Relaxation Moments

Relaxation for The Mind and Body

It’s Time to Start Living in the Present

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If you are depressed, more than likely you are thinking too much about the past. If you are anxious, you are obsessing about your future. The best way to handle either of these is to concentrate on the present moment which can help calm you. This is easier said than done, but if you are worried about what you have done in the past, remember there is nothing you can do about it. You cannot change it.

Using experiences of your past is okay since you want to try to avoid making the same mistakes. But, when you are constantly thinking about past events to the point where they stress you out, it’s time to let them go.

You may be dealing with the consequences of something that you were responsible for in the past. However, you are still dealing with the consequences now, in the present, and so you should handle them with that in mind. The most important aspect of the past is to make sure you learn from it.

Planning certain aspects of your future is important. However, nothing is for sure, and any plan you set up may not come to pass. In that case, you’d probably need to change the plan. You may also need to change plans that you’re making now. You’ll need to make decisions now that affect your future. But don’t obsess about this either.

Some people get so hung up on planning for their future that they forget to live their lives in the moment. What happens if you are not around to enjoy those plans? You will have spent your entire life not living the way you should.

Another problem with living entirely for the future is you will miss out on enjoying life with your kids. They grow so fast, and that is one part of your past you will regret, i.e., not spending time and doing more with them. By living in the present and not worrying so much about other time frames, you will have memories with your family that you can always look back on. Family memories are a great part of your past and something that you can happily think about anytime you want.

If you do look back on your life, you will see that everything worked out. When situations occurred, you handled them, and you moved on. Just think about that the next time you find yourself dwelling on the past or the future. Someday, the situation you are experiencing right now will be a part of your past.

Staying Calm Audio Book

Trying to Stay Calm? Time to Take Up a Hobby

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Hobbies can be a great way to give yourself a break from your daily routine. Sometimes, you may take up a hobby with family and friends. Usually however, people like to start a hobby on their own. It gives them the peace of mind needed to stay calm.

You may think you don’t have time for a hobby. The truth is, you cannot afford not to have one. If you are stressed out at work or with your home life, taking on a hobby may help you survive. It helps you relax and escape for a moment in time.

Of course, you don’t want to use a hobby to escape to the point of not dealing with your problems. You still need to handle your day-to-day situations when they arise. The hobby is supposed to enhance your life, not replace it.

How do you get started with a hobby? First, determine what hobbies you like. If you daydream about certain activities frequently, this is a good place to start. Think back to your childhood. What hobbies did you like to do then? Some that you liked may have been specifically for children. But, you may be able to find adult versions of those hobbies.

Many hobbies will have support or interest groups that meet regularly. Although these groups may have been around for many years, these days they will probably have some internet presence and so should be easy to find.  Search for the hobby and include the keyword “forum” or “group.”

Hobby stores still exist, although they are not as prevalent. However, you can find websites to these stores and reach out to them via email or phone. They don’t have to be near you, but it is better if they are. Ask a lot of questions and find out some of the people who may be involved in the hobby. Reach out to these people to find out how to get started.

There are no rules for hobbies. Any interests that you have could become a hobby. If it’s something you want to pursue, just be creative about how to get going. The internet has a wealth of information on most topics, and you may even find video tutorials about your hobby.

No rule says you can only take up one hobby. Start as many as you want. You may not have the time to do them all. But, trying different ones can help you find the ones that are right for you. Just remember, everyone should have some type of hobby in their life.

Staying Calm Audio Book

How to Stay Calm in Stressful Situations

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Overcoming the stress in your life starts with noticing what your stressors are and working to reduce them, but you can’t prevent every situation that could potentially cause you stress. This is your body’s natural response, which leads to a fight or flight response. You still need to get out there and live your life, so it is more a matter of how you react to stressful situations when they arrive.

Keep reading to learn how you can remain more calm and relaxed even when incredibly stressful things are happening around you.

Stop Your Body and Thoughts

When a stressful situation hits you, you have the opportunity to choose how you are going to handle it. How you think, feel, and even how your body reacts is all up to you. If you react in the negative and immediately, it is going to increase your stress hormone, and make you feel a lot worse and much more overwhelmed.

Instead of reacting instantly, just take a step back. Freeze your body and your mind, and just let your thoughts calm down. Don’t try to reason through it, don’t think about the potential future or make assumptions, and don’t start letting all those regrets run through your head.

Just get into a calm place, whether you freeze your body, or try to meditate or use mindfulness practices. This can help you to get back to neutral, where you are able to think logically with whatever the stressful situations is.

Find Positivity

Being positive has a wonderful impact on your mind and emotional health, as well as helping you to handle stress. Being positive doesn’t mean constant sunshine and rainbows. You can understand that life isn’t always perfect, accept your flaws, and move past them. You even understand that stress is a normal part of life since unexpected things happen all the time.

However, instead of letting the stress affect you mentally and physically to an extreme level, you can remain calm by remaining positive. Just try to think of some type of positive element, whether you go through a list of pros and cons, or you simply try to find the one thing that could be good about the stressful situation. Trust me, there is at least one.

Stop with the Assumptions and ‘What If’ Questions

Stop asking what if, and making assumptions every time anything happens. This is going to lead to a lot of anxiety and stress, that otherwise might not have been that bad. If you feel that you have constant stress all day, every day, ask yourself where it comes from. Is it from things constantly happening around you, or is the way you perceive things?

Write down in your journal the next time you experience a stressful situation what actually happened. Not what could have happened or what you feared would happen, but the actual situation you dealt with. More often than not, your fears and what if scenarios were far worse than the reality.

When a stressful situation happens, the best thing you can do is just stand back, remain present, and be realistic with what has already happened. Don’t assume the worst case scenario or start creating all of these images in your head of what catastrophe might be in store for you. This is definitely adding to the amount of stress you experience on a daily basis.

Know What Your Stressors Are

You also need to understand more about what is causing you the most stress. By now, you likely have a good idea of where it is coming from, but using a journal can help you determine this with more details and clarity.

Keep a worry or stress journal that you use only to write about your stress. You want to include as many details as you can, such as what you were doing, where you were, what time and date it happened, who you were with, what the situation was, and anything else that is relevant.

Write down things like why it caused you stress, what your mind was doing at the time, and what the outcome was.

Do you notice any patterns? Are there certain things causing you more stress? Is it work or home life? Is there someone in your life that always seems to be around when you have the mot stress? These details will help you figure out your stressors, which in turn helps you know what you need to avoid in the future.