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Calm Down with These Five-Minute Relaxation Tips
Your dog has just chewed your new shoes, your baby is crying, and you have a work deadline looming. It would be all too easy to shrink back and let the stress of the moment take you, but there is another way. Instead of letting the stress take you, you could tray one of the following five-minute relaxation tips. It might just transform your life.
Enjoy a Square of Chocolate
Eating just a single square of your favorite dark chocolate can regulate your cortisol levels, thus helping you to calm down from any stressful situation. It can also help to stabilize your blood sugar levels so that you don’t dip too low – something which can also cause stress.
Pour a Cup of (Green) Tea
The simple ritual of drinking a soothing cup of tea can be enough to calm you down in itself, but if you switch your usual cuppa with a good quality green tea, you will find that you’re soon feeling calmer than ever, thanks to the anger relieving L-Theanine – an ingredient found in green tea.
Meditate
You would not believe some of the benefits of meditation! When practiced regularly, it can help to protect against Alzheimer’s relieve social anxiety and depression and aid in concentration. But, did you know that just five minutes of meditation is all you need to reduce stress and calm down when you are feeling overwhelmed. Obviously, the more you meditate, the less flustered you will be, put if you need a quick boost, closing your eyes and relaxing on your breathing for a few moments can work wonders!
Chew Gum
It might sound strange, but the act of chewing a stick of gum can lower cortisol levels and reduce the symptoms of anxiety. So, it might be a good idea to stock up on your favorite gum and ensure you always have a stick or two of your for those emergency meltdown situations.
Breathe
One of the simplest things you can do to calm yourself down is to take a few deep breaths. Just five minutes of deep breathing could help to lower your heart rate and your blood pressure and leave you feeling cool, calm and collected once more.
Count Down From 100
The (minimal) mental effort that it takes to count backwards from 100 can be enough to silence your negative thoughts and stops stress in its tracks. Try it; we bet you’ll find that its harder to worry when you’re counting that you think!
Use Essential Oils
Essential oils like lavender rose and bergamot can help to clear your head and calm you down when things get too much for you. Simply take a whiff directly from the bottle, or burn with some water in an oil burner for a longer-lasting effect.
Although these tips will undoubtedly help you to destress, nothing beats a streamlined schedule, with plenty of breaks to keep you feeling calm. So, if you can swing it, try to design your own stress-beating schedule for the most mental benefit.
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The ‘M’ Word
Mindfulness has recently been creeping, front-line-and-centre, onto mainstream magazine, newspaper and blog headlines, and is being featured as the panacea for everything from losing weight, parenting more effectively, having more positive and productive social as well as work-related interactions, eating less, managing anger and getting more restful sleep.
However Mindfulness isn’t a ‘trick’ or a gimmick or even anything new, nor is it something mystical, exclusive to those who are spiritually-inclined. Mindfulness is a process that any human can undertake and one which requires no physical resources.
But that does NOT mean that Mindfulness is easy, especially if you have never undertaken such a mental and emotional journey before. In fact, the contrary is true! Nonetheless, the strategies required to cultivate Mindfulness are accessible to most of us and, when we stick with it and practise regularly (like with all things), Mindfulness actually becomes easier.
So, what is Mindfulness? In short, it is the ability to be fully present in the moment without wishing or trying to make it different. We often find ourselves functioning on “autopilot mode,” floating from one activity to another without even thinking about what we are doing, predisposed by and preoccupied with the past which is over and/or a future that has not been guaranteed to us. It is no wonder at all that we often find ourselves feeling stressed, overwhelmed, anxious, depressed and simply exhausted!
Mindfulness practices can help to restore and strengthen the connection between our minds and our bodies, which can further contribute to improved health, functioning and well-being, despite and in spite of everything else that is bound to happen all around us.
Try one of these simple Mindfulness exercises today to get you going 🙂
Mindful Breathing
You can perform this exercise while standing up or sitting down. The goal is to be still and focus on your breath for one minute. Start by breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth (Inhale to a count of 3 and exhale to a count of 3).
Let go of all your thoughts as you do this, including that never-ending list of to-dos. Just let yourself be still for one minute and focus on your breath. When thoughts come up (which they will), acknowledge them and then let them pass, do not dwell on them – this is the key.
