How To Calm The Mind - Help With Anxiety or Stress

I think we all know what a bad day feels like, and we all express our anger different ways, whether that's letting it out on teachers, friends, peers, family etcetera, or keeping it in until we're alone and burst into tears, we all have those days where we feel like murdering someone (obviously not literally xD).

These are a few things I do to calm down if I'm stressed, anxious or have just had a panic attack, that could help you in any stressful situation too.

1. BREATHE - I know how stupid this sounds, but concentrating on taking deep, long breaths through your nose and out your mouth take your mind away from the situation and is very important if you're stressed.

It is scientifically proven to slow your heart rate to take deep breaths, the shallow breathing brings less oxygen into our bodies which means that our brains, which use 25% of the oxygen we take in, is also getting less oxygen, causing us to have difficulty concentrating and focusing.

2. NATURE - If you've had a stressful day then taking a long walk down a country road, in a forest, in a park, or wherever you find peaceful, is proven to reduce stress levels. This is definitely one of my favourite things to do when I need it: nature meditation.

If it's raining then the better it is, notice the earthy smell of the rain as it falls around you, notice each drop falling to the ground. The more you concentrate on simple things like these in nature, the calmer you'll find yourself.

3. YOGA / MEDITATION - Yoga and meditating are amazing examples of calming exercises that you can do at home or outside - which would take us back to nature if you choose to do these outside. There are plenty of yoga poses and sequences online that are made specifically to calm you.

It's proven that people who do yoga are much calmer and get less stressed out to those who don't do yoga. Click here for a yoga sequence made to keep you calm.

Meditation has a massive amount of benefits along with helping you to feel calmer, of which you can see here. If you don't know how to meditate or where to start then this website will help you.

4. COLOURS - Light and/or soft shades of blue cam the mind and help with concentration. Green can be seen as a restful colour and indicates little danger of famine, so we are reassured by the colour. Brown is a solid, reliable colour and most people find it quietly supportive. There are many colours with positive attitudes to our minds, leaving us calmer when surrounded by them.

Changing the colour theme of your room to two to four specific colours may help you to feel more relaxed and calmer and comforted. Having a mixture of colours can make the room feel and appear smaller, which doesn't help people with anxiety or people that are stressed out or not calm.

5. MUSIC - There are many playlists on Spotify and YouTube that help various people to relax or calm down, these are a few of my favourites:

Spotify:
- Calm Down
- The Most Beautiful Songs In The World
- Evening Acoustic
- One Perfect Morning
- Yoga & Meditation
- The Weekend Wind Down
- I'm Only Happy When It Rains
- Late Night Synths And Strings
- Natural Concentration
- Autumn Acoustic

YouTube:
- Keep Calm and Relax
- Indie Calm
- Keep Calm and Chillout
- Calm Down Music Playlist By #Joleenealys
- Indie/calm down
- Amazing Chill Out Music Playlist: Best of Relaxing Songs 2016
- Relaxing & Chillout Music
- A Moment Of Calm
- James Bay - Chaos and the Calm
- Atmospheric Calm

I hope this helps some of you in the future :).

~Virgo x