Stressed Out? – How to Bring Balance and Peace Back Into Your Life

Of course, nobody can rearrange your schedule or remove all of the stress from your life. But there are some tips that can help you manage it all better though mindfulness.

By putting these tools to work, you will feel less stressed and be able to enjoy life more.

What is Mindfulness?

Although the term mindfulness is on the rise, it sort of gets bunched together with other obscure schools of thoughts. Basically, it seems like it might be great but remains a bit of a mystery to most people.

It’s really quite simple, though.

Mindfulness is purposefully living in the present moment. You do this by training your mind and body to anchor into each moment of your life so that you experience it fully.

How Will Mindfulness Help You Find Balance and Peace?

Let’s back it up a little. When you are trying to get your daily duties accomplished, what are you thinking about? About 574,000 other things, right?

You mentally review what you’ve already done and wrack your brain trying to figure out how to do the other million things on your to-do list. Half of the time, you don’t even know exactly what you’re doing because your mind is elsewhere. It’s this type of mental processing that causes you anxiety, panic attacks, stress, and those notorious “freak out” moments.

Mindfulness helps you to find your balance and peace by retraining your brain to focus on one thing at a time. This doesn’t mean you are void of any thoughts aside from sweeping the floor (if that’s when you decide to practice mindfulness). It means that you are completely aware of your surroundings and other responsibilities. At the same time, though, you are engaged 100% with the here and now rather than being pulled in every direction by the past and future.

How To Practice Mindfulness

Reclaiming your balance and peace through mindfulness is, as already mentioned, incredibly simple. It just takes some practice.

Focus on Your Breathing

Practicing mindfulness first begins with your breathing. If you are like most people then you probably don’t realize that you breathe shallowly during most of your day.

By breathing long, slow, deep breaths you send calming signals to your brain. It’s the body’s way of communicating to your nervous system that everything is okay and there is no reason to stress out.

How to practice mindful breathing:

Take a moment to focus on your breathing. Listen to your inhale and exhale. When your mind reverts back to racing thoughts, bring it back to your breathing. You don’t need to do this for hours and hours in a meditative state, but dedicate a few moments to this exercise.

A great breathing technique is to breathe in like you were sipping through a straw and release is the same way. Think of it this way: breathe in peace and exhale tension. Sitting at a stoplight or at your desk is a great place to practice this.

Soon, you will be amazed at how quickly this calms your entire being.

Be Aware of Your Surroundings

Another key element in practicing mindfulness is to pay attention. In other words, be aware of the world directly surrounding you.

You don’t need to stop your routine or even slow it down, but pay attention to it. What that means is that you need to notice not only your surroundings but how it feels when you interact with them.

How to become aware of your surroundings:

As you’re sitting at your desk typing, take note of how the keys feel beneath your fingers. Are they warm or cold? Listen to the soft tapping as you spell out each word. Do this for every email or document you type up.

You’ll be surprised how comfortable this feels in your mind. Plus, it has a natural way of inviting in calmness rather than letting your thoughts run amuck.

Even when you go home, remember to practice with household duties. Try your best to focus on the unique qualities of each activity, though.

Not only does this type of focus bring an unexpected appreciation for the things in your life, but it helps you complete the activity faster and more efficiently.

Yes, finding your balance and peace is possible by making a few simple changes in your daily routine. Including just these two mindfulness practices can make a big difference.