7 tips to stay calm and mindful throughout the day

One of the true and simple facts of life is that some days are relaxing, but many days are stressful and difficult. For your mental health, and even your physical health, it is important to find ways to cope throughout the day.

Mindfulness is simply a mental state wherein you become aware of your thoughts, feelings, sensations, and anything else that may be going on within you. Practicing mindfulness creates a space for yourself where you can see beyond the external forces around you and focus more on what you can control.

Working on techniques and methods for calming yourself down can help with everyday stress and worry. Consider incorporating some or all of these tips to make your days go by more smoothly.

1 Establish Cues for Practicing Mindfulness

It is easy to get caught up in your own busy life and forget to practice mindfulness and calming techniques. Work, home life, personal relationships, and all of those unexpected events that pop up during the day use valuable space in your mind. It’s when you get caught up in all of this that it becomes particularly important to practice mindfulness.

Some people use regular, routine events to cue a mindful moment. This can be something trivial like brushing your teeth or walking to the restroom at work. Others prefer to use more stress-based cues to remind them to take a moment to calm down. This forces you to begin associating negative emotions with the need to be mindful, turning the negative moments into neutral ones at the least.

2 Practice Breathing Techniques

One of the most basic forms of mindfulness is regulated breathing exercises. Focusing on your breath helps in grounding yourself and connecting what you’re thinking to what your body is doing.

The Four Square breathing method works well for many people. Inhale for four seconds, hold your breath for four seconds, exhale for four seconds, and then hold for four seconds. Next, take two regular breaths. Then repeat the process again.

3 Stretch Your Body

For many people mindfulness is just as much as connecting your mind to your body as it is about living in the moment. One method for being more mindful is doing simple stretches wherever you are.

If you are in an office setting, stand up and take a few steps around and then lean forward against a wall, taking the time to stretch both of your calves. Then reach up high to stretch out your arms, and bend down to touch your toes and stretch your spine. Stretching out gives you a break from your task, gets your blood flowing, gives your body more endorphins, and helps you to be aware of what your body needs in the moment.

4 Use Power Poses

When you’re feeling discouraged or stressed during the day, it can be good to connect your mind and your body by practicing power poses.

Power poses have been found helpful for people when they need to gain confidence before stressful situations, like a job interview. However, they are also useful for calming down. Striking a power pose gives you a minute to reconsider your feelings at the time and what you want your emotions to be instead.

One example of a power pose is standing with your feet hips width apart, placing your hands in fists on your hips, and looking straight ahead, or slightly up. Hold the pose for at least ten seconds while thinking about what you want to be able to do or accomplish.

5 Use Essential Oils or Other Calming Smells

Essential oils are often touted for being able to cure or at least ease almost any ailment. One of their often used purposes is calming down nervous or anxious people in times of stress. Lavender, chamomile, rose, and other scents all fulfill this purpose.

The best way to get the most out of essential oils is to inhale them. Use a diffuser or put a drop on your hand (depending on the oil) to smell throughout the day. As you take a breath of the scent, remember to work on clearing your mind and focus only on what you can feel around you, like the breaths you take, the scent in the air, and the energy you are putting out.

6 Drink Plenty of Water

An essential part of taking care of your body and your mind is drinking enough water. Taking a few sips of cold water in a moment of crisis can also help you to reset and calm down.

Try carrying a water bottle around with you throughout the day so that you can always stay hydrated. Pay attention to your body and notice the small signs of thirst that your body exhibits. This can come in the form of dry lips, a growling stomach, or a scratchy throat. As you drink, think about the ways in which you are taking care of yourself and helping your body to perform better.

7 Find Calming Sounds

Just like scents are good at calming people down, so too are sounds. Gentle, repetitive noises like rain, crashing waves, or wind chimes often help people to focus better on the task at hand. And whether that task is getting work done, falling asleep, or trying to take a few deep breaths in a stressful moment, a calming sound helps with it.

There are stations on any music app that play calming water or nature sounds, as well as videos online that will play whatever sound you’re looking for to help you have a more mindful moment.

Visit https://www.brisbanewellbeing.com.au/ to learn more about what you can do to incorporate more mindful living and calming techniques into your daily life.