We are ALL busy people. And in our lives of instant communication of cell phones, and texting, our stress levels have seemed to increase.
Here are some simple tweaks to keep your calm:
- Check your breath. Are you breathing? Draw in a few deep breaths. The most important thing is not how many – it’s the quality of the air that is key. Exhale two or three times longer than your inhale–that’s the relaxation phase of respiration.
- Check your posture! The slightest little head forward position can decrease your air flow and cause tension in the neck & shoulders. When your muscles get tense, your brain gets the message of stress.
- Bothfeet on the ground. Ground yourself. Feel yourself planted on the earth.
- Clear your Mind. Dismiss all frantic thoughts, all negative thoughts. Re-focus on solutions.
- Breathe again. Draw in long deep breaths and exhale slowly.
- Hydrate. Get those 6-8 glasses of water every day. It really does make a difference. When your body tissue are nourished and hydrated, it performs as it should.
- Get exercise and cardio. When your body is accustomed to exercise, if or when you need to jump up into action, it does not perceive it as an emergency, and does not trigger the fight or flight communication to the brain and autonomic nervous system signaling stress.
- Meditate. Similar to #7. When you have a regular mediation schedule, whether a few minutes…or longer, you get the body into the habit of staying relaxed. If you can go for higher frequency & shorter duration–even better.