As time passes, we all find ourselves living in an increasingly busy world, balancing work, family commitments, managing a house, our health and social lives. However, it can be hard to slow down and notice things in a busy world. When we feel like we are living life at 100 miles an hour, things might never be boring, but it can be stressful.
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Mindfulness
You may have heard of or read about mindfulness meditation, also known as mindfulness, and you may be curious about how to practice it. Mindfulness is a state of active, open attention to what is happening in the present. This state is described as observing one’s thoughts and feelings without judging or interpreting them as good or bad. It involves practicing different breathing methods, using guided imagery and perhaps keeping a mindfulness journal to record thoughts and ideas. Some people even enjoy coloring to help bring them into a state of mindfulness. Spending as much time planning, problem-solving and thinking negative or random thoughts as we tend to do can be exhausting. It can also make you more likely to experience stress, anxiety and symptoms of depression. Practicing mindfulness techniques can help you to direct your attention away from this kind of thinking and engage with the world around you in the present moment.
Take Care of Your Body
If you make your personal health a priority – both physical and emotional – you will be much better equipped to deal with a crisis. Eat a balanced diet, exercise regularly and make sure you get plenty of sleep. Exercise lowers the level of stress hormones and helps the body function at its highest level. It also promotes the release of feel-good hormones. By improving your health, you will increase your self-control, memory and emotional intelligence — important characteristics that will help you think clearly and stay calm when things get a little rough.
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Learn to disconnect
While social media and technology has plenty of benefits, the fact that we are quite literally switched on and connected at all times can put us at a disadvantage, especially when we are feeling anxious or stresses. Pulling away from a stressful situation for a while, even if it is just for a short time, can give us time to process what is happening and how we feel about it. This allows us to go back to the situation and approach it with a fresh and calm perspective. It is also important to physically disconnect sometimes – by that, we mean putting down the cellphone and turning off the TV and spend time doing something – reading, going for a walk, playing a board game with friends or doing something else that does not require us to be switched on, both physically and mentally.
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Staying calm is something that does not come easily to many of us, particularly in a world as busy and as hectic as the one we live in now. Hopefully, these tips will help you to look at things and approach them calmly.
