When was the last time you felt fully relaxed? Most of us live stressful lives and we struggle to calm our minds and clear them from all the bad thoughts. The statistic shows that one-third of the world’s population is under extreme stress and more than 70% reported that it affects their emotional and physical health. It is said that you have to engage in relaxing activities to clear your mind if you want to live a long and healthy life.
Medical scientists say that feeling stressed, upset, or annoyed can lead to serious mental health issues, as well as stroke, high blood pressure, and heart attack. Unfortunately, these things can happen to people of every age, so no matter how old or young you are, you need to take care of your wellbeing and find new ways to relax and let your mind be clean from all the negative thoughts.
There are a lot of different ways to achieve that state, however, not every method works for everyone. These things depend mostly on the type of person you are and what helps you relax. You need to search for the things that work for you, even if they are not typical for everyone. Work on yourself and focus on the things that help you. Here we are going to talk about the things you can do to clear your mind, read them, try them, and see which works for you the best.
1. Solve Puzzles
This is a great way not only to clear your mind but to also exercise it. When you work on a big puzzle that has too many pieces with one color, you will realize that there’s nothing you can do but be patient until you find the missing piece.
Start slowly and don’t force yourself to finish it in a day or an hour. And when you finally solve it, you will feel happy and accomplished.
2. Learn how to Breathe
Taking slow and deep breaths are crucial when it comes to relaxing. Lay down, or just close your eyes. Focus on nothing else but your breathing. Breathe in for 4 or 5 seconds, hold the breath for another 5 seconds, and breathe out for the same amount of time. Repeat this at least 3 times or until you feel like your stress levels are going down.
3. Try a Buddha Board
When you create something, you will clear every thought you have and you will focus on your art. CoolThingsChicago suggests that when you create something that won’t last, you teach your mind to not only relax but to let go of things as well.
Create soft images with the stroke of the brush, and when the board dries out, the image will disappear. If you want to preserve the memory, you can take a picture, but remember, it’s not about making things last, it’s about letting go of everything.
4. Go for a Walk
Nothing can clear your mind better than nature. Try to go on walks or hikes at least once per week. You can do it alone or with friends and take all the time you need. It is not about the finish line, it’s about the journey. Don’t rush, sit down, enjoy nature. And if you want to spend an hour looking at the tree and following the branches, then do it.
5. Meditate
It is said that meditation is the number one thing that can help you clean your thoughts. There are a lot of different ways to meditate and you can do it for 15 minutes or 3 hours, as long as you feel comfortable.
Find a YouTube video that will help you achieve nirvana, or download an app that will show you each step of your meditation journey.
6. Write Things Down
You can start a journal or you can express yourself by writing short stories. You don’t have to talk about yourself and your day, just find a way to explain and explore the things that are making you feel upset. And don’t worry, you don’t have to show your writings to anyone unless you want to. Some people say that you can burn it down afterward, and some suggest that you should keep the journal to track your progress.
7. Music as Medicine
Nowadays there are so many apps that create relaxing sounds for clearing your mind. You can listen to those sounds every night before bed, so you can fall asleep faster, or you can just play your favorite song. For some people, relaxing music helps, but others want to listen to something loud with a sudden change in the beat. You can try both and see which one works for you.
You can even buy a sleeping machine that produces different relaxing sounds, like rain, waves, sounds of birds and so on. Test things out until you find something that helps you forget everything around you.
Have you ever tried any of these things? What helped you the most. Even though meditation is something that helps millions around the world, some people say that it brings them anxiety. As you can see, you need to find something that will work for you. Don’t worry about it not being socially acceptable, as long as it helps you, it is great.
It is said that metal music can help you release anger in a safe environment and that when you put your headphones on, lie down and blast your favorite song, you can release the adrenaline and relax. But, if this type of music does not help you and if it makes you feel uncomfortable, you should not do it. The most important thing is to find a way to express your emotions. The biggest mistake we make is that we bottle everything down, we ignore our negative feelings and we don’t work on fixing the main issues. Focus on the things that help you, and try to find a healthy way to cope with negativity and stress.
