overworking.
27. Wind down
Meaning: To calm down after being busy or excited.
Samples: I wind down with a book before bed. / We wind down after gym class.
To Put it Another Way: We relax after doing a lot. / I calm myself.
28. In your zone
Meaning: Feeling comfortable and peaceful doing what you love.
Samples: I’m in my zone when I draw. / She’s in her zone playing music.
To Put it Another Way: I feel calm and happy. / I enjoy this a lot.
29. Kick off your shoes
Meaning: To get comfortable and relax at home.
Samples: I kicked off my shoes and watched TV. / Dad kicks off his shoes after work.
To Put it Another Way: I got cozy. / I rested at home.
30. Let it go
Meaning: To stop worrying about something.
Samples: I let it go after the small mistake. / She let it go and relaxed.
To Put it Another Way: I stopped thinking about it. / I felt free from worry.
Find the Topics: Idioms for Relax
Activity: “A Calm Afternoon”
After a long school week, Maya wanted to take it easy. She dropped her backpack, kicked off her shoes, and told her little brother she was going to chill out. He was bouncing around, but she just smiled and said, “Let’s take five.”
They both went into chill mode and watched their favorite show. Maya put her feet up and slowly began to unwind. “It feels good to clear my head,” she said, grabbing a soft blanket. Her brother nodded, already in his zone, building blocks.
Later, their mom walked in and laughed. “You two look like you’re on vacation,” she said. Maya replied, “We’re just trying to breathe easy and go with the flow today.”
Your Task:
Can you underline or list all 8 idioms for relax used in this passage?
Answer Key
- Take it easy
- Kicked off her shoes
- Chill out
- Take five
- Chill mode
- Put her feet up
- Unwind
- Clear my head
Conclusion
Everyone needs time to relax and rest. Idioms like “take five” or “kick back” help us talk about these peaceful moments in fun ways. They make it easier to share how we feel when we’re resting or calming down.
By learning these idioms, you can talk about stress, rest, and calm feelings more clearly. Whether it’s after school or on the weekend, these phrases can help you show that it’s time to slow down and feel good.
