Beat the Stress: No Zen Garden Required
Mindfulness, breathing, and time practices that work.
I'm so stressed out!!!
I feel you. Is it good stress or challenging stress?
Think about the stress it takes for our bodies to grow from kids to adults. On the other end of the continuum, there's the stress of losing your job or closing your business.
With everything happening worldwide, from local to global events, stress is a part of life, especially for entrepreneurs and business professionals. However, managing your relationship with stress can dramatically improve your quality of life and boost your productivity.
Here are practical practices for stress management, mindfulness, breathing techniques, and time management. Experiment and keep what works for the version of you today. Leave the rest for another time.
Mind Your Matter: Mindfulness helps focus your energy and clear your mind, setting a productive tone for your day. Be calm in your life before the rest of the world tries to impose chaos on you. Mindfulness and meditation are thousands of years old practices. Don't allow today's marketing machines to distract you from the power of this practice's simplicity and validity.
Start of Your Day Rituals: Spend 5 minutes each morning practicing guided meditation. Apps like Calm or Headspace offer sessions that cater to various needs and durations. After you get used to it, practice without the guidance or the app. Yes, I know this means you break the app streak, but it doesn't break the streak in your life.
Mindful Breaks: During your day, take three 1-minute breaks. Focus solely on a specific object or a mantra to anchor your thoughts in the present.
Group sessions: Engage in activities that allow you to practice mindfulness and breathing techniques in a guided, supportive environment.
Breathe In, Breathe Out: Quick and practical, these breathing exercises can provide immediate stress relief. Like your mental health, your breath is with you from the time you're born until the time you die. You can actively use its power to regulate your emotions and stress levels.
Diaphragmatic "Belly" Breathing: Focus on breathing deeply into your belly, not your chest. Think about how most babies breathe. Start by expanding your belly, then your chest, then your collarbones. Then, reverse on the exhale. This practice improves oxygen exchange and promotes relaxation.
Box Breathing: Inhale for four seconds, hold for four seconds, exhale for four seconds, and hold again for four seconds. Repeat throughout the day to reset your stress levels. Use this practice before a big meeting, presentation, or critical conversation.
4-7-8 Breathing: This technique involves breathing in for 4 seconds, holding the breath for 7 seconds, and exhaling slowly for 8 seconds. It's remarkably effective for reducing anxiety and regaining calm.
Time Keeps on Slipping: Until you invent that time machine, time keeps on keepin' on. Effective use of time can reduce stress's damaging impact by minimizing the risk of overload and burnout. You might have already read the takes on time from time blocking to the Eisenhower Matrix. Please consider a different approach: Allocate your time for the quality of your life:
Time with Friends and Family: Embrace the nourishing power of community and connection
Time for Movement: Your mind and body are interconnected. Movement isn't just going to the gym or doing a workout. Whatever movement fills you with joy is the key. Dance break anyone?
Time for Rest: You are not a machine. Nothing beats making time for rest, including sleep and the six other forms of rest.
Remember, the journey to managing stress is personal. Experiment with these strategies to fit your unique lived experience and unique cultural, economic, and personal challenges.
Which practice will you try today?
Are You Aware?
Eating chocolate can be good for your mental health 🙂
Some of the benefits include:
Keep in mind many of the studies are a small size of participants and focus on dark chocolate. But don’t let that stop you from experimenting with milk chocolate. It tastes pretty good too 🙂
“All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt.” -Charles M. Schulz
One of my favorite brands is Tony’s Chocolonely. I love Dark Almond Sea Salt and Dark Chocolate. As you can see in the pic, I like a few others too ;) I was definitely craving chocolate when I wrote this post.
What’s your favorite chocolate?
Until next time
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Are You Aware? is a weekly newsletter by Anthony Ware. It is a collection of news, insights, and research on business, mental wealth, research, and culture. This newsletter will evolve based on Anthony's work and regular feedback from you, the readers who invest part of your week to read each new article.