How To Simply Reduce Stress

I’m often asked about stress and how to combat it. According to the UK government statistics, 12.5 million work days were lost in 2016-2017 due towork-related stress.   Therefore I decided to write the following post with the aim to help quash stress.

First of all, though I would like to share with you a quote by the late Bruce Lee: It is not a daily increase, but a daily decrease. Hack away at the inessentials.

In my opinon we all think too much and want too much.  We forget that what we already have is enough, if only we changed our attitude. Therefore, I am going to take you on a short but profound journey into how to scale down stress in the simplest way.

When I feel stressed , my body tightens up, my breath becomes tense and my worries run away from me. I know it upsets my hormones, and most times my stress starts when I have too much on my plate.

With this in mind, the most straightforward antidotes to stress are:

1.     Reduce clutter in your life both physically and emotionally

2.     Learn easy everyday techniques to deal with stress

These two points will instantly begin to reduce stress and also equip you with the tools for when stress-comes-a-knockin your way.

So let’s start with the clutter.

Clutter can weigh us down.  If our cupboards just as our computers are cluttered, we may feel information overload.  Our brains are computers too so the more clutter-free we can make our living space and minds the better.  Space allows for peace and harmonious reflection.

How to cut down clutter:

1.Mentally

Meditation is the fast track way to clear our junk from our mind.  Start with five minutes a day and build up the time gradually.  See the meditation ideas further down in this article.

Also, make a list of the things you do each day and take a good look at the list and decide do you need to do so many things?  What stuff that doesn’t serve you, can you drop?  What holistic healthy things can you do instead like yoga, reading,  or going for walks in nature.

2.  Physically 

You may or may not be a hoarder, but one thing is for sure, too much stuff weighs us down, and it can be stressful to live in a house overfilling to the brim.  Schedule in a Saturday to have a proper clear-out. Keep only the stuff you need and give the rest away to charity or if you strapped for cash sell it online.  Space in your house gives space for peace and harmony.

STRESS FREE MEDITATION

Next we are going to talk about a simple breathing mediation you can use when you are already in a stressed state of being.  You can also use this meditation in your main daily routine.

Method

·       Slow the breathing right down making it even. Try and inhale for the count of five, hold for five and exhale for five…. gradually building up the time.

·       The focus is not to strain but patiently expand the lungs. Remember to breathe in and out through the nose.

·       If you are in a hurry do this for five to ten breaths.

·       Or you set your timer and practive this meditation for ten to 30 minutes each mornng.

·         I do this meditation when I am out and about like sitting on trains, or standing  in a queue.  It beats sitting or standing there worrying about stuff!

·       Try this for forty days and see how much it changes your life. If you miss a day of the meditation, go back to it and try for another 40 days.

·       One day you will train your meditative breathing so well that you will do it without thinking.