How to Calm Yourself Down with These 7 Efficient Mindfulness Techniques
In the past few years, mindfulness has emerged as an excellent way to help reduce stress. There are several different techniques and exercises you can use in your daily life to proceed with this philosophy.
Mindfulness can also be associated with words like focus, attention, presence and awareness. It’s the practice of paying attention to the present. When you’re performing mindfulness exercises, you’re training your mind to have more focus in your life and be fully aware of each moment.
Why we can’t calm down
Technology is a two-edged sword. If used well, it has tremendous advantages and possibilities. If it’s not used well, it can bring chaos and unhappiness in our lives. Technology has made us outer-directed people.
We have forgotten who we are and where we came from. We are looking for answers outside ourselves when they are inside us. We are spending a lot of time trying to show other people how happy and amazing we are. But inside, we feel bitter and empty. We work so hard trying to make a living that we forget making a life.
We have forgotten what the present moment is. We are so focused on what we did in the past and what is going to happen to us in the future. We feel like we don’t have the answers anymore and we’ve lost control of our lives. And this makes us frustrated and depressed. And then we ask ourselves the big question, “What’s the purpose of life?”
Our minds are fed information through the five senses; sight, smell, touch, taste and sound. Without them, we would hardly perceive anything from the outside. But again, we would still live. This shows that we have an inner world and an outer world.
People who spend most of their time focused on their inner world are usually peaceful and calm. Have you ever asked yourself why people close their eyes and sit in silent spaces when meditating? The goal is to create a connection with the inner world.
On the other hand, people who spend most of their time focused on the outside world are usually frustrated and unhappy. And this is simply because they are controlled by their minds.
The monkey mind
Now, the mind is a great servant but a terrible master. The mind has the power to connect us with the infinite or all-knowing mind. A mind that is properly controlled and directed can be compared to a wishing tree. Whatever we want, it will bring it to us. The mind can make our life a heaven or hell.
A mind that is not controlled can be compared to a monkey. Why a monkey? The two common characteristics of a monkey are imitation and unnecessary movement. A mind that has not been well cultivated is always seeking to imitate what others are doing without any good reason.
For example, let’s say you were walking down the street and you saw someone eating hamburger and fries. You are not feeling hungry at all. But you end up eating anyway. Why? Imitation.
And it’s not with food alone. We see a certain person driving a certain type of car and we find ourselves wanting that car. We see a certain person living in a beautiful mansion and we find ourselves doing everything we can to have a house like that.
A mind that has not been cultivated is not calm. Unnecessary movement is its all-time thing. It cannot stay in the present moment. It’s always thinking about the past or the future. And this manifests through behavior.
For example, sitting down is a problem for most people. The next time you sit down, just check how you’ll behave. Put your phone away and switch off the T.V. Sit down for a couple of minutes in silence focused on the present moment. You’ll be amazed to realize how unsettled your mind is.
It’s time…
It’s time to take control of your mind. It’s time to realize the potential of being human. Other people have done it and so can you. Mindfulness is all about taking control of your mind and making your life pleasant.
Mindfulness involves directing all your attention and energy to the present moment. Because the present moment is the key to a blissful life. Your life will always be in the present moment. You’ll never live in the past or the future. The present moment determines your past and future.
Mindfulness quiets the mind and relaxes the body. It helps you understand yourself better. And when you understand yourself, you can understand other people around you. Mindfulness affects every aspect of your life in a positive way.
To experience these positive effects, it’s important for you to incorporate mindfulness in every activity you perform. Having a specific time to meditate every day is good enough but you also have to take control of the mind when you are not practicing meditation. And you can do this by turning every activity into a form of meditation.
With everything competing for our attention in a fast-paced world, it’s important to be mindful and meditative. Through the following techniques, you will learn how to attain physical, emotional and mental balance.
1. Observe your thoughts
Taking control of the mind is a process that happens on a daily basis. You can start your journey by being aware of your thoughts. When starting out, it will be difficult for you to observe your thoughts without getting lost in them. But as you practice and persist, you’ll find this exercise extremely beneficial.
When observing your thoughts, don’t judge or try to suppress them. Watch them rise and go away. When you find yourself lost in your thoughts, be the neutral observer again. Observing your thoughts will help you understand yourself on a deeper level. This is an exercise you can do anytime in the day.
2. Mindful eating
Most people suffer from indigestion and constipation because they are simply not mindful when eating. When it`s eating time, they are watching T.V, refreshing social media platforms or reading.
Eating is an important activity that deserves a lot of attention. Ask yourself, “Would you read the newspaper or watch T.V when working on an important project at work?” Why should you indulge in such activities when eating?
Before eating, make sure that you are hungry. You are not eating just to please the palette. Secondly, ensure that the food benefits the body in one way or another. You don’t want to eat food that will reduce your performance and productivity.
