A calm mind is a compassionate, empathetic, and powerful mind. Meditation with loose meditation stones or mala prayer beads is one way to calm the mind, but what about in the thick of a stressful situation? There may not be time to effectively meditate during a big meeting or a traffic jam – so what can you do in these situations to practice calm in a safe and effective way? A few ideas for keeping the mind calm in stressful situations are:
• Try breathing exercises – Breathing exercises can be done anywhere, at any time, and with subtlety. Box breathing is one technique that calms the mind, and it involves a simple pattern of breathing four seconds in, holding the breath for four seconds, releasing the breath for four seconds, and waiting four second to start the cycle again. Not only does this give you something to focus on away from a stressful situation, but it can work to control the heart rate so you’re less likely to experience exasperating anxiety and stress symptoms.
• Use your hands – Using your hands can work to distract the mind when anxiety or stress grow tense. Your mind will naturally turn to anxiety or stress cycles during stressful times, and turning this cycle off could be as simple as diverting your attention to another part of your body instead. Small fidget toys, textured fabrics, or objects like meditation stones give you something to feel so you can redirect your attention to calm.
• Progressive muscle relaxation – Progressive muscle relaxation, or PMR, is another subtle way to use physical sensations to ease tension and bring calm. To practice this, tense a certain muscle group in the body, hold that tension, and then release the muscles after a few seconds. Once you’ve done a particular muscle group, move onto another and repeat the process. Not only can this help to calm the mind during a stressful moment, it can even promote better sleep if practiced in bed after a stressful day.
At Technalink, we know the power that a calm mind holds in compassionate leadership and beyond. In the thick of a stressful situation, bringing your mind back to center may seem impossible, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. With a few regular practices incorporated into your routine, you’ll find that you have better control over your mindset than you ever thought possible.
Leave a Reply