How do you manage to keep calm on a day when nothing seems to go right and you are working from home while managing a household?
Well, we all have our ways, from counting 1 to 10 or doing some really simple exercises to keep anxiety at bay throughout the day, ease off the stress and help you relax. No, we’re not talking about you running off to the gym and all that, but things you can do right where you can sit quietly and focus.
Control your breathing
Learning how to control your breathing relaxes both the mind and the body.
Sit up straight, put a hand on your chest and the other hand on your stomach. (If you are doing this correctly, your stomach should move more than your chest when you take a deep breath.) Breathe deeply through your nose, hold your breath counting from 1 to 7, then slowly release your breath through your mouth counting from 1 to 8. Repeat the process at least 10 times or until you feel yourself calm down.
Visualize
Being able to visualize a place where you can be happy calms you down.
Find your happy place. Sit somewhere quiet and comfortable. Picture a place where you can feel happy, peaceful, and safe. It could be real or imaginary, just make sure that you can go back to this place whenever you need to.
Now see yourself in your happy place. Imagine, if you were there, how it would smell, how it would feel, and the sounds that you would hear. And with that vision in mind, control your breathing and feel the stress lift.
Relieve muscle stress
Relieving muscle stress lowers the level of your anxiety.
Sitting in your quiet and comfortable place, close your eyes and focus on breathing slowly, in through your nose and out through your mouth. Make a fist with your hand and squeeze it tightly. Hold for a while, focusing on your grip. Then, open your hands slowly, taking note of how you feel. Repeat several times until you feel the tension lift and you feel yourself calmer and more relaxed.
Count
Counting is the simplest way to calm your nerves.
Counting lowers your agitation because it diverts the mind into thinking of something else other than your troubles. This exercise is great in places where there are too many people or where it’s too public. Sometimes, a count from 1 to 10 does the trick, sometimes more. What’s important is for you to stay calm and be patient.
Practice mindfulness
Be aware of your circumstance and surroundings, it helps to create calm when your anxiety starts to rise.
In your quiet and comfortable place, sit down, close your eyes and control your breathing. Be mindful of your breathing and how you feel. Then, listen, smell, and feel your surroundings. Revert your attention back to yourself and then, again to your surroundings, doing so, you will feel the tension leave your body.
Anytime you feel the tension start to plague your calm, try any of these activities. Also, wearing comfortable clothes while doing so will help put you in a state of well-being. Plus it does not hurt if you look good while sipping your tea. :) For easy wear for work and play, try Silouex’s High-Waisted Compression Leggings or Silouex Active Wear.