It’s no secret that life can get pretty hectic. From balancing work, social life, and everything in between, it’s common to find yourself dealing with multiple stressors that can pile up and begin to weigh on your mental, emotional, and physical health. While stress is an inevitable fact of life, how you manage it doesn’t have to be. Practicing mindfulness exercises can help reduce stress levels and train your brain to cope with stressors in healthy ways.
Learn to Overcome Worries and Anxiety with Our eBook
What is Mindfulness?
Mindfulness is the intentional practice of calmly focusing on all the thoughts, feelings, and sensations of the present moment and then accepting that any unpleasantness of the experience will eventually pass. Think of it as stopping to evaluate the current situation now so it doesn’t influence how you’ll feel and react later.
So, how does mindfulness reduce stress? Your brain is made up of a variety of parts, each serving a distinct set of functions. The part of your brain called the amygdala is essentially the on-and-off switch for your stress response. Practicing mindfulness decreases the amount of activity in this part of your brain and lowers stress levels. Benefits of mindful activities also include:
- Being able to hit the pause button. Mindfulness allows you to take a step back from the situation, not take your thoughts so literally, and prevents you from having a knee-jerk reaction to potential stressors that may result in negative consequences.
- Improved compassion for yourself and others. The improved emotional intelligence you’ll gain from mindfulness will relax and inhibit your stress response, meaning you’ll be less likely to engage in stress-inducing conflicts.
- Clearer Focus. The focus that you learn will remove distractions and help you to perform tasks more efficiently, helping to curb the stress that comes from feeling overwhelmed.
- A change of perspective. Stress doesn’t always have to be negative. Mindfulness can help shift your outlook on stressors as pressure that can help motivate you rather than something exclusively negative.
Attempting to incorporate a new health practice into your life can be intimidating at first. Luckily, practicing mindfulness can be done in multiple ways. Whether you have time to devote an hour or just a few minutes, there are plenty of mindfulness exercises available for those looking to reduce stress.
5 Simple Mindfulness Exercises to Try
Mindful Breathing
One of the easiest exercises you can do is mindful breathing because you can do it anywhere. Simply focus on your breath. Don’t worry about taking deep or short breaths, just natural. If your hands are free, try putting a hand on your stomach to help get in tune with your breathing. Keep focusing on nothing but breathing in and breathing out. Once you’ve done this for about five minutes, you should feel relaxed.
Body Scan
Body scans are done by sitting or lying down on the floor. The key of this exercise is to gradually note the sensations of your body, starting from your feet and working your way up to your head. If you need an aid to help with this activity, try listening to a recording of ocean waves. When the waves are rolling in, tense the part of the body you’re focusing on. As it rolls back out, relax your muscles again. This will help you to feel more attuned with your body in the present moment.
Mindful Eating
If you’re struggling to find time to fit mindfulness into your life, doing it during a meal may be a great option for you. Mindful eating involves focusing your attention on all the sensations of the dining experience. This includes the feeling of what’s in your hands, the smell, the taste, the sound of chewing, and the sensation of swallowing food. Mindful eating can offer more fulfillment from your next meal beyond just being a source of energy.
Mindful Movement
No matter what form of physical activity you’re doing, any exercise can be turned into mindful movement. Whether you’re doing a high intensity activity like running or low intensity one like swimming, the trick of this exercise is to focus on what your body is doing while you’re active. How are you breathing? How is your body moving? What are the surroundings around you like? If you’re a beginner looking for recommendations, yoga classes can be a great starting point. Yoga instructors can help guide you through the movements, reminding you to take stock of your body and its surroundings during the process.
Five Senses
If you’re looking for something that can be done quickly, easily, and inconspicuously, you may want to try this exercise. This process helps you be present in the moment by having you take stock of your five senses. Start by mentally listing five things you can see. After that, pay attention to four things you can hear, three things you can feel, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste. Before you know it, you’ll find yourself more aware of both yourself and your surroundings.
Practice Mindfulness Exercises and Reduce Your Stress
Stress doesn’t have to rule your life. In times of stress, take a moment to center yourself by being present in the moment and making yourself aware of everything both internal and external. Practicing one or more of these easy mindfulness exercises can help you find your mental and emotional balance. If you’d like to learn more ways you can improve your wellbeing, click here to discover five ways to declutter your mind.
