Have you felt off balance lately?
When your mind is feeling particularly chaotic, and daily life seems to have swept you off your feet, it can feel as though everything is spiraling out of control. But rather than let it get to this stage, instead, why not stock up on stress-busting techniques to fall back on the next time life gets you in a spin? To get you started, here are proven 8 techniques to re-center yourself and create an almost immediate sense of calm:
This may seem like an obvious one, but when people are stressed you’d be surprised by how easily they forget to breathe properly.
Slow down your breath; take a long, deep inhalation followed by an equally as long exhalation…you’ll have instant relief.
You can also try some deep breathing exercises, they will not only keep re-center you but will also strengthen your lungs. If you are feeling stressed, anxious or worried, your body may tense up causing your muscles to feel tight, deep breathing can help to release this tension and leave you feeling much more relaxed.
Go for a walk, ride your bike, dance in your kitchen…whatever works for you, just limber up slightly and you’ll find it easier keeping your thoughts in the present moment.
Exercise has plenty of benefits, getting moving produces endorphins that act as natural painkillers and calm the mind.
“In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks.” – John Muir
As mentioned above, taking a walk is great. However, even something as simple as taking 5 minutes out to water the plants will get you outside and hopefully, more relaxed.
The world we live in is beautiful, take advantage of this! Whether you take a trip to your local park or just out to the garden, you are guaranteed to feel more focused and have a chance to re-center yourself.
There is evidence that proves exposure to nature can improve vitality and mood and also reduce blood pressure.
Chatting with a friend, spouse or family member will give you the opportunity to get out of your head and listen to a different, and hopefully more positive perspective. So pick up the phone!
Most people are well aware of the relaxation benefits of yoga. But you don’t necessarily have to rush to a yoga class every time you find yourself feeling stressed.
If your job involves sitting at a desk, or even if you are just at home, take a few moments to have a good stretch and awaken your senses. Stretching is proven to relieve stress, and will wake you up whether it's 5 am or 3 pm!
Find yourself in chaotic surroundings? Plagued by negative thoughts? Close your eyes and take yourself somewhere more peaceful, somewhere pleasant.
Visualizing can be done anytime and anyplace, so it provides the perfect respite from those hectic moments.
Visualization techniques help to create a growth mindset. Wave goodbye to limited beliefs! What will you imagine? Try these 5 creative visualization exercises to help you find health, love, and success.
“When you write down your ideas you automatically focus your full attention on them. Few if any of us can write one thought and think another at the same time. Thus a pencil and paper make excellent concentration tools.” – Michael Leboeuf
Writing down your thoughts and feelings can be an incredibly therapeutic way of clearing your mind and feeling more in control. So if something’s bothering you, write it down and release it.
Or, if you’re stuck for a solution, write down your problem and see if your pen leads you to an answer.
If you struggle to sleep at night due to thoughts running through your head, keep a pad nearby and write them down!
Getting your thoughts onto paper calms nervous thoughts and also is like performing a ritual of removing these thoughts from your mind and transferring them somewhere else.
Arguably your most effective weapon against stress – a good old belly laugh will always get the oxytocin flowing through your veins and help you to feel calmer in minutes.
So YouTube your favorite funny cat video, watch a comedy film or have a laugh with friends – no one can be both in the throes of side-splitting laughter and stressed at the same time.
Laughter has way more benefits than you may think, it boosts the immune systems, improves the function of blood vessels (which protects your heart) and may even help you to live longer. They're not wrong when they say laughter is the best medicine!
Regardless of your worries or what may be going on outside of you, peace is always just a few moments away.
So forget about what happened yesterday and don’t trouble yourself with tomorrow; take inspiration from one of the above suggestions and for now, take it easy in the present moment.
Do you want to learn how to de-stress and relieve tension using self-hypnotherapy?
Learn more about self-hypnosis and find out how to effectively reduce stress in a natural way to feel calmer and more in control.