When eating, pay attention to how you are chewing the food and the taste. Chew the food slowly until it becomes watery and then swallow it. You don’t want your body to consume a lot of energy digesting food that has not been properly chewed.
After doing this exercise, you’ll notice how energetic and lively you’ll feel after eating. Plus, you’ll save yourself most stomach troubles.
3. Recite mantras
Reciting mantras has always been a wonderful meditation technique. This practice involves repeating a string of words that prevent the mind from wandering. When the mind is focused on one thing, we experience peace and calmness.
For example, the Buddhists have the mantra “Buddho”. When breathing in they say “Bud” and when exhaling, they say “dho”. This mantra reminds them of the power of the present moment. You can come up with your own mantras to keep your mind firmly grounded.
4. Breath consciously
Incorporating breathing techniques can transform your life. Breathing can be an expression of aliveness and beauty if done consciously. Breathing relieves stress and anxiety and keeps you focused on the present moment.
My favorite technique is the 777 method which involves breathing in, holding your breath and exhaling for 7 seconds each. There are other breathing techniques that you can use during your meditation sessions to enhance your mindfulness.
5. Pay attention
Most of us only pay attention to the things that matter. We ignore everything else and we end up missing a lot of opportunities. You can practice mindfulness by paying attention to everything around you without discrimination.
Pay close attention to the flower beside you just as much as you’d do to your loved one. Remember, everything happens to you for a reason. Everything you see, hear, taste and smell is an opportunity for you if you discover it. If you don’t pay attention, you end up missing out.
6. Listen to silence and focus on spaces
Silence and spaces are both nothingness. Nothingness is a mystery to the mind. It’s not something that can be comprehended by the five senses. Concentrating on nothingness will make your mind calm and receptive. You can think about nothingness when relaxing or before going to sleep.
Mindfulness is the key to serenity and true happiness. True happiness is a happiness that is not dependent on outer situations. We hear of enlightened people from time to time. These are people who have taken their time to discover the true potential of being human. And they have given us the answers time and time again.
Everything is inside us. All the questions and answers are inside of us. Heaven and hell are within us. We decide what we get. It’s time to change our approach and start focusing on our inner world. It’s time to take control of our minds and bodies. You can start your journey today by using the tips discussed above.
What Are the Benefits of Mindfulness?
Practicing mindfulness can help you become more aware of your emotions and create a way to understand and deal with them more efficiently. If you’re in the habit of reacting to your emotions quickly, practicing mindfulness is one of the best zen techniques to reach your highest potential and can help alter your immediate response. If you erupt when you get angry, mindfulness can help you pause for a moment and think about how you’re going to act and respond.
Stopping and thinking about how you’re going to deal with your present situation can be highly advantageous. Have you ever reacted to negative emotion and acted in a way that wasn’t in your best self-interest? If you’re like most individuals, you’ve done this several times in your life. By using mindfulness techniques and exercises, you can develop more self-acceptance and be strategic in how you react to these types of situations.
Teaching yourself to stay calm and not react so quickly can help reduce stress and improve your ability to focus and act with integrity. This mindset can help stop random thoughts from sabotaging your behavior and strengthen your ability to react positively and enjoy your life even better.
Other Conventional Mindfulness Techniques You Can Use Immediately
If you’re living a busy lifestyle like most people are, it can help to use one or more mindfulness techniques to become more aware of our emotions and thoughts. This activity can be essential in helping to reduce stress. Mindful breathing and mindful listening are two common exercises you can try.
Mindful Breathing
This mindfulness technique can be done when you’re in any position. It begins by focusing on your breathing pattern. Every time you inhale and exhale, focus on each breath. Try breathing in through your nostrils and exhale through your mouth.
Start letting go of your thoughts and stay focused on each breath as it moves in and out of your body. Trace each breath as it moves into your mouth and down into your diaphragm and then back up and out of your mouth.
Try this for a minute and see how you feel. If you’re noticing any minor aches and pains in your body, you may want to combine an award-winning CBD topical with this exercise or use it separately to help soothe the issue.
Mindful Listening
For this mindfulness exercise, you should choose a music track you’ve never listened to in the past. This could be a song from your own collection or an online video. If you have a pair of headphones, this will help increase the intensity of this exercise.
Shut your eyes and start listing. Ignore any urge or thought to check the title, artist name or genre. Keep listening and get lost in all of the sounds you hear during the song. Explore each sound wave precisely and the dynamics of each separate instrument.
Separate each sound and analyze it thoroughly. Pay attention to the vocals and the range of the singer. Separate each voice and analyze them one by one if there is more than one voice. Listen intently and thoroughly entwine yourself with the sounds you hear. Try to avoid making any judgments about the lyrics, artist or instruments that are playing.
By taking the time to become aware of your surroundings and practice one or both of these techniques, it can help you focus on your emotions and reduce the stress in your life.
