You are stressed. Constantly switching between tasks since you’re too energetic, you haven’t been able to perform any of them well. Hurried and out of breath, you find yourself losing control and panicking a lot too. There are many conditions that could cause this situation, but all of them can have a common resolution. Yes, it is time to learn how to calm your mind instantly.
If you suffer from bouts of frustration, stress, anxiety, and worry, you likely lack a sense of peace or relaxation in everyday life. Hyperventilating, being out of breath, and being panicked, stressed, or anxious are telltale signs of the same.
Don’t worry. You can regain your sense of peace and stability, but before doing that, it is essential to understand why you lost a sense of calm in the first place. Following are some reasons you may be distressed to help you better know what you’re going through.
Reasons you may need to calm your mind instantly
-Panic Attacks due to mental trauma from the past or any other issue. It is important to note that you should visit a licensed professional immediately if you think the cause of distress is a panic attack. Panic attacks are different from anxiety attacks and can have many triggers like:-
A. Sudden change in environment
B. Stress on the body
C. Prolonged stress on the mind.
D. Recovery from a physical illness
-Anxiety may be the cause of your distress. It is an overwhelming sense of dread for a reason you can’t pin down. Anxiety makes you fearful of the future without any merits. Anxiety is different from stress, but the terms are often used interchangeably.
-Significant events or life decisions can also leave you distressed, as they weigh on the mind heavily, and you can’t stop thinking about them.
-& many more. It’s not easy to identify the cause of your stress immediately, and that’s fine. What’s essential is calming down and focusing on what you can do to identify the reasons in the future. You can improve your self-awareness and learn more about what causes stress. Now that you’ve learned the possible causes of your condition, you must wonder, “How do I calm down immediately.” Don’t worry; below are some tips to help you do that.
How to calm down & relax your mind instantly
1. Go outside
Taking a walk is highly recommended if you’re feeling stressed. It offers a change of environment; you can also meet your friends and plan fun activities. Going somewhere with nature or good scenery may also help give you a sense of wonder and broaden your perspective about some of the problems you were worrying about.
2. Exercise
It may surprise you, but exercising can help you relax. Firstly, it takes your mind off whatever is causing you stress. Secondly, it produces endorphins and reduces the production of stress hormones, which make you feel good. Many studies have shown that exercise helps reduce the chances of and treat major mental health diseases like depression, anxiety, etc.
3. Practice stream of consciousness journaling
This is an excellent way to deal with your stress. Journaling allows you to be creative, express your feelings, and record what you think so you can reference it later. This will help you identify negative thought patterns and how you feel when stressed about the future. It may also reduce your stress or make you more aware of your thoughts as you are involved in writing them.
4. Do mindful exercises
Any practice that makes you focus on your senses and internal and external processes is a mindful exercise. There are many ways to increase your awareness.
Breathing exercises are suitable for your physical and mental health. These exercises allow you to focus on your breath and calm down almost anytime. Hence, they are also helpful in intense or high-pressure situations.
Conscious eating makes your eating process more enjoyable and is a healthier practice than eating on “automatic mode.” You also feel more whole as you eliminate all distractions and focus only on what you’re eating.
Aroma Therapy involves scents that engage your sense of smell, helping you relax and improving the ambiance in your environment. Many natural and synthetic products are available for aromatherapy, but herbal solutions are preferable. These mindful techniques ground you and show how to instantly relax your mind.
Read More: Enhance your yoga practice with Aroma Therapy
5. Chill with some music
According to research by the University of Nevada, music can alter your mood and concentration and can even change your outlook into a positive one. It also grabs your attention more easily and perhaps faster than any other medium. You can combine music with other activities like exercise, art, and taking a walk.
Now let us move on to techniques and things you can apply to prepare for any challenging situation that may come your way. These methods will help you stay calm and collected even in the toughest of times and provide a basic framework for relaxing your mind instantly.
Things to do to calm your mind
1. Focusing on what you can control
We all want things to go the way we want, but let’s face it, life isn’t that convenient. One way to remain mentally healthy is to avoid focusing on things beyond your control. Typically, this can contain thinking about what will happen in the distant future, some primary goals you may have, and anything you can’t predict. So, as a principle, you can focus only on the things you can control or do immediately; this will save you time and energy and reduce your stress in the long run.
