Three mindfulness exercises for stress and anxiety management

mindfulness exercise

Mindfulness is now in the social consciousness as one of the weapons to combat stress and anxiety. It is mainly present at every waking moment to avoid being too much in your mind, which causes pressure in the first place. When one is mindful, they are using all their senses and letting the chatter in your mind reduce which brings clarity. There are tons of ways to practice mindfulness but let us explore five of them.

Before we get into it, know why you are doing it. What is your intention? Do you want to be present so that you’re less stressed about work? Do you want to practice mindfulness because you want to enjoy a meal? For everything you do, have an intention behind it. It doesn’t have to be elaborate; wanting to be happy is a good enough reason.

Use guided mindfulness practice

Meditation is a practice of mindfulness. There are tons of free apps like Smiling Mind that help you learn in a few minutes how to be mindful. The beauty about such apps and guided meditation is you can choose how long you spend meditating. If you have a presentation after lunch, you can curve out as little as five to ten minutes to meditate with the help of a guide. Once you’re done, you’ll notice that you’re calmer, making thoughts less chaotic. That leaves you free to indeed focus on what matters.

Use a coloring app or get a book

Research shows that coloring and drawing are part of the processes when it comes to helping people with PTSD recover. Your case might not be that extreme, but you can still rip the benefits. When you color, you are drawing out your inner child, which is the holder of creativity. If you feel that you have hit a creative slump or the thoughts in your mind are becoming overwhelming, use an app or a coloring book to aid reset your mind.

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Go for a mindful walk

Nature and generally being outside can make all the difference in stress and anxiety in a healthy mind. However, you need to be intentional about the walk to avoid it being a continuation of thoughts running wild in your mind. You can set simple tasks such as noticing people’s outfits, or if you’re in the park paying attention to the various plant species or in a store and notice the different stash tins there are. That helps you focus your senses to what is around you, leaving your mind to take a break.

Wrap up

There are indeed many other things you can do to practice mindfulness. The trick is that whatever you do, it could also be chores or journaling, ensure that you are not in your mind but in the present moment.

 

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