When the daily chaos of life becomes overwhelming and you’re pushed to the edge of the cliff, don’t plunge straight down. Instead, use the following suggestions to open up your parachute of calm and float freely and peacefully into your newly created life. Your new Reimagined life!
1. Spray some lavender
Studies show that this popular flowering herb can be can be inhaled for calming effects. It’s an effective remedy for anxiety, depression, irritability, panic, and stress.
2. Are you Telling Yourself the Truth?
Change your attitude on the issue. Ask yourself why you’re feeling overwhelmed. Are you telling yourself the truth? Can you solve this problem? Do you have a roof over our head and food on the table? Are things really as bad as your mind is making it out to be? Gain a positive attitude and be sure to examine what you think the truth is.
3. Exercise….Go for a walk.
To reap the calming effects of walking, you don’t need to pound the pavement for hours on end. A comfortable stroll can be just as effective as a power walk. The secret is to use your mind, focus on the present moment and connect with nature. If you can’t walk try another exercise. Be creative…even somebody in an iron lung can practice visualization. Just do something!
4. Play soothing music.
Pick music that is soothing with a slow tempo and light instruments. Every time stress sneaks in, I can play some music by Adele and I calm down.
5. Meditate.
Its okay to do nothing. To close your eyes and calm your thoughts. Meditate in short intervals throughout your day. Relax, relax, relax. I know we have not been taught to do this. but we must relax back against those thoughts and care for our inner self! I give you permission.
6. Smile!
When you smile, a sense of peace and well-being develops; simply put, you just feel happy. Try smiling, even when you’re stuck in traffic. It releases a hormone in your brain. They have proven this. That happy professor at Harvard said that putting a pencil in your mouth and biting down releases the same hormone. Smile…okay right now..one two three…S M I L E!!
7. Breathe deeply and exhale..
When you feel agitated, you tend to breathe rapidly or shallow. Slow down your breath, and in particular slow down your exhalation. Deep …feel it in your chest.
8. Get out outside.
Gardening and spending time in nature can help restore your attention and relax your body and mind. If you don’t have time to get dirty in the garden, simply watering your plants can induce the same results. Fill your life with living things! Do that and you will live!
9. Blog
Blogging will allow you to clarify your thoughts and feelings, and will help you gain valuable self-knowledge and reassurance. It can also be a great problem-solving tool; sometimes it’s easier to come up with a solution on paper. You can also release powerful emotions, gain clarity and let go. Let go of what you don’t need and stop worrying about what you can’t change.
10. Stretch.
Before you get out of bed in the morning…stretch. Feel your legs elongate by stretching. Next stretch your arms and shoulders and move your neck side to side. Now do a great big stretch reaching out with your toes and your fingers as far as you can. What a way to start the day!! Energized! Alive.
11. Reinvent your imagination.
The mind is very powerful; when you visualize peaceful, serene scenes, it invokes calming feelings, as if you were really there. Though visualization our bodies can relax and the stress will melt away. Close your eyes and imagine rhythmic waves on a long, white sand beach. This works really well at the dentist. Or as all you gals know, really well when having a gynecological exam at the doctor. We count the holes in the ceiling guys! LOL
12. Call a friend.
Call a best friend. But be aware that you cannot always be an energy sucker to your friends. Friends are like checking accounts…you have to make a deposit once in awhile to be in balance.
14. Turn off the cell phone and the
Don’t watch the evening news while eating, and every now and then take a break from stressful, fear-based media. Don’t watch killer and detective shows before turning the lights out! Have a couple of laughs. Jay Leno can go a long way to finish the day with! I will miss him soon.
Most of all remember to take care of you! Without you, you have nothing.
Bonnie – I won’t give up!
