We all spend about 2 hours each day thinking about things that have happened or what is about to happen regarding work, financials and so many others that stress us daily. Here are 10 tips on how to relax and take the control of your life back.
1. Positive thoughts
A way to cope with your worries is to try and take the negative thoughts out of your mind. A very good practice is to constantly repeat “no matter what happens, I will deal with it”. Don’t try just to pass by the problem, the worry or leave it to chance.
Think about it and tell yourself “I’ll learn through it, I’ll grow through it and then I will make it into my personal triumph!” It may seem difficult and doubtful in the beginning, but it is definite that the method of positive thinking helps us deal with situations more courageously.
2. Take deep breaths
During a stress attack try to do things that release the pressure you feel inside. Try taking deep breaths from the nose and exhaling through the mouth.
In order to be able to balance the oxygen levels in your body do the following: hold your breath for 30 seconds. As soon as you breathe, your oxygen levels will rise and your carbon dioxide levels will drop allowing you to let the tension go.
3. Green tea…
Researches of the Japanese Institute on medical health have brought to light that L-theanine, an amino acid found in green tea, stimulates the production of those brain waves that result in the creation of a relaxed state, just like when you are meditating.
4. Visualize calmness
Even when you feel worried, your mind knows the way to calm down. The only thing needed is practice. This exercise is part of hypnotherapy and is as follows:
Sit down somewhere you feel comfortable. Close your eyes and take a deep breath. Hold your breath for very little (for 5 seconds) and then exhale for 5 seconds. Repeat a few times until you have started feeling the rhythm of your breath.
Then imagine a situation in which you don’t feel stress or worry. Picture yourself dealing with situations with no stress and during the exhalation try to get rid of all the negative emotions. The more you visualize how you would like to think, to act and to feel, the more your brain will ‘realize’ that this is the reality. (see also How to relax your brain)
5. Control stress
You don’t have to become a ‘victim’ of stress during a stress attack. Gain control of yourself and of the situation and think about this: “can I do something for what is making me stressed”? If the answer is no, then ask yourself: “can I look at this stressful situation as a challenge and not as drudgery”? Search behind every attack to discover hidden opportunities in order to think of the situation as a not so negative challenge. (Must read: 20 ways to control stress)
6. Free your mind
Emotional Freedom Techniques are “a method of emotion management”, an easy way to be able to control your feelings. Those techniques are based on the fact that negative feelings originate from the interruption of some energy channels in our body.
Discovering where these energy channels are located in our body and touching them, you can, of course by learning how the techniques are implemented, to release within a few minutes all the negative feelings.
7. Laugh
At least once a day allow yourself to laugh, whatever problem you might be facing. When we laugh, our body releases endorphins, the well-known hormones of happiness, which cheer you up and allow the release of muscular tension.
8. Take a Day off
Try to have at least once a week a whole day exclusively for you. And in case you have a family and this is not possible, “demand” at least an hour for you only. In this free time do all the things you can’t do on a daily basis, because you don’t have the time: drink a cup of coffee, read a book, take a walk on the beach or at the park, have a bath.
All the worries will go away and you will feel rejuvenated. See also: 15 tips to create more free time
9. Improve your mood while at the office
Take some of your favorite things from your personal life to the office. They don’t have to be too revealing, but items that remind you of happy moments. By looking at them you will recall joyful times dismissing all the stress and worries from your mind and this way improving your mood.
10. Chat with colleagues
During lunch break or when you finish work reach out to your colleagues discussing about things that are not directly related to work. Learn about their lives and interests and you can talk about yourself too. This will bring you closer, creating a friendlier family like environment at work.
