Reducing Stress with Mindfulness
Reducing stress with mindfulness is probably the easiest way to work with yourself in your quest to be more focused and of sound mind. I find it to be the easiest way for me to decrease the stress of the day, mostly due to the fact that virtually any activity of daily life can be approached in a more mindful way. Mindfulness is a healing and helpful way to walk through life, and it can easily become habitual. Some of my ideas follow.
Observe Your Thoughts
If you’re someone that has a noisy, busy mind like my own, I find I can calm it down some by the simple observance of the thoughts that pass through it. You can easily watch while racing thoughts come and go within your head for a calming effect that for me at least, seems to place me in a kind of separated way from my actual body. It’s a unique feeling in itself that creates a calmness for me.
Be Present
Become more aware of the present moment for an effective stress reducer that leads you from moment to moment. Whatever it is that you’re engaged in, become completely attentive to the activity. Feel all of the feelings that come with that particular activity from head to toe. This mindful activity is by far one of my favorites for getting my head in the right place. Feel the wind on your face as completely as you can, smell the flower you’re smelling…feel it’s scent permeate every cell in your nose.
Listen To Music
Listening to music in a mindful way is a very stress-reducing way to enjoy your favorite music. Especially because if you are listening to music that is particularly pleasant to you, naturally engaging in it is easy. Engaging completely in music is also used as a therapeutic method for helping those with anxiety and stress management. Hearing my favorite music tunes in one way I have that is sure-fire in helping me relieve stress by being mindful in a way that is natural to me.
