4 Easy Mindfulness Tips to Reduce Stress
Have you been wondering how you can use mindfulness to get on top of stress? According to tons of studies, mindfulness is a great way to manage your stress levels and reduce anxiety. It’s also super effective for overcoming negative thinking too.
Not sure how to easily fit mindfulness into your life and get started with reaping the benefits? Let’s talk about 4 easy ways to use mindfulness for stress busting:
Focus on your breathing
Concentrating on your breath is a great way to be in the present and push negative thoughts aside. When you’re stressed, it can be really easy to get stuck in thoughts about the past or future but focusing in on the present helps you to break away from this. It shifts your body from a fight-or-flight response to a relaxation response. But how you might ask?
The vagus nerve system acts to counterbalance the fight or flight system and can trigger a relaxation response in our body. It is one of the cranial nerves that connect the brain to the body. The vagus nerve is a major part of how our bodies and brains function; without it, our bodies wouldn’t be able to do basic tasks, and by stimulating it we can receive powerful health benefits.
One of the main ways that you can stimulate the healthy function of the vagus nerve is through deep, slow belly breathing. You can learn to use breathing exercises to shift your focus away from stress or pain. Try the exercise below.
Breathing in and out exercise
- Find a comfortable position, seated or laying down.
- Put one hand on your belly.
- Take a deep breath in, feel your hand rise on your belly.
- Slowly breath out, feel your hand fall on your belly.
- And repeat as many times as you can.
Try mindful walking
Getting out in nature is another great move for emotional well-being – even more so when you combine it with mindfulness.
Mindful walking involves really immersing yourself in the sights and sounds that nature has to offer as you walk and is a simple way to start a mediation practice.
Mindful coloring
Adult coloring books have become super popular and they are effectively another form of mindfulness. If you’re being really careful and precise, there’s no room for negative thoughts!
Journaling
Journaling can be a great way to make sense of your thoughts and get yourself in a calmer place. Gratitude journals can be effective for boosting your mood and encouraging more positive thoughts or you may prefer to write about your stressors to work through them in your mind. Whatever you choose journaling regularly has been shown to have the biggest benefits.
Until next time!