Are you feeling stressed, harried and/or overwhelmed? If this describes you, please
raise your hand. I can sense the collective breeze of all of your hands going up, including mine!
We can agree we are living through some pretty stressful times with so much unrest, too much to do, and too much uncertainty that has many of us feeling off our game.
So how about if we take a collective breath and invite in some calm?
Sounds nice right? How can we practically accomplish inviting more calm? It does take some intention, planning and execution but we’re not talking rocket science- just several options that only take 3-15 minutes to invite more “Ahhhhhhh” into your busy world.
Here’s some ideas
Focus on foods that help you naturally feel more Zen rather than wiped out. The more natural, organic, plant based foods you choose along with good protein sources the more you are feeding your brain what it needs to feel and function at its best, thus inviting more calm vs. the sugary rush that makes your body and brain feel temporarily good and then the crash which results in stress and irritability.
Meditate. Whether you use an app like Calm, Headspace, Buddhify or Unplug, these and other mindfulness meditation apps can help guide you out of the stressful state you are normally in and induce some needed calm and bliss. The benefits of meditation are increased focus, reduced stress, and increased sense of calm and control to name a few.
Deep Breathing- Even 3-4 cycles of inhaling through your nose, and deep exhales out of your mouth can be enough to change your nervous system from a stressed out ( sympathetic state) to one of calm ( parasympathetic state). Practicing this upon awakening, again at lunch, after work and before bed can train your brain to experience increased calm naturally when you are faced with a stress trigger.
Check your Thinking- It is often our own internal thoughts that take any of our circumstances and make them more stressful by the constant negative tapes we let play in our mind. “I’ll never have time to do all this”, “This always turns out badly”- all of these thoughts and more serve to keep us stuck and stressed and produce a body that is pumped full of stress hormones like adrenalin and cortisol.
Engage in some journaling, drawing, or listening to soothing music. Journaling can be so cathartic as can singing, drawing or listening to soothing music. All of these activities can have a profound positive affect on our mood, attitude, feelings and can induce a state of calm.
Take a Hike- Even if it is just walking around your neighborhood or office building, getting a change of scenery, enjoying the fall leaves changing, or listening to the pitter patter of raindrops on your raincoat can all be calming and rejuvenating activities. This is especially important to build in regular walking time into your day, but more important on the days you are feeling stressed.
Try a cool calming technique called Havening- Havening is a short, simple, easy to do activity that literally changes your brain waves and induces a state of calm. Since we can’t see you to show you, the next best thing is to call us for a consult and we’ll take 5 minutes to show you, or look on you tube for videos on Havening, how to do it and how it works!
Ultimately you are the only one who can determine if running around all day in a constant state of distress is how you want to live with your one precious body, brain and life. Allowing a chronic state of stress to dominate your life has a host of negative consequences for your body, brain and your overall health and wellbeing.
The team at Live Well Kitsap hopes you will take even 5 minutes today to invest in “sipping on” that cup of calm that is available to you if you will just make the time to enjoy it.
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