7. Promote a Sense of Calm with CBD and Meditation
Our mind wanders all the time, either when planning for the future or reviewing the past. Life is stressful, and there is no doubt about it. In your quest for more efficient ways to cope with stress, you have probably heard the common suspects: be more physically active, eat better, improve your sleeping habits, take up a new hobby or get outdoors. Undoubtedly there seem to be as many ways to deal with stress as there are stressed-out people.
But one of the things you have probably heard, or you will hear about, is to try CBD and meditation. Contrary to many inexperienced beliefs, it is not just for yoga teachers, zen masters, and hemp connoisseurs. Everyone from busy parents, athletes, weekend warriors, and workaholics can try CBD meditation and benefit from just being still and in harmony with the present.
Will CBD get my high? CBD does not get you high, and it won’t alter your perception either. Cannabidiol is the non-psychoactive compound found in the cannabis plant and is taking the world by storm thanks to its various therapeutic, medicinal, and nutritional abilities. Now experienced practitioners of meditation and yoga found that the balance it provides is beneficial for taming the mind.
Why Meditation?
Meditation has been in our existence for more thousands of years. Originally, it was meant to help enrich the understanding of the mystical and sacred forces of life. In its simple form, meditation refers to a mental practice to induce and enhance concentration, awareness, and relaxation. To put it in more metaphysical terms, meditation is a tool that transforms the mind and rich enlightenment.
Going back to millennia, meditation can be found in cultures all over the world, including Buddhism, Hinduism, and even Judaism, Islam and Christianity encourage a form of meditative practice. And while meditation has its roots in spirituality, most people find it extremely helpful for calming the mind and relieving stress. While we can find many kinds of meditation techniques, the most common are mindfulness, transcendental, and guided.
Mindfulness Meditation
This type of meditation is strictly based on being mindful and having an increased awareness and acceptance of living in the present moment. Mindfulness meditation is way easier than it sounds. Through mindfulness, you get to broaden your consciousness awareness by focusing on what you experience through meditation, namely the flow of your breath. It allows you to observe your emotions and thoughts coming as they will, without attaching or reacting to them.
Mindfulness meditation can be practiced almost anywhere if you succeed in remaining in the moment, however, it is typically most comfortable to do it while sitting in a quiet place with your eyes closed as you need to focus only on your breath.
Transcendental Meditation
In the transcendental meditation technique, you need to silently repeat a personally assigned mantra, such as a sound, a word, or a phrase in a specific manner. While repeating this, you are focusing only on your mind keeping any sort of outside distraction or thought away. Mantra is most often practiced in seated, comfortable posture with your eyes closed, preferably twice a day. Many beliefs sustain that mantra meditation makes it easier for us to get inward and quiet the mind while reducing stress, leading to a deep state of relaxation.
Guided Meditation
Often called guided imagery or visualization, guided meditation refers to a technique where you can form certain images of situations or places you find calming.
Guided meditation requires the use of all of your senses, such as sights, smells, sounds, and textures. For instance, if the most calming experience in your perspective is you walking on a beach of soft white sand as the waves gently roll in, try to imagine it whenever you feel lost in your thoughts, or you face a challenging situation. Of course, this kind of meditation is often led by a teacher either life or from a recorded session, and encourages you to use all of your senses to install mental peacefulness.
Meditation: natural enemy for stress
It goes without saying that meditation can be the number one enemy of stress. It is literally the opposite of stress as it can help us deepen our relaxation response and regain our calm. Meditation does not only instill a sense of calm, but it actually restores our body to a natural state, allowing our system to fight off the physical damage done by anxiety and stress.
In fact, with extended practice, meditation helps us disengage from a continuous state of stress, allowing us to become calmer and less reactive in our daily lives.
CBD and Meditation
Most certainly, you may be wondering how CBD and mediation go hand in hand? As we previously mentioned, there are many benefits of smoking hemp or ingesting CBD products. Whether you are just beginning to meditate, or you have already been doing it for a couple of years, it still can be difficult to sit quietly for a few minutes, let alone one hour or two.
Several studies suggest that terpenes in hemp can easily interact with our endocannabinoid system, which is what helps our bodies maintain a balance by controlling numerous functions including, immunity, digestion, temperature, sleep, and even mood.
As studies have shown, CBD and meditation go hand in hand, helping people rest, relieve stress, aches, and even boost concentration and focus, which is much needed while meditating. While CBD still has been approved in treating all sorts of mental issues, numerous other studies suggest that cannabidiol may lessen stress and promote calm.
Our modern life causes all sorts of physical discomforts, from having an active life to sitting at a desk all day long hunched over your keyword is what triggers fatigue and mental stress. Long hours of hectic schedules, the chaos of the world around us no wonder why more and more people are turning to meditation and CBD as a way to cope with this stress and calm their busy minds.
