Exercise releases feel good endorphins.
This doesn't have to mean joining a gym (and then never going!) It can be as simple as finding a way to be outside for 10 minutes a day, going for a walk or doing some gardening but it's also a great idea to take up Yoga or Pilates. Both of these work with your body, improving your flexibility and posture without needing to feel the burn or ignore any pain that may occur during exercise. Dancing is also good exercise with the added bonus of raising your happiness levels.
Add a bit of randomness to your life.
Try sitting in a different chair at home or at work. We spend 67% of our waking lives on automatic pilot, set in our ways, repeating habits that aren't always in our best interests. By sitting in a different chair we are getting a different view of the world and encouraging our brains to try something new.
Improve your sleep.
Sleep is a superpower and we need 7 to 8 hours of restful sleep a night to process our day and be in peak condition for the next one. It can be easy to see this amount of sleep as optional or even unobtainable but it is essential to avoid burnout and feeling lethargic and tired all the time.
Give yourself enough time to sleep and if you find falling asleep or staying asleep difficult, don't try too hard to fall asleep just allow sleep to come when its ready and maybe try counting your breaths or imagine you are in your favourite place to relax your brain while you drift off. Don't try to work out a difficult problem or go over and over a difficult situation just let your thoughts breeze past you like clouds in the sky or leaves on a stream.
Mindfulness & Meditation.
It's no coincidence that Mindfulness is an NHS NICE recommended therapy for anxiety and stress. Just practicing 10 -15 mins of Mindfulness Meditation a day has been shown on brain scans to make areal difference to areas of emotional regulation and anxiety in the brain. Mindfulness Meditation is not about emptying the brain of thoughts and worries, its about noticing what's on your mind without getting involved in its story, and allowing things to be just the way they are without trying to solve or change them.
Random acts of Kindness
Being kind to your self and others allows your happy hormones to emerge. Let someone go before you in a queue, smile at people, offer to help someone with a task and don't forget to be kind to yourself too. Smile at yourself in the mirror, have a lovely bath or watch a programme you enjoy.
Have a Digital Detox
We spend far too much time on our digital devices often checking our phone or searching on our computers whilst trying to watch the TV or having a conversation with someone at the same time. We cannot multitask, we merely move from one thing to another and if we do too much of this we soon feel overwhelmed, anxious and on edge. Factor in time to relax away from your digital devices and focus on one thing at a time. The spirit in which we do things affects the outcome.
Write it down
Make lists instead of trying to keep things in your head. Try journalling about your feelings and wishes. The process of writing down your thoughts can unload a busy mind and allow for moments of creative genius to emerge. When your thoughts are scattered and overwhelming you can miss these and be unable to focus on what really matters.
Try Listening
Listening to someone is one of the most helpful things you can do for you and your friends, children, partners and colleagues. Really listening to someone allows the other person to feel heard and allows you both to feel good about the conversation. So instead of just thinking about what you are going to say next ,allow the other person to have their say whether you agree with them or not. You might even learn something.
Take a break
When things start to become overwhelming take a break. Close your eyes and just notice what is on your mind, what thoughts, feelings and emotions are there and what physical sensations come with these, maybe tension in your shoulders for instance.
Then let go of all this and take your attention to your breath, counting your breaths down from 7 to 1.
Then expand your attention to include a sense of yourself standing or sitting here, the sounds around you and the space around you and when you are ready open your eyes and return to your day.
Keeping the body in Mind
We often get out of touch with our bodies, not noticing if we are hungry or tired or sitting in an awkward position. And yet your mind and body are in constant conversation, a conversation we are no longer a part of. If you feel stressed your breathing will become shallow and your body will notice this and realise hormones such as Cortisol and Adrenaline because it feels you are in danger and this will make you feel more stressed and cause more stress hormones to be released.