Watch your breath renew you with life, as it enters your body and fills your lungs and chest, and then watch this same exuberant energy leave your body and release into the world as your breath releases through your mouth.
Mindful Observation
You can also perform this exercise while standing up or sitting down. The goal of this exercise is to help you connect with your environment, something that we easily miss while rushing around in “auto-pilot mode”.
Choose an object (preferably an organic and natural object from your environment, such as a plant, a tree, an insect, a body of water, you get the point!) and focus on watching it for a minute or two. Try not to focus on anything except noticing this object and being aware of what you are looking at for as long as you can manage to. Allow yourself to be consumed by this object, try to connect with its energy and its role and purpose in your world. Look at it as if you are seeing it for the first time and explore every aspect of its presence.
Food for Thought…
Cultivating Mindfulness can help us to cope better with the thoughts and feelings that cause us distress in our everyday lives. By regularly practising Mindfulness, rather than functioning on “auto-pilot mode” (this state, by the way, is influenced by negative past experiences as well as fears/worries of future possibilities), we can teach our mind to be present in the moment. This not only allows us to appreciate our lives a lot more more than we usually tend to, but it also allows us to deal with life’s challenges in a more calm, clear-minded, patient and assertive way. Before you know it, being present in the moment will become as much of a habit as being distracted used to be and even better yet, you can develop a consciousness that frees you from unhelpful, distorted, self-limiting thought patterns and instead enables you to focus on your positive emotions that increase compassion in ourselves and others.
I’m going to start a new tab for Mindfulness posts on this Blog and will strive to post articles on various themes. If you have any suggestions or questions please feel free to comment below or email me your suggestions 🙂
Originally featured on: https://empirikalsolutionz.wordpress.com/2016/09/07/the-m-word-mindfulness/ -
4 Smart Girl Things You Can Do To Become Happier With Who You Are
The pursuit of happiness is a long and seemingly endless road, and no more so that our pursuit of self-happiness.
If you ask pretty much anyone if they are happy with who they are, they would not be able to give you a definite yes. Why is this? It’s because there are so many different facets that we can be unhappy with.
This guide, however, is here to help. Perhaps it is that you feel your mental wellbeing is dragging you down. Maybe you are not happy with the way you look, be that your face, your body or something else. If your self-esteem is low, you may wish to try out a special party that you haven’t even heard of before. Finally, perhaps the issue is that you feel like you are stuck in your old ways, or stuck in a rut. So perhaps you need to shake things up…!
Let’s take a look in a little closer detail at each of these suggestions. Here are five things you can do to become happier with who you are.
Meditation
Perfect for if you are not happy with…your mental wellbeing
Let’s begin with one that you may not have been expecting to see! When it comes to being happier with yourself, many think first about the external things. So, your hair, your height, your skin! Yes, that can come into it, and in fact, we’ll get to that a little later. But first up, let’s take a look at your mental wellbeing. How is it? Poor mental well-being has the power to drag down every other facet of your life. It can make you see things in a skewed way. Take body dysmorphia for example. This is a condition of the brain where you see your body in a different way to how everyone else sees it. Anxiety is another example of how your brain can ruin things for the rest of you, as is depression.
So, how can you combat these things? If you struggle to be happy with who you because of what your brain is doing, how can you improve things? Well, there are of course medical solutions. There are a number of prescriptions now available for those suffering from issues like anxiety and depression. Many are very effective and credited with completely turning people’s lives around. But what about if you want something more natural? Well, how about meditation? You can find ones based around personal happiness and well-being. A big part of some meditation sessions is affirmations. So, find affirmations based around a calm mind, personal empowerment and confidence. Check out this page at sonima.com. It’s a meditation all about learning to love yourself.
Plastic Surgery
Perfect for if you are not happy with…your appearance
From the internal to the external. Perhaps to become happier with who you are, the change you need to make is one with your appearance. Some may say that you need to accept who you are and how you to look. It’s a relatively popular viewpoint. It is also one that you may be able to emphasize with. But the fact is, in 2016, it is simple not the only sensible viewpoint out there. Things like hair extensions now exist to give you longer hair. You can get veneers for your teeth, to make them straighter or whiter. And, of course, there is also the option of plastic surgery from ROXYPlasticSurgery.com or similarly reputable companies. All of these options are viable ones thanks to modern day technology and recent advancements. Just make sure you do lots of research before you commit to anything.
