how to relax on our mind
Relaxing with Meditation
1
Do deep breathing exercises.
Although the idea may seem cliche, deep breathing exercises work
wonders on relaxing your mind. Practice these daily and in times of
stress to help soothe your anxiety.
- Close your mouth and take a deep breath in through your nose. Try to
time this inhalation so that it lasts for four seconds. Hold your
breath for seven seconds, and then exhale your breath for a count of
eight seconds. Repeat this four times total.
- If you have trouble slowing your breathing this far, start at a faster pace and slowly work your way up to a longer time.
- Feel free to adjust the time each inhale and exhale lasts, but be
sure that your exhale lasts for twice as long as your inhale. Pause
between each breath.[1]
2
Practice meditation.
This is the process of clearing your mind by focusing on a specific
thought, word, or object. To meditate, sit in a comfortable position and
think about one specific thing. It may take upwards of ten minutes in
order to completely clear your mind, but that is normal.
- You can sit or lay down during meditation, but always keep your eyes closed to help you focus.
- It is normal for restless thoughts to intrude on your meditation.
Try to ignore them as best as possible, forcing your mind to focus on
one specific thing.
- Use guided imagery to help clear your mind. Imagine a place, real or
fictitious, in which you feel at peace and stress-free. Focus on being
in this place, including the details of what it looks like and how you
feel in it.
- Meditate for as long as you like, but resting for at least ten
minutes once you have managed to clear your mind proves to be beneficial
to overall stress-level and focus.
- Playing calming music or sounds can help you to focus better for
your meditation. Always do whatever is necessary for you to feel your
most comfortable.[2]
- Meditation has proven to have health benefits in addition to causing
mental relaxation, including lowering blood pressure, high cholesterol,
and high blood sugar.[3]
3
Try visualization.
This is similar to guided imagery in meditation, in which you imagine a
peaceful scene. Picture the scene in your head for as long as you would
like, but focus all your thoughts and energy on visualizing this place
in your mind.
4
Do progressive muscle relaxation.
This is a process by which you tense and then relax all the muscles in
your body. Relaxing your muscles after having them tensed alters your
mental state, and helps your mind to be as equally soothed as your body.
- Start by tensing the muscles in your face one at a time. These might
include frowning, knitting your brows, scrunching your forehead, and
setting your jaw. Then, allow each muscle to relax.
- When you finish with your face, move down your body until you have done this with all your muscles.
- Hold the tense muscles for 5-10 seconds each before releasing in order to get the most relaxation from the process.[4]
Relaxing with Changes in Health
1
Practice yoga. Yoga
is a type of stretching and low-impact exercise which helps to relax the
muscles in your body. Because you must focus on each yoga pose, your
mind is left no room to contemplate stressors and is forced into a state
of peace.
- It is best to start yoga by taking a class. Yoga classes are made to
create a state of relaxation, even though there may be many people
present. Look for local instructors or classes at nearby gyms.
- Hatha yoga is the most basic style of yoga and is great for
relaxation. Look for hatha yoga poses that you can try yourself at home.
- Avoid doing yoga if you have physical problems such as a herniated disc, osteoporosis, or you are at risk for blood clots.[5]
2
Drink lots of water.
Water is important for keeping your body well hydrated and free of
toxins, which helps your mind to focus better. To aid in other
relaxation exercises, drink plenty of water.
3
Eat foods that promote relaxation.
Certain foods help to lower hormones linked to causing anxiety, while
simultaneously raising hormones which are responsible for creating a
sense of happiness and peace.
- Foods high in selenium aid in lowering anxiety and depression, and
include nuts (especially brazil nuts), shiitake mushrooms, and tuna,
cod, or salmon.
- Eat foods that have a high magnesium content, such as spinach, pumpkin seeds, and halibut.
- Look for foods with high tryptophan content, as this helps produce
the chemical serotonin which increases happiness. Try dark chocolate,
nuts, and red meat.
4
Exercise moderately.
Exercise is responsible for releasing endorphins, which in turn create a
feeling of happiness. Try doing a little exercise every day to help
relax your mind after dealing with a stress-filled schedule.
- Exercise in places that are quiet or allow time for you to be alone.
If you workout at your gym, find an area or room that is mostly
deserted, so that you aren’t distracted by thoughts of things around
you.
- Try to find mindless repetitive exercises to participate in. This might include swimming or running laps.
5
Participate in your favorite activities.
If you love to cook, read, or play sports, do those things! Doing
things you love will help you to clear your mind of anxiety, and will
likely release more endorphins which cause happiness.
6
Drink warm liquids.