Try to check in with your body every now and again to notice if you are feeling hungry, if your breathing is shallow or your shoulders are tense. Simply eating something or adjusting your breathing or position can move us into a more relaxed way of being, allowing our body to relax and stop the production of adrenaline and cortisol
If you'd like a FREE zoom consultation with me to see if you would like to do a Mindfulness Course submit the form below
This doesn't have to mean joining a gym (and then never going!) It can be as simple as finding a way to be outside for 10 minutes a day, going for a walk or doing some gardening but it's also a great idea to take up Yoga or Pilates. Both of these work with your body, improving your flexibility and posture without needing to feel the burn or ignore any pain that may occur during exercise. Dancing is also good exercise with the added bonus of raising your happiness levels.
Add a bit of randomness to your life.
Try sitting in a different chair at home or at work. We spend 67% of our waking lives on automatic pilot, set in our ways, repeating habits that aren't always in our best interests. By sitting in a different chair we are getting a different view of the world and encouraging our brains to try something new.
Improve your sleep.
Sleep is a superpower and we need 7 to 8 hours of restful sleep a night to process our day and be in peak condition for the next one. It can be easy to see this amount of sleep as optional or even unobtainable but it is essential to avoid burnout and feeling lethargic and tired all the time.
Give yourself enough time to sleep and if you find falling asleep or staying asleep difficult, don't try too hard to fall asleep just allow sleep to come when its ready and maybe try counting your breaths or imagine you are in your favourite place to relax your brain while you drift off. Don't try to work out a difficult problem or go over and over a difficult situation just let your thoughts breeze past you like clouds in the sky or leaves on a stream.
Mindfulness & Meditation.
It's no coincidence that Mindfulness is an NHS NICE recommended therapy for anxiety and stress. Just practicing 10 -15 mins of Mindfulness Meditation a day has been shown on brain scans to make areal difference to areas of emotional regulation and anxiety in the brain. Mindfulness Meditation is not about emptying the brain of thoughts and worries, its about noticing what's on your mind without getting involved in its story, and allowing things to be just the way they are without trying to solve or change them.
Random acts of Kindness
Being kind to your self and others allows your happy hormones to emerge. Let someone go before you in a queue, smile at people, offer to help someone with a task and don't forget to be kind to yourself too. Smile at yourself in the mirror, have a lovely bath or watch a programme you enjoy.
Have a Digital Detox
We spend far too much time on our digital devices often checking our phone or searching on our computers whilst trying to watch the TV or having a conversation with someone at the same time. We cannot multitask, we merely move from one thing to another and if we do too much of this we soon feel overwhelmed, anxious and on edge. Factor in time to relax away from your digital devices and focus on one thing at a time. The spirit in which we do things affects the outcome.
Write it down
Make lists instead of trying to keep things in your head. Try journalling about your feelings and wishes. The process of writing down your thoughts can unload a busy mind and allow for moments of creative genius to emerge. When your thoughts are scattered and overwhelming you can miss these and be unable to focus on what really matters.
Try Listening
Listening to someone is one of the most helpful things you can do for you and your friends, children, partners and colleagues. Really listening to someone allows the other person to feel heard and allows you both to feel good about the conversation. So instead of just thinking about what you are going to say next ,allow the other person to have their say whether you agree with them or not. You might even learn something.
Take a break
When things start to become overwhelming take a break. Close your eyes and just notice what is on your mind, what thoughts, feelings and emotions are there and what physical sensations come with these, maybe tension in your shoulders for instance.
Then let go of all this and take your attention to your breath, counting your breaths down from 7 to 1.
Then expand your attention to include a sense of yourself standing or sitting here, the sounds around you and the space around you and when you are ready open your eyes and return to your day.
Keeping the body in Mind
We often get out of touch with our bodies, not noticing if we are hungry or tired or sitting in an awkward position. And yet your mind and body are in constant conversation, a conversation we are no longer a part of. If you feel stressed your breathing will become shallow and your body will notice this and realise hormones such as Cortisol and Adrenaline because it feels you are in danger and this will make you feel more stressed and cause more stress hormones to be released.
Try to check in with your body every now and again to notice if you are feeling hungry, if your breathing is shallow or your shoulders are tense. Simply eating something or adjusting your breathing or position can move us into a more relaxed way of being, allowing our body to relax and stop the production of adrenaline and cortisol
If you'd like a FREE zoom consultation with me to see if you would like to do a Mindfulness Course submit the form below
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