How to relax the mind? You worry about work, money, health, partner, children … do you want me to continue the list? Yes, there are tons of things to worry about at any given moment. How many times does it happen to you that in a moment of idleness, the mind should be “free and quiet,” what fills it instead of just worries? You will soon learn some quick techniques to relax your mind and have it calmer.
Worry can be useful if it is aimed at solving problems, but it is of no use when it has the sole function of making you unhappy or interfering with your daily life. The standard psychological methods of how to relax and deal with everyday worry are quite simple. Be careful because they are simple and relatively well known does not mean that you do not need to use them from time to time. So let’s see how to make your mind calm and learn what it means to relax mentally!
This is the step many people skip. Because? Because they think they already know the answer. They probably think they know exactly what makes them anxious.
But sometimes, the situations, physical signs, and emotions that accompany anxiety aren’t as obvious as you might think. So, try to keep some sort of ‘Anxiety Diary,’ real or virtual. Does it indicate when you are feeling anxious and what are the physical signs of anxiety you notice?
This phase alone is sometimes enough to help people stem their anxiety. Never stop repeating it, especially for what concerns habits: “the awareness of me is the first step to change.” To train mindfulness, you can consult these easy mindfulness exercises.
Suppose you have been following PsychoSocial. For some time, you will have already read articles on how to treat anxiety also means practicing breathing.
You have to take conscious control of your breathing to send a message to the mind. So when you are anxious and find yourself breathing fast, try transforming it into a relaxed, slower, and deeper breathing. You can count slowly as you inhale and exhale and keep a hand on your belly to feel the movement of your breath.
Also, adopting any body position associated with being relaxed (although lying down just before giving a speech in public may not be very comfortable!). Relax the muscles, force an open attitude to the world (extend your arms, hint a smile, wink, or turn your face upwards).
Relax your mind and body with calming and relaxing thoughts. On the other hand, there is always someone who tells you, in a stressful moment: “Think of something relaxing, don’t get upset!”. And you would like to answer him: “eh sure, how can I think now of something relaxing, that in a minute I gave a speech in front of the nation?”
The key is to get your calming thoughts ready early. It could be as simple as “Calm down!” But it has to be something you think is much more effective for you. It’s about finding the words or thoughts that you feel are relaxing for you.
Personally, when I’m under stress, I try to visualize myself sitting on a rock, contemplating the lush nature and greenery that surrounds me.
The more you know how to build relaxing details in your mind in detail, the more effective they will be if necessary. Try it, maybe do it before an important question or during an exhibition you particularly care about, you will see that you will need it.
So how do you go about relaxing mentally? Strange as it may seem, the answer to anxiety is to do more activity. We tend to think that a state of stress must be controlled at all costs with relaxation, but this is not always true.
When you are not busy, the mind wanders, and it can take the direction of negative thoughts, so finding something to do can be a good alternative to worries.
The problem is that the states of anxiety block the propensity to do distraction activities … Nice paradox, right?
One answer may be to have a list of activities they like to do, ready in advance. When anxiety strikes in a moment of inactivity, it is time to do something to occupy the mind.
Try to have things that are easy to do on your list. For example, you might choose to go for a nice walk.
Often when you are anxious, you have trouble sleeping. Sometimes when you feel anxious, there is nothing worse than being in bed, in the dark, with your negative thoughts occupying your attention.
Thus a vicious circle is established whereby: you do not sleep because you are agitated by various anxieties and worries and you get more anxiety because you can no longer have a restful sleep! Surely with such a routine, the quiet mind can be forgotten. Breaking this cycle can be difficult, but you need to get back to good sleep habits as soon as possible.
You may also like to read, Ardha dhanurasana, or bow pose for meditation