Understand this and be free: we are not in our bodies; our bodies are inside us.
Sean A. Mulvihill
Every other person I talk to these days has this. They are stressed. In this post, I will teach you how to destress easily.
Do you constantly feel the following:
- depressed
- anxious
- irregular sleep
- digestive problems
- constant headaches
- memory problems
Chances are that you are suffering from stress. But fear not, it can be reversed.
The stress has numerous reasons:
- Work-related
- High expectations
- Unemployment
- Lack of peace in life
- Peer pressure
- Financial insecurity
- and many more
Many are not able to give up stress and it has become a part of their lives. They live with it without addressing the causes. It gets to such a point that it turns into depression at a certain point in time.
Although I would not like generalize the stress that you are facing, most of it are surface level stress which we can give up easily by following these ways to destress:
#1. Give Up Technology
On Saturdays, I give up technology minimal. I have become so used to carrying my mobile wherever went. What followed was a constant urge to look into the mobile. Unknown to me at the time, this created a kind of stress within me. Without my mobile by my side, I felt like I missed something.
Here is an article I read this article about how mobile phones affect your life on Business Insider and it brought shivers.
I decided to try this. Once a week, I use any technology to a minimum. My daily target for mobile usage is 30 minutes.
Following was my way to reduce:
- audit the apps
- set app time limits
- during office hours, I keep my mobile phone in a separate room
Destressing takes effort. Take that step.
#2. Play a Sport
Sport is the best way to destress. I can guarantee that. You could play any sport that you like. I usually play badminton with my friends and this is a good time destress. You may like other games. Do them with your friends or colleagues.
Besides reducing stress levels, playing sports will help you with:
- strong heart
- strong lungs
- increased confidence
- better mental health
- better sleep
#3. Listen to Your Favorite Music
Music has a great destressing effect. I like to listen to songs in the languages I don’t understand, especially Spanish and Portuguese.
Music has unique ability to connect us all. For ex: our national anthems are pride for most of us. People sing when they are in large groups like in the churches, temples, concerts etc.
I have personally noticed that music heals your mind and soothes your soul. Besides helping you reduce stress, music helps in:
- memory increase
- better learning
- treat illnesses
- reduces fatigue
- provides comfort
#4. Meditate
I can not recommend this enough. Meditation has transformed my life. With all the daily stress that we carry within us, if you are not able provide your mind a break, you will lose it one day.
And meditation helps immensely. It helps in relaxing your brain. You run around with your work the whole day. Take few moments to relax your mind and brain. Meditation is exercise for brain.
#5. Write
The ritual of writing has had great positive impact on me. I was irregular in the past with my journal writing. But in the past 2 years I have hardly skipped any day to write my daily journal.
When you put your pen to paper and let the thoughts flow, you will do yourself a good favor. You are letting your mind and brain destress from what excess you are carrying in your brain.
Write about anything that is bothering you, your goals, your aspirations, your intentions. Writing will also make your dreams come true.
#6. Read
I like to read. I read a lot of nonfiction books. This not only gives me new knowledge, it also helps me create more connections in my brain. This neural connections need to be strong enough to get more creative. I also tend to be calm after I’ve read a book or few pages.
#7. Walk
A brisk walk early morning or evening will let you destress easily.
I usually like to walk instead of run. There is no particular reason I could come up with this. But I prefer that way. But if you are a runner, I highly recommend that. Do whatever makes you destress. In between the day too, if I feel stressed, I usually go downstairs and take a 5-minute break to walk and release the stress. Combine deep breathing with a walk and you double the effects
#8. Forgive and Forget
Most of the time our stress is related to the grudges that we hold. These grudges build up within us like a lava and will one day culminate with something that will only harm ourselves.
I read somewhere, ‘Anger is punishment we give to ourselves for the mistakes of others.’
#9. Exercise or Yoga
A light exercise will help your body relax and get back to normal. I do stretches during the day to destress my body.
I have a lower back pain due to constant sitting which I am trying to reduce through simple stretching Yoga and exercises. When you do Yoga or exercise, forget the world and immerse yourself fully.
#10. Sex
No comments here. You know the benefits.
#11. Give to the World
Giving is the best gift you give to yourself. It’s in giving that we receive. Give freely to the world. Not necessarily in monetary terms. But with your time. Create a video, write an article, train someone, speak with a person who needs help. Live to Give.
#12. Take a Nap
Besides sleep at night, a power nap of 10 to 20 minutes in the afternoon will work wonders for your stress. I am not regular at this. But when I have deep stress, I usually take 10 minute power nap. Amazing results.
To conclude, I would say: Love Yourself.
There is nothing else more important in the world than this. If you love yourself first, all your other areas of life will fall in place.
May you be Well, May you be Happy.
Set peace of mind as your highest goal, and organize your life around it.
brian tracy
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