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10 Ways to Create Calm in your Daily Life - Part 2
Creating calm is a solution for your everyday life. A few simple minutes can create much needed moments of calm. You do not have to find a mountain to sit on, empty your mind of all thoughts for hours, chant, or find a personal guru. These next solutions are easy and portable. Use them at home or in the office and they are perfect when travelling for business. You can integrate these stress reducing techniques into your busy schedule with minimal fuss.
1. Visualization -- Visualizing is simply daydreaming, using your imagination to create mental images that are calming to you. When you visualize engage all of your senses, for example, feel the breeze, smell the salt water, hear the birds, feel the heat against your skin...or, hear the crisp crackle of the snow, feel the chill of the air and the wind brushing against your face.
2. Walking -- Walking is so perfect, you can do it pretty well anywhere and it ages with you. Simply walking and taking in the view is stress reducing. You can also use walking as meditation, here's how. Begin by becoming aware of your body as you move, then think about your breathing: breathe in for 3 steps and breathe out for 3 steps, relax then repeat. The main thing with walking is awarenes of your surroundings, of your body, and breathing. It's a time to get stressful thoughts out of your head so that new creative ideas have room to take root.
3. Appreciate Nature -- There are ample ways and places to do this. When we think of nature we think of getting out into the open, and that's great if you can. But what if you are in the city? Nature is everywhere, find a park or a small patch of green, or just stick your head out of the window! Even if that's impossible, be creative there are plenty of ways to smell flowers, listen to birds, play with a pet, smell the rain, or hear the trees rustle...the options are as endless as mother nature herself.
4. Candle Gazing -- This is a really easy meditation. Just focus your gaze on the flame of a candle for a couple of minutes, close your eyes and you will "see" the image of the candle flame behind your eyelids (like the negative of a picture). Watch that image until it fades, then open your eyes and repeat the process. With practice you will hold the image longer and longer. Get yourself one of those travel candles for the office or on the road. This is a great focus enhancer.
5. Breathing -- We all do it, but do you use it as relaxation? The simplest way to start is to become aware of your breathing. Watch your breath rise and fall, follow the inhale and the exhale. Then add counting, breathe in (through your nose) to the count of 4, and out (through your nose) to the count of 6. Repeat a few times, then relax and breathe normally.
6. Listen to Music -- Music lifts us out of ourselves and actually changes brain wave patterns. Discover what music works for you. With personal music players even work can be 'music to your ears' only.
7. Active Calming -- Certain activities like yoga, t'ai chi, and other martial arts require quiet focus and discipline and are perfect for active calming. they are good for the body, mind and spirit. Classes are a good place to begin, but once you have the hang of it, it is something that you can practice anywhere: home, office or on the road.
8. Prayer -- Silent, meditative prayer can be brought into your daily life. No matter what faith you adhere to, or spirituality you live by, prayer is probably a part of it. Serenity can be found in a simple and grateful 'thank you' for many blessings, in a poem that engenders a sense of peace or purpose, or, in an actual prayer or affirmation you choose to suit your needs.
9. Cleaning -- Who would have thought it, but the most mundane tasks can actually be calming...washing dishes, ironing, washing the car, folding clothes, vacuuming, mowing the grass. How can you raise these activities out of the tedious? Slow down and let yourself actually relax with their repetition. Repetitive acts calm our brain's physiology and clear some mind-space so that creative solutions are not far behind.
10. Relaxation and Vacation -- We've included this category here because so many people forget they exist. Downtime, relaxation time, and time away from the ordinary grind are times to look forward to. No, they are not everyday moments of calm, but take some time each day to think about relaxation on that day off or use vacation planning time as a chance to dream, visualize and energize yourself. Plan your downtime well, include activities as well as time to just be. You will return to your usual routine refreshed and relaxed.
Our clients live busy, multi-focused lives and work with us to keep stress manageable and burnout at bay. We know that sometimes it just seems more stressful to find an hour to "work" on stress management. These simple techniques offer a practical way to slip relaxation into the already existing gaps between tasks in your day. Whether you have 5 minutes before a meeting, 10 minutes waiting for the kids, or a walk to your next appointment, try out some of these strategies and before long, you will automatically be practicing "moments of calm."
Dr. Toby Silverton & Dr. Bev McLagan (Silverton McLagan Identity Coaching) are personal coaches, therapists, educators, speakers and authors of '90 Days of Quick & Easy Stress Relief in Crazy Times!; Learn to Say NO Fast!, and The Burnout Trap: Bounce Back from Over-busy, Over-tired and Overwhelmed!'
Since 1982, their uniquely practical and inspired approach to therapy and coaching has helped an international group of clients achieve personal and professional balance and success. They are known for their ground-breaking work in the areas of life balance and burnout, self-identity, stress, and eating disorders. Articles on these specialty topics are now being published on article sites and blogs, as well as eproducts.
For more resources, newsletters and events on these topics, visit their blog: biggerthanbalanceblog.typepad.com and their websites: livethesolution.com and theburnouttrap.com and their expert page on Self-growth.com
Our Tagline: "Helping successful, overstretched women go from burnout > balance > bliss"
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