One example of this is breaking down your tasks into mini-tasks called chunking. Realize that you don’t have to do it all at once and focus on the most effective thing you can do right now. This will boost your mental health and productivity.
In a nutshell, see if your worries are about things you can’t control or something you can. In the former case, you will be well off discarding those thoughts and focusing on the things you can handle. And even if what you’re worrying about does happen, realize that it may not be such a bad thing.
2. Changing your Mindset
Take another perspective on whatever’s troubling you ahead of time.
In the book Mindset: Changing the way you think, Carol S. Dweck emphasizes a fixed vs. growth mindset. A person with a growth mindset sees failure as a learning opportunity and is less likely to be afraid of failure, while a person with a fixed mindset doesn’t learn from their mistakes and is “stable” over time. Think of what’s troubling you; is it failure or setbacks? Try to see these potential downfalls as opportunities for growth.
This clearly shows us that safety, security, and comfort aren’t as attractive as they are often made out to be. Judging our stress to be negative and becoming more anxious only increases how stressed we are, which may not always be the case. You can validate your feelings to be more in touch with them over time.
3. Visualizing a better situation
Another tool that can help you change your mindset is visualization. Visualize calming down and relaxing as you drink tea or read a book. You can base your visualization on experiences you often have or ingrained in your mind to make the process more effective.
4. Being grateful for what you have
Another way to get your focus wrong is to focus on what you lack. The best way to counter this habit is through gratitude. It would not be an exaggeration to say that gratitude is a superpower. It makes you happier and more optimistic, thus increasing your quality of life across all areas. You value your work more and perform better. Relationships, friends, and loved ones become more valuable as you cherish them more in day-to-day activities. You can also show those around you gratefulness by giving them gifts or spending quality time. Social media increases the tendency to focus on lack in people, and you might need a detox if it’s too overwhelming for you.
5. Practicing self-compassion by accepting your feelings
Toxic Positivity means having a fixed way you’re supposed to feel. The opposite of toxic positivity, an exercise through which you accept and acknowledge your emotions, is called self-validation. It involves validating your feelings and looking at them without judgment. Validating your feelings means admitting your worries may be tangible warning signs and understanding that it’s OK to panic sometimes.
6. Incorporating spiritual practices for better mental health
Yoga and Meditation, along with other spiritual practices, have proven benefits for physical and mental health, and they can also help you lead a calmer and richer inner life. Mayo clinic states that tai chi is a gentle way to fight stress, and the elegant postures with a rhythm make you present in the moment, thus relieving your worries.
Yoga has a series of poses that make your muscles more flexible and serve as an alternative to exercise. It aids sleep, improves blood circulation, and has numerous health benefits.
Prayer can also set your mind at ease and is a way to remove your worries by concentrating only on what you’re praying to.
Mindfulness is one way to practice meditation. However, there are numerous meditation techniques, some of which can be seen in Yoga and Zen Buddhism.
7. Using therapy for better recovery
The most prevalent forms of psychotherapy and talk therapies are CBT(Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) and DBT(Dialectic Behavior Therapy). The latter is of use to people who experience emotions too intensely, while the former focuses on changing the way you think and behave. Other forms of therapy include:-
–Art Therapy aids sublimation, as we discussed above. It also helps you express and come to terms with your anxieties as they arise. It can also help you build a collection of original artworks you are proud of.
-Music Therapy is used to bring about positive feelings through music and help a person be more healthy.
-Therapy is increasing in scope, and new therapeutic practices are constantly emerging. Animal-assisted, Adlerian, attachment-based, and play therapy are some examples, among others. Support groups are an effective and valid form of treatment.
Forms of therapy have also become available online, and working with a medical professional is always recommended if you are overwhelmed and want more support to overcome your situation.
Conclusion
We have discussed how to calm your mind instantly and how to stay collected in stressful situations in the long run. These tips can successfully help you quickly navigate a period of stress, tension, and anxiety and provide a basic framework to guide your mental health condition. Now that you’ve learned how to instantly relax and calm your mind, you can also look at short-term mental health goals to improve your life.
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