Self Confidence Party
Perfect for if you are not happy with…your self-esteem
So, we’ve looked at the unexpected, and the expected. Now, let’s take a look at a suggestion that you might not have considered before. How about holding a self-confidence party? Here is what it is. You invite your closest friends over and have a party all about boosting your self confidence. It’s all about genuine compliments, generosity and self-esteem boosting. So, here is one game you could play. Everybody takes a piece of paper and a pen. On the paper, they write three things they admire about everyone in the room. Or, you could do 3 things about each of the following topics. 1) 3 things you love about their looks. 2) 3 things you love about their personality and 3) 3 things you admire about them. Each person gets a different pile for their anonymous admirations! Then, they get to open them and read all the kind words others have said about them. It is done anonymously so that people can speak freely and don’t have to back up their words to self-doubt. Games like this and others have a wonderful effect. By the end of the party, everybody leaves feeling like a million dollars. Plus, they have that extra-special feeling of knowing that they made their loved ones feel amazing too! Make sure you keep the slips of paper about you and display them somewhere in your home. You may even enjoy yourself so much that you decide to do it every two or three months. You could even do one’s focused on a specific person if they go through a particularly rough patch, like a breakup.
Shake Things Up
Perfect for if you are not happy with…your current state
Finally, here is one more suggestion for you. It could be that the lack of happiness you currently feel isn’t a problem with you. It is just that you have gotten stuck into your current state. Maybe you are stuck in a rut with the way you dress and do your hair and makeup. Perhaps you’ve not changed it in any way in something. Or maybe that rut is elsewhere. Maybe you are bored in your current job and feel that it lacks progression. Or your relationship isn’t heading in the direction you want it to. All in all, the issue is not with you but with your current circumstances and situation.
So, what is the solution here? You need to shake things up. Make a change. Be more active and less passive in your own life.
Let’s break down each potential issue one by one.
Perhaps the rut is down to your appearance. We’ve already discussed the option of plastic surgery. But what about less extreme and invasive things you could do? How about visiting a makeup counter in your local town or city center. Go with your normal makeup on and ask them to give you a whole new look! Let them have free reign to do whatever they fancy, just make sure they do something different. Then, head to the shops. Pick up an outfit that you love but would always say ‘I could never wear that!’. By making appearance changes active, rather than passive, you will see them taking place on you. Doing this can make you feel like a whole new person! Or, at the very least, a little happier with who you already are.
Alternatively, maybe you need to shake things up at work. Our jobs and careers are such a big part of our lives. As such, they simply have to be stimulating and fulfilling. If they are not can find ourselves becoming bored. Ask yourself; does my job do these two things for me? Or not? It could be that in fact, your career is the thing that is ruining your happiness. It could be that you are doing tasks that you find too easy and are therefore getting bored. Or, that you are managed by someone who makes you feel incompetent and worthless. Not one of these things is acceptable. While we don’t advocate quitting and moving to a desert island, do consider making a change. Start scouting out other jobs; network; polish up your resume. Once again, being active rather than passive is the only way you can help yourself here. What are the signs of your job making you unhappy? Find out at businessinsider.com.
Another area that may be ruining your personal happiness is in your relationship. The way to figure out if your relationship is the issue is this. Consider how happy you were with yourself before the relationship. Then compare it to how you feel now. If you are much happier, great! If you feel about the same, maybe some tweaks need to be made. Another person should lift you up, and be your own personal cheerleader. If they are not, you need to ask yourself why. Are you not doing the same for them? Have they got complacent? Finally, what happens if you realize you are even less happy than before the relationship? Well, if it is down to the relationship itself that you are not happy, it could be time to walk away. Why? Because nothing is more important that your own happiness. It is not your duty to give that up for the benefit of somebody else. Find out more about healthy relationships at blogs like heydoyou.com.
Of course, there are many other reasons that you might need to shake things up! But the point here is, it doesn’t matter what it is. What matters is that you have the bravery and confidence to make a change.
