In this fast-paced, information-driven society we live in, feeling stressed has almost become a badge of honor to wear, something to be proud of; along with being crazy busy, awesome at multitasking and a self-professed perfectionist. Our culture has conditioned us to and rewarded us for thinking more and feeling less, doing more and being less. We are becoming increasingly disconnected with ourselves and with others which is making us “spin the wheel” faster and more alone than ever before.
If being stressed, anxious and overwhelmed is no longer serving you, here are 5 tips that if practiced daily, will take you from chaotic to calm:
1. Become more mindful in all that you do – when you are fully in the present moment, it is impossible to feel stressed about your to-do list or anxious about that meeting you have next week. Mindfulness does not necessarily mean meditating, it simply means being fully focused in the here and now.
Practical Tip: Have more mindful conversations! An example of this is when you are having a conversation with someone face to face, look them in the eyes and give them your full attention. Put your phone on silent and have it out of sight. Be fully present and engaged in that conversation.
2. Breathe properly – when we slow our breath and breathe from our diaphragm, we instantly slow down our nervous system as well as our anxious thoughts.
Practical Tip: Put your hands on your belly. As you inhale your hands should rise, and when you exhale your hands should fall. This demonstrates breathing from the diaphragm which is the way we must breathe for optimum health and wellbeing.
3. Be more grateful – when we practice gratitude, we raise our positive energy and we invite more to be grateful for into our lives.
Practical Tip: As soon as you open your eyes in the morning, let “Thank You” be the first words you say. Then take a minute or so to think and feel all that you are grateful for in your life, including yourself!
4. Self-care – taking good care of yourself is not selfish nor indulgent. It is a necessity if you want to reduce stress and increase wellbeing.
Practical Tip: Schedule regular activities into your week that increase your energy and leave you feeling great. This could be things such as exercise, going out with friends, taking a candlelit bath, reading a great book, spending time in nature etc. An extremely easy and super effective way to care for yourself is to eliminate your negative self-talk and send yourself love!
5. Focus on real connections – with social media and technology in general taking over our lives, connecting with people face to face is becoming increasingly foreign. Human love and connection is vital to our health and wellbeing and having a strong support network is a big factor in reducing our stress levels and increasing our happiness.
Practical Tip: Do not let your phone replace your family and friends. Care less about how many Facebook friends and Instagram followers you have, and more about whom you have shared a meal or a coffee with lately. Make a call instead of a text. Handwrite a thank you letter to a loved one. Take a night off from Tinder and go to a bar!
Life is too precious to spend it feeling stressed and uptight! We all need to love, laugh and play much more often.
Article by Lara Tess – Success Coach
