Relax, Reflect, and Reevaluate
Taking a step back to relax, reflect, and reevaluate what’s going on in your life can work wonders for your peace of mind. There have been times when I’ve felt overburdened by the many tasks waiting to be started. So much so in fact, that I did none of them, I just found ways to distract myself, such as video games, T.V. shows or Facebook.
This has happened in many aspects of my life. I lost excitement for a new job, got bored with learning a new instrument, lost interest in a new project, lost motivation to work out, and so on. I just seemed to forget why I started in the first place, and every time I noticed i was losing that excitement. I told myself things like, “I’m not in the mood”, “ I don’t have time to do this”, or *insert excuse here*. When I stopped jumping from one task to another, I had time to gather myself. The things I thought were daunting tasks, were actually opportunities. I slowly begin to remember the reason I took on these tasks, and it’s almost like a weight was lifted off of me. I regained that eagerness and excitement that I originally had from the start. More importantly I remembered why I started in the first place.
Take time out of your day to pay attention to yourself and your surroundings. Being constantly stimulated, or distracted can be very bad for your mental and physical health. You don’t give yourself time to process.
In the past, a normal day for me used to be like this: Get up with just enough time to get ready for work, go to work with just enough time to clock in, work and then come home, head straight to the computer and start work on projects, play video games, surf the internet and watch T.V. until I fell asleep.
Give Yourself Space For Reflecting
For the most part I did very little reflection on my daily or overall life. I just went day to day doing what I “felt” like doing. Often times I would feel like my mind was cluttered and didn’t know why, or what to do about it. I didn’t give myself time to think about things that were bothering me or where I would be if I kept doing what I was doing. It’s because of this that stress can build up. I had a tendency to put off things until they become an immediate issue. Has anyone else ever done this?
Do Nothing
Sometimes the best thing of peace of mind is to do nothing, but sit silently with your thoughts. From the outside it looks like you’re not doing anything, but on the inside, you’re working through the thoughts going on in your mind. It’s helpful to get a change of scenery if possible. Going to the beach, long walk or going into nature. These are all great options to help put things going on in your life back into perspective.
Make Room For New Thoughts
When you stop distracting yourself, you gain the opportunity to make room for new thoughts. You’re able to clear all the clutter that’s slowing down your mind. Think of it like defragging a computer. All the thoughts are still in your brain, they are just organized a bit better. This can be done in a variety of ways. I recommend going somewhere peaceful, getting comfortable and meditating.
Benefits Of Meditation
Everything we do is by choice and not of obligation. No one forces us to take on the tasks and that’s important to remember. Make time for meditation, appreciation and dedication to remembering the goals of daily, and long term life. Meditation has many benefits that including a clearer mind, lower stress levels and boosting your immune system.
My mind, like many others is overactive and it can get very overwhelming times. Through meditating I’m learning how to have my thoughts behave in a more constructive manner. I sit down, close my eyes and start my process. I consciously take deep slow breaths, I scan my body from toe to head, checking on how my body feels, I pay attention to all the sounds and other senses. I’m not trying to tune them out, I want to be fully aware of everything around me. I don’t try to push aside the thoughts that flood my head, instead I become aware of the thoughts yet do not participate. Everyone should find their own way , but for me I imagine each thought becomes wrapped inside of a bubble when I notice i’m distracted by it. After that the floats off for later use. I do this with every thought I come across. When I realize I’m participating in a thought, I pull awareness back to my breathing, becoming more aware of my body and other senses.
It may appear that you are doing nothing, but doing nothing may be the most productive thing you do all day.
What ways do you find to relax when you’re stressed or overwhelmed?