Photo by Mario Dobelmann on Unsplash
Before the corona crisis, everyone was always in a hurry. And now that things are re-opening again, I see people doing the exact same thing again. When you are in a hurry, you will feel stressed and other lower/negative emotions AND you are definitely not really living in the now. But stress is not so good for your health. So instead take more time to do these things and you will feel more relaxed.
Take more time to do these things
Getting ready for the day
How you wake up, sets the tone for the rest of your day. So when you wake up last-minute every morning and you have to hurry, it is possible that you will feel stressed every single day. So instead, wake up early and take it slow. Take time to drink your cup of coffee or tea. Take time to take a shower and to get ready. If you start your day right, your day will be a lot better and you will feel more relaxed.
Going from A to B
When we leave home for work, we are in a hurry (99% of the time. We don’t really take the time to look around. Of course, when you are driving the car or riding your bike you have to pay attention. But if you use public transport, look around you. Leave a little bit early, so you won’t have to hurry.
Eating
A lot of people eat really fast, but it is so much better when you eat slowly. Enjoy your lunch or dinner. Eat mindfully. Pay attention to what you taste. Eating is not a competition.
Another great tip is to really take time to make your dinner and/or lunch.
Evening routine
The time you take for yourself before going to bed is very important. If you are watching tv and you suddenly realize how late it is, you have to hurry to get enough sleep. So instead create an evening routine that will help you to fall asleep fast. Take time to relax. Maybe taking a bath will help you to fall asleep or maybe a foot massage or reading a book. Try to figure out what will help you to relax. And try to ignore your screens (tv, computer or phone. the last two hours of your day. The blue light can affect your sleep quality.
How you are feeling
How are you feeling today? And I mean it. How are you feeling right now? Do you feel relaxed? Do you feel stress, anger, or maybe you feel joyful? Most of us are living on an automatic pilot and we forget to take time and find our how we are feeling. Because we can use this information. For example, if you are feeling happy, keep doing what you are doing at that moment. You like doing it. But if you feel stress or anger, try to find out what is triggering it. Maybe you can change the situation. Meditation can help you to find out how you are feeling.
Being grateful
As I said, we are living on an automatic pilot. That also means we take a lot of time for granted. Take more time every single day (morning and/or evening) to be grateful. Be grateful that you are alive, be grateful you can read the books you love, be grateful you can watch Netflix whenever you want, be grateful for the food you eat. There is so much to be grateful for. And when you are being more grateful, your life will be better too.
Share the love and be kind
Take more time with your friends and family. And don’t forget to say how much you love and appreciate them. It can make their day. And be kind to everyone, even when someone is not nice to you. Be nice to the people who are working at the supermarket, be nice to your colleagues, be nice to the waitress at the restaurant.
Nothing
Yes, do nothing. We have learned that we always have to be productive all of the time. But it is good for your brain to do nothing at all. See it as a meditation. During meditation, you just sit or lay down and you just breathe. But it helps your brain to calm down and you will feel so much better after just a couple of minutes.
And no you don’t have to go to that party if you don’t want to. Cancel all of your weekend plans if you are not in the mood.
I hope that these tips will help you to feel more relaxed on a daily basis and I will see you next time.