How Mindfulness Can Help You Beat Stress—and Fast
We are all too busy. No one even considers that stress is a serious pathogen in our lives, and unfortunately, we all do not pay attention to it.
Even most of us don’t have 5 minutes to sit down, calm down, and de-clutter our minds. Being relaxed and calm can make our lives better and happier.
A simple breathing technique can work magic for a stressed-up mind. Still unconvinced?
Well, stay in a relaxed position, close your eyes, and then take a deep breath.
Done?
How’re you feeling?
Meditation is the most popular technique for eliminating stress, but recently, mindfulness, the latest version of meditation, has become the best way to unwind your mind.
It’s inevitable for your mental and physical well-being to take a few minutes to become mentally spacious, balance your mind-body, and achieve a positive sense.
Mindfulness- the way to get stress-toxins out of your mind
Though exercise, Yoga, and healthy eating are well-known forms to charge up your mind and body and stay away from toxins, mindfulness is a relaxation technique that offers de-stressing vibes to your mind.
Today, mindfulness plays a critical role in our society. People who practice mindfulness are amazed at how their quality of life improves.
In fact, people have also revealed that their concentration power is amplified, blood pressure is controlled, stress has vanished, memory has been enhanced, and emotions have been more positive. In other words, the mindfulness technique is a treasure of benefits.
Mindfulness is all about awareness. Practicing mindfulness can sustain your thoughts, emotions, feelings, external environment knowledge in the present moment, and physical sensations.
Does it sound like meditation? So, what’s the difference between meditation and mindfulness?
Meditation is the practice of sitting in a quiet, relaxed environment with eyes closed and paying attention to achieve peacefulness.
However, mindfulness is directly connected to the practice of awareness. So, you don’t need to be in a specific environment; you can do it anytime and anywhere.
Are you having a really busy schedule? An extra 15 minutes is more than enough to soothe your brain nerves. So, try all the following mindfulness techniques in these 15 minutes and get a positive vibe!
1- Breathe mindfully
Practice mindful breathing whenever you have extra minutes, whether you’re at work or in a shower. Follow these steps precisely to experience the magic instantly!
- Choose your downtime! It can be your breakfast preparation time or the minutes you drink coffee in a restaurant. It’s totally up to you what time you choose.
- Start shifting your focus to the aspects of breathing. It can be your chest’s movement or the sensation of air coming out of your nose.
- Be in this state of awareness for up to 5 minutes and then come back to normal involuntary breathing
Note how your breathing changes while working on different activities. When you breathe slowly, your heart rate slows down as well. This state leads to optimal relaxation of all body cells, including brain cells.
2- Eat mindfully
Don’t get too much surprised. Yes! Mindful eating is another way to boost your sensation power. Eating while socializing around could also drive stress. To practice mindful eating, you should avoid socializing.
- Select the convenient and suitable mealtime
- Take a first bite and get the feel of 5 sensations: touch, smell, sight, touch, and sound
- Eat slowly and chew your bite up to 15 times
- Get engrossed with how you are eating.
- Complete your meal with a sense of appreciation.
If you want better results, get your meal and eat it alone. Little things are often overlooked in our fast-paced lives, but if we correct them, they can have a huge impact on our overall health.
When you eat slowly, your body has time for the proper digestion of the food. Additionally, healthier digestion can prevent common physiological triggers of stress.
3- Do Yoga mindfully
This time, when you practice yoga, be different! Get into the Yoga pose you love and bring your full awareness to your physical and emotional sensations while passing through the poses.
Notice how successfully you are attaining poses and how your body is de-stressing as a whole.
Make sure that your attention is entirely on what part of your body you are moving and where it is going.
Try decreasing the number of poses and spending more time in a single pose. This technique works superbly because it adds a physical element.
Physical activity boosts energy levels and helps release positive chemicals into your brain.
The fruits of doing Yoga mindfully are improved performance and memory, increased focusing ability,
4- Body scan meditation
Set a time and place where you can sit comfortably without any distractions or disturbances. Keep your eyes closed and sit cross-legged.
Secondly, focus on your toes initially. Then, move your attention to your feet, ankles, calves, knees, hips, etc., and your head. However, if you’re feeling frustrated and bored, take this as a challenge!
Body scan meditation encourages your sensations, which we often ignore in our lives. Whenever you feel tension or cervical pain due to excessive stress, start practicing the body scan meditation!
The body scan meditation can help increase pain tolerance and reduce muscle tension and stress.
Stress is the root cause of every medical problem. Mindfulness is an excellent technique for preventing disease, and the best part is that it is devoid of side effects.
As you know, taking antidepressants can have some side effects and complications; mindfulness is the surest way to get most of the stress eliminated from your mind. What would you prefer, mindfulness or medication? Think wisely and make a decision!
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REFERENCES:
https://www.fix.com/blog/mindfulness-techniques-to-reduce-stress/
http://www.themindfulword.org/2012/mbsr-mindfulness-based-stress-reduction/
http://www.pocketmindfulness.com/6-mindfulness-exercises-you-can-try-today/
I have to ask because this was recommended to me… How exactly do I do a body scan? Like I understand what it is going to do and how it will help, but I never have actually been able to make it work for me. I have looked at videos and now found them very useful. I would love to reduce my stress induced neck pain. It is horrible some days.
I have to ask because this was recommended to me… How exactly do I do a body scan? Like I understand what it is going to do and how it will help, but I never have actually been able to make it work for me. I have looked at videos and now found them very useful. I would love to reduce my stress induced neck pain. It is horrible some days.