Life today isn’t what it used to be a couple of decades ago. The world has become faster and more ruthless. We’re constantly running to fulfill our insatiable needs (both material and needs which are less tangible). So, unsurprisingly, we tend to burn out much faster than the generations before us. So the importance of ways on how to calm your mind is more now than it has ever been before.
Suggested read: The complete guide on how to let go of the past and move towards a bright future
Here are our top tips on how to calm your mind!
1. Make time to meditate
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This is the most popular method of dealing with stress. We’re not saying that you need to become a Yogi and meditate all day, every day. Simply take 5-10 minutes every day, turn off your electronics, make sure nobody disturbs you and just meditate. A Buddhist chant called “Nam Myoho Renge Kyo” is an incredibly helpful and relatively easy chant, especially for beginners. Play it on YouTube and chant along. This will not only calm your nerves, but will help you focus better and provide you with positive energy.
2. Notice internal judgements
It is very important for you to know where you stand. Contradictory to what movies on the Wild West tell us, it is not the most feasible option to just go in guns blazing! Take the time to assess yourself and know your shortcomings. Always know that you will never benefit by lying to yourself. So, instead, make sure you keep time for yourself at least twice a month to sit down and review the work you’ve done so far and whether or not it has matched the goals you had set for yourself. Also, take that time to plan ahead.
3. Distance yourself from negative self-talk and beliefs
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Pretty much every single life-coach/motivational speaker will say this exact same thing. Distance yourself from negative thoughts and actions that others or you yourself may be inflicting on you. Negativity breeds negativity. If you let negative thoughts penetrate your mind or dictate your actions, then it’ll all go downhill from there. Instead, make it a point to think positive thoughts. If you feel a negative thought managing to creep into your mind, go ahead and say something positive about yourself, aloud. It might be awkward and uncomfortable in the beginning, but with time, it’ll come more naturally until you finally don’t have to say it aloud anymore.
4. Let go
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We cannot stress enough on the importance of letting go. You’ve got to stop sweating the small things love! Nobody’s life is perfect. Things will go wrong even on the most perfect days. So unless you think that it will have a significant effect on your life, let it go. Had a fight with this prick you don’t like? Let it go. They’re not worth your time. You think you’ll score a couple of marks lower than you had hoped for? Let it go. You’ll do better next time. You’ll have to worry about a lot of things in life. So, prioritize these problems and stop fretting over tiny things that don’t need your attention!
Suggested read: 10 practical tips on how to love yourself the way you are
5. Breathing exercises
Panic attacks have become more and more common in the past decade or so. The pressure on us to be perfect, to be successful, to meet people’s (and our own) standards… it can all get too much to deal with some times. So, if you think that you may be suffering an anxiety attack (panic attack), follow these steps to deal with it better. Breathe in for 4 seconds, hold your breath for 7 seconds and then breathe out (exhale) for 8 seconds. This will cause a shift in your autonomic nervous system from a sympathetic state (fight or flight mode) to a parasympathetic response mode. Your body will then try to deal with the problem instead of trying to protect itself from what it believes is trauma.
6. Work out
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You don’t just need to work out to be all hot and badass. Well, sure, you can work out because you want a set of washboard abs. But if you’re among the many who would rather sit on a couch and binge-watch Game of Thrones (like we do huehuehue), then we’ve got bad news for you. You’ve got to work out if you want to be healthy and happy enough to deal with the problems life keeps throwing at you. When you work out, your glands secrete happy hormones called endorphins. Also, by working out, you’re making your heart pump faster (that near-death feeling you get that feels like the Hulk trying to break out of your ribcage? Yeah, that’s just your heart beating faster). So, blood is pumped faster and more often to your extremities and to your brain. Thus, your brain gets a lot more oxygen than it would if you were a couch potato, and it’ll work better. Working out is also an excellent way of expressing any frustration or pent up anger you may have inside due to work, family, academic or financial problems.
7. Use your support system
It is very important to have a good support system. Be it your parents, a sibling, a friend or your partner… it’s very important to use the support they’re willing to provide you. We know you’re a strong, butt-kicking BAMF and you can conquer the world if you put your mind to it. But we all need a little bit of love and pampering every once in a while. It’s absolutely fine if you feel the need to hug your partner/friend/family member and cry after a crappy day. It’s fine if you want to be reassured that you ARE talented and smart and perfect. We all have days when we need a little bit of reassurance. Even the Powerpuff Girls felt the need to return to the Professor and let him take care of them after a tough day of crime fighting! So it’s only fair that you crave that too!
8. Have “me” days
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It is very important to make time for oneself. We tend to neglect ourselves the most, in our incessant need to meet expectations and be perfect. You need to take time out at least once a month to do things that make you happy. Go watch a movie, get a haircut, go to the spa, play your favorite sport… heck, simply lie in bed all day in your jammies and binge watch House of Cards while chomping on hot wings! Just take the time out to reconnect with yourself. It’ll act as a sort of reset button on your energy and your drive, so that you can power through once again and be the badass ninja warrior you truly are!
9. Eat chocolate
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Hey, we’re not kidding! This is world-class advice from none other than Professor Lupin. Chocolate keeps the dementors away. So stop fretting over silly things like gaining weight (pfft!) and have all that chocolate you’ve been eyeing. Chocolate also boosts the release of happy hormones into your bloodstream. It provides you with much needed energy and can also help in your decade-long attempt at weight-loss (well, dark chocolate anyway, but shh! Nobody needs to know that!).
10. Focus on gratitude and contentment
This will probably sound incredibly vague, but be happy with what you have achieved so far. Ambition is necessary in life, but so is contentment. Be happy with what you have achieved and who you are at this point in life. Celebrate even the tiniest successes. You’ve finally nailed that essay you’ve been slogging at for the past couple of weeks? Go ahead and pat yourself on the back, have a mini dance party! Your colleague got you a coffee even though you didn’t ask for it? Make sure they know that you appreciate it. When you acknowledge the work of others and your own, you create a positive atmosphere. And creativity and productivity thrive in a positive atmosphere.
11. Set routines, plan ahead
Routines can become monotonous and boring. But they’re pertinent to productivity. When you have a somewhat clear idea of your plans, you tend not to panic as much as you would if you tried to tackle something without a plan. We’re not suggesting you plan your day down to every minute. But make sure you have a sort of structure on which you can base your actions. When you have a routine, some banal activities can be streamlined, and you’ll end up saving time; time that you may now spend on more important things. Also, when you have a clear plan in your head, you can deal with a crisis with a clear and calm mind, as opposed to if you tried to go in blind.
Suggested read: How to find yourself when you feel lost
12. Swap your regular coffee/tea for decaf
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We cannot live without our daily (and sometime hourly) coffee/tea fix. So we wouldn’t DREAM of asking you to quit drinking what can only be described as the drink of the Gods. However, the caffeine that you’re ingesting by drinking all those gallons of delicious tea/coffee is not good for your health. At the most basic level, caffeine kicks your body into overdrive, pushing it to work harder and faster than it was. So, obviously, it’s also putting pressure on your mind. So, try and swap your regular coffee or tea out for decaf versions. Try drinking decaf coffee or tea once you’re home or at least on weekends. This will help detoxify your body and calm your mind.
Not every technique will work for everybody. Alternatively you may have some tricks up your sleeves that help you calm down and de-stress yourself. Either way, whether you decide to follow our tips on how to calm your mind or decide to do something that’s unique to you, it does not matter, as long as you do something. Life is getting tougher every day, so make sure you allow your body and mind to rest enough to help you deal with the elevated stress and pressures of surviving in today’s world!
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