Happiness, sadness, anger, jealousy, sympathy and love these are the emotions in which were most familiar with right? Well one of the most important states of mind is often overlooked calmness! Do you know how difficult it is for most people to remain calm?
If you’ve ever observed a truly calm person, it’s quite a fascinating sight to see and I would go as far as to say it’s a skill. These days we have so many pet peeves, buttons to be pushed and triggers to pull that it’s nearly impossible to stay calm all the time.
Sometimes your job is making you frustrated, your kids are making you exhausted, and your husband or wife is making you angry! With all these emotions colliding at once, keeping your cool is a skill that requires practice.
HERE ARE 7 TIPS ON HOW TO BE CALM THROUGHOUT THE DAY
- TAKE WALKS
People that are naturally calm almost always opt for a walk instead of a drive. If you have to run to the bank or pick your kids up from school (and it’s a reasonable distance) then choose to walk! Taking the bus and getting off early to give yourself a little walk works too. Walking gives people a sense of unexpected serenity and calmness, especially when you take in your surroundings.
- MAKE YOURSELF A PRIORITY
Get a good nights sleep, leave enough time for meals, read your book, watch your favorite TV show, have a nap, and give yourself an at-home spa day. Never underestimate the effect of treating yourself well. Think of your body and mind as a machine; if you don’t do constant maintenance when needed, the machine will break! In order to keep calm you have to treat yourself well.
- DON’T RUSH
Slow Down. Learn to plan ahead and manage your time properly. When you do this, you’re less likely to be caught last minute and required to rush. If you have to drop something off your To-Do list than drop it. Do not overwork because this will lead to sloppy work, and careless mistakes. Enjoy your food, enjoy the people around you, enjoy nature. This step alone can save tons of stress.
- MAKE ROUTINES
When you have a very general routine that you stick to each day, this eliminates extra elements that you have to remember. If you have a morning ritual, chances are you won’t forget to pack your lunch or brush your teeth because you are so used to your routine. Plan your outfit the night before… clothing meltdowns are more common than you think. When you’re in your routine, decision making is decreased and some pressure is eliminated as well.
- DON’T BE PHONE DEPENDENT
Many stressed people are at the mercy of their telephones. When they’re battery is low they’re worked up and when they forget their phone at home they’re helpless… all their reminders are on it! Calm people do not look for an escape in their phones and on social media. Instead, they go for a walk, turn to music or read a book or newspaper.
- DO NOT HAVE EXPECTATIONS
Follow the 100- ) Rule. Expectations are one of the most toxic human inclinations. This doesn’t mean that you should lower your standards by any means; it simple means you shouldn’t expect anything to go as you had hoped or as you planned. That way you lower your stress levels.
- Know Their Boundaries
There is definitely a point to be made for people that push themselves past their comfort zone, but there is also a vice in this quality. Pushing yourself to any extreme can be counter productive and leave you more damaged than improved. When you know your healthy limits, you can manage your physical and mental stress better. Calm people generally say that taking a break, stretching, snacking, napping and blowing off steam will help you more in the long run than pushing yourself to over exertion (physically and mentally). Another aspect of this characteristic is the fact that you are taking control of yourself, and this gives most people a surprising amount of satisfaction and a sense of serenity.
- Avoid Difficult People
Sometimes, it’s best to stay from those who arouse your ire. Toxic individuals bring out the worst in others and cause a lot of damage.
- Help Others.
It may sound contradictory to add more tasks to your life by trying to help other people (you’ve got enough to do), but if you were to add anything to your life, this should be it. Helping others, whether volunteering for a charity organization or just making an effort to be compassionate towards people you meet, not only gives you a very good feeling, it somehow lowers your stress level.
- Relax Throughout The Day.
It’s important to take mini-breaks during your work day. Stop what you’re doing, massage your shoulders and neck and head and hands and arms, get up and stretch, walk around, drink some water. Go outside and appreciate the fresh air.
- Eat Healthy.
This goes hand-in-hand with exercise as a stress prevention method, of course. Become healthier and a major source of stress will disappear. Also, I’ve found that greasy food, for me, puts me in a worse mood and can contribute to stress levels immediately.
- Be Grateful.
This might not be as obvious as some of the others, but developing an attitude of gratitude is a way of thinking positive, eliminating negative thinking from your life, and thereby reducing stress. Learn to be grateful for what you have, for the people in your life, and see it as a gift.
- Sleep.
If you don’t get enough sleep you end up being touchy and snappy. In order to establish a good rule of thumb for sleep is to go to bed whenever you’re tired, and wake up at the same time each day (weekend or not!). This way, you will get the right amount of sleep! (As 8 hours is not for everyone).
- Let It Out.
Don’t bottle things up. It is good to talk things over with a friend or sybling.
- Learn To Love (Or Just Ignore Them).
If someone you crazy, try to avoid them. And if that isn’t possible, tell them how you feel about them in a calm, polite voice, and ask them if they would please stop talking to you. Though this might invite some hostility at first, if you ignore them they will settle down eventually.
Source:
Image courtesy of fhfn.org
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