Life can get overwhelming at the best of times, through a pandemic into the mix with the constant change and uncertainty, for many, this can be unsettling and create overwhelm and fear.
When stressed and fearful there can be the tendency to catastrophize and magnify situations that can send you into a panic.
And living a life constantly in a state of fear and on the go results in an accumulation of damaging stress and tension — physically, mentally and emotionally.
So take a little time to reflect, to pay attention to your inner world, doing so allows you to release tensions and allow your body, mind and emotions to simply be.
Life doesn’t have to be dominated by overwhelm, stress and fear. No really — it doesn’t.
Read on to learn about three simple and effective ways to live a more relaxed and present life. Include just one of these practices in your daily routine and you’ll soon be experiencing the benefits.
1. Natural Breath Awareness
Just 3 minutes of practice when you wake up in the morning before you get out of bed, will bring you right into the present moment.
Mastering natural breath awareness gives you a greater ability to control the breath. When you can notice, and then alter and direct your breath, you can employ this technique in any stressful or uncomfortable situation to change the function of your nervous system and your thoughts so that you feel calmer and steadier.
2. Abdominal Breath
Unlike chest breathing, abdominal breathing allows you to draw air deep into the lungs. Just like Natural Breath Awareness, 3 minutes of full abdominal breaths when you wake up will have positive repercussions throughout your day.
This takes relaxation to a whole new level, signalling to the nervous system that you are calm and not in danger. As a result, your parasympathetic nervous system takes the lead — it’s often known as the ‘rest or digest’ system.
So, abdominal breathing limits the effects of stress; it’s a tool for stepping out of a stressed mode which, in turn, will allow you to approach any situation more mindfully.
With practice, you can use abdominal breathing to calm the mind, get a handle on your emotions, and soothe mental tension.
It also optimises the performance of the respiratory and cardiac systems.
3. Chanting the Mantra Om
This study published by researchers at UCLA a few years ago showed that using a specific type of Mantra Meditation briefly each day reduced participants’ stress levels and induced deep relaxation.
Chanting the mantra Om for just 5 minutes a day can yield surprising benefits — from the calmness, peace, and purity it brings to the environment, to the tranquillity it ignites within you.
Chanting Om reduces stress, improves your ability to concentrate and makes space for deep relaxation. And it gets you out of the head and into your heart. I know this personally as I do it everyday and have taught 100’s of people to do the same.
Give it a Go!
Maintaining a healthy inner balance during these challenging times can be difficult.
But it is important to take time for yourself and restore your body and mind by unplugging for a short time every day.
By doing so you will become calmer, more content, and more connected with yourself, along with being more productive, more energetic, feel happier, and recognise opportunities for genuine quality time with your family and friends.
PLEASE NOTE: If you would like to experience these practices with me, I will be teaching them as part of your daily practice during my upcoming Walking Into Your Stillness Retreat this November. Click here for more information.
And if you would like personalised coaching/mentoring to calm your busy mind and rid yourself of overwhelm click here and let us have a chat to see if it is the right fit to work together.
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