Experts predict that mental health and mind-body connection will be the wellness trend in 2021. I think it’s really great that people are recognizing the importance of feeling calm and happy, and are looking for ways to improve their overall wellbeing! I believe that the healthier and happier we are, the easier it will be to create a life-affirming, happy and healthy world.
Therefore, in this blog I will share tips for supporting ourselves in our goal to be calm, happy, and at ease.
But first, let’s talk about stress.
With our world becoming more complex by the moment, many people experience high levels of stress. While our bodies can comfortably handle a little bit of stress on a continuous basis, or a lot of stress for a short duration, experiencing high levels of stress on a daily basis can disrupt our lives in unwanted ways and sometimes can lead to chronic illness.
In the good old days, when we still lived in caves and life was less complicated, we were in a state of ease most of the time and high levels of stress weren’t a frequent occurrence. As a result, our nervous system has evolved in a way where it can be highly activated for short amounts of time - like when we were chased by a tiger for example, yet it does not do well with chronic excessive stress.
Today, we are being “chased by a tiger” (experience high levels of stress) almost every day and for many, for the majority of the day. For example, you might have tight deadlines at work or feel frequently worried about the future. You might have unwanted arguments with your spouse or not enough social support to help you get through the tough times. Or you might experience something that is unique to you.
The good news is that there are ways to mitigate all of this!
If you’d like to experience more calm, ease, and happiness in your life, try implementing a few of the following strategies:
Spend time in nature
Spending time in nature helps calm down our nervous system, which in turn helps us to feel invigorated, happy and harmonized.
Have realistic expectations of both yourself and others
While we wish we could accomplish more, quicker, it’s important to not push ourselves or others beyond our natural capacity.
Commit to monitoring the quality of your thoughts
Our body responds to our thoughts. When we think happy thoughts, our body shifts into a state of rejuvenation and restoration. When we think stressful, unhappy thoughts, our body shifts into a state of alarm and gradually begins to break down.
Take time to relax and enjoy the moment
Relaxation is the cornerstone of health. Therefore, the more you can relax and enjoy your life, the better off you will be.
Spend quality time with family and friends
We are wired for connection and it’s important to spend lots of quality time with people we love.
Exercise in a way that feels good to you
When we move in a way that feels good to us, we allow our bodies to get strong and resilient. And happy, healthy bodies make happy, healthy humans.
Meditate to relax your mind and enter into a state of flow
Being in a state of flow and relaxation supports our body, making us healthy, vibrant and resilient.
Establish healthy boundaries with the people in your life
Having healthy boundaries with people assures our ability to interact with them in a way that uplifts and energizes us, and makes us feel safe, loved and accepted. This in turn greatly supports our health and wellbeing.
Collaborate with others
While we could do everything ourselves, it is much better for our health to collaborate with others so that everyone’s workload can be reduced.
Be a part of a supportive and caring community
When we have a supportive and caring community arounds us, it is much easier to remain upbeat, healthy and inspired, even in the most challenging of times.
If you want to go a step further, you can also take steps to lower stress-related anxiety. Here is how:
Learn to self soothe and transform your emotional state
While we don’t always have someone around us to help us feel better about certain situations, we can always learn to talk to ourselves in a way that mitigates tension and helps us know that we are safe and loved.
Create more order and stability in your life
When our lives are orderly and stable, it is much easier to feel relaxed and joyful.
Connect with happy memories on a daily basis
Remembering happy moments from our lives puts our bodies into states of ease, relaxation and rejuvenation. And it’s really uplifting too!
Cultivate deep faith in the goodness of life
While things might look pretty grim from time to time, it’s important to remember that better days are just around the corner.
Reach out for support
Reaching out for support is a sign of strength and gives you the opportunity to enjoy your life more fully. It also helps the person you reach out to feel really good about being able to help someone out.
Stay in the present moment
While it’s easy to get bogged down with thoughts of an uncertain future, it is best to focus on everything that is working well in our lives right now, in the present moment. As the saying goes: yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery and today is all we have, that’s why it’s a “present”.
These are just a few examples of what you can do to bring more ease and flow to your life. While we can’t completely eliminate stress from our lives, adopting techniques to lower it helps our bodies to regenerate so we can live our lives to the fullest!