Hot drinks help to relieve tension and reduce stress. Look for hot
drinks that lack caffeine and alcohol, as these can stimulate anxiety
and depression.
- Green tea contains certain natural chemicals linked to reduced
stress levels. Drink it hot or iced to get the peaceful benefits it
provides.
- Try drinking warm milk. This classic bed-time drink can help to
soothe your troubled mind as it contains high levels of tryptophan,
responsible for producing more serotonin in your brain. Warm milk in a
saucepan with honey for a sweet relaxing treat.
- If you choose to drink coffee to help you relax, find a decaffeinated version so as to not stimulate hyperactivity.
- Avoid drinking anything with too much sugar, as this will stimulate your brain and make relaxing much more difficult.[6]
Relaxing with Activities
1
Occupy yourself in a repetitive, mindless activity. Doing something that requires work but no focus can help your mind to relax.
- Try doodling or drawing an abstract image. You are forced to focus
on the act of drawing, and are therefore unable to think about stressors
in your life.
- Performing chores that use repetitive movements can induce
relaxation. Think of raking leaves, sweeping the floor, or folding
laundry.
- Avoid things that require a lot of movement or that are very busy, as this can induce stress rather than reduce it.
2
Listen to calming music. Although you may love rocking out to hardcore rock or rap, find some slow, soothing tunes to help relax your mind.
- Avoid music that has heavy instruments or loud vocals, as these will make it hard for you to relax while listening.
- Instead of music, you can also listen to nature sounds and white
noise which are developed to help people relax. Look for sounds of the
ocean or forest, or find samples of white noise to try.
- Binaural beats are a special type of music or sound that produce
higher levels of alpha waves in your brain, which help you to relax.
Find free versions of binaural beats online or through your favorite
music streaming site.[7]
3
Spend time with animals.
Studies show that people who spend time with pets or touching animals
have lowered blood pressure and are significantly less stressed than
people who rarely come in contact with animals.
- If you don’t have your own pet, consider borrowing your friend’s dog
to take for a walk or cuddling up with your neighbors cat. A little
animal time a day can go a long ways.
- Look into animal assisted psychotherapy. This is a type of therapy
that helps to reduce stress and anxiety by using animals. Often times
horses are used, but dogs and cats are also popular options.[8]
4
Try aromatherapy.
This is when you use soothing scents to help you relax. Many popular
aromatherapy smells include lavender, peppermint, and eucalyptus.
- You can purchase aromatherapy oils to place directly on your skin.
Dab a little around your temples and the inside of your wrists and
elbows. These are some of the warmest places on your body, and will work
to diffuse the scent faster.
- Aromatherapy mists and home fragrances can be used to make your
bedroom your own personal relaxation sanctuary. Find them in mists and
candles to help your home smell peaceful.
5
Soak in a bath or pool. Warm water can help to release endorphins that reduce stress, so take a hot bubble bath for twenty minutes.
Avoiding Stressors
1
Stay away from social media outlets.
A huge cause of stress is any social media, whether it be your phone or
facebook account. Try to spend some time away from these things to help
reduce your anxiety.
- Turn off your phone or leave it in your car for a bit so that you
don’t run the temptation of obsessively checking it every few minutes.
- Leave your laptop closed and turn off your desktop so that you are not tempted to check your online media accounts.
- If social media is a big enough stressor in your life, consider
removing it entirely for a period. Deactivate your online social
accounts for a few weeks or months until you feel that it will no longer
cause a problem for you.
2
Don’t watch television. TV is full of bright colors, busy images, and constant noise which help to raise stress levels.
3
Spend time alone. Often the people around us cause us the most anxiety, so make it a point to spend some time with just yourself.
- Take time off work to catch up on rest and alone time. Try taking a
weekend retreat to a local town or nature reserve where you can have
some time to think.
- Cancel plans with friends if you overwhelm yourself with a
too-packed schedule. It is important to have time with just yourself
before sharing it with others.
- Find time away from your family. It doesn’t matter how much you love
them, everybody needs a bit of time separate from their family in order
to keep a healthy mindset.
4
Avoid your known stressors.
If you know that an upcoming test or meeting is what is causing your
stress, try to spend time away from it to prevent additional anxiety.
- Set firm boundaries for times in which you are willing to deal with
these stressors, if they are work or school related. Promise yourself
only to work on your homework until 8pm, after which you will spend time
debriefing and letting go of stress.
- If a certain person or activity is responsible for your anxiety,
avoid them for a bit. Spend time thinking about why that thing in
particular bothers you so much, and a solution to the problem.[9]
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