Life can be tough. However, if you are in a position where you’re constantly going through tough challenges, it’s time to look internally. It’s time to pay attention to how you are directly contributing to the experiences you’re facing. With a lot of introspection and the following tactics, you can overcome internal stress and live a healthier life.
1. Take to a Therapist
Therapy is essential because it allows you to gain an outside perspective of yourself. When you can’t recognize your bad patterns, you’re bound to repeat them regularly. Talking to a therapist will allow you to gain new insight on how to manage your stress and gain healthier coping strategies. For therapy to work, you need to show up consistently. You also need to be honest about who you are and what you’ve experienced. You can’t bring a shiny version of yourself if you want to truly experience transformational healing.
2. Meditate
Meditation is an incredibly powerful ritual because it allows you to still and silence your mind. Your thoughts tend to be the problem when you’re dealing with internal stress. Your thoughts make up the internal conversation you’re having. By using the tactics taught by a Vedic Meditation teacher, you’ll learn how to connect with meditation daily to heal and restore your thought life. When you change your thought patterns, you’ll change your beliefs. Your beliefs rule your life. As a result of changing your thought patterns and beliefs, you can change your entire life.
3. Work on Breathing Techniques
Throughout any given day, it’s easy to get caught up in various tasks. Whether you’re typing a long report, changing diapers, or sitting through intense work meetings, it’s really easy to hold your breath without realizing it. Throughout any given day, you can do different breathing exercises to relax and calm yourself down. Inhale for five seconds, and exhale for seven seconds. Repeat this process for a few minutes. If you do this exercise once an hour, you’d be amazed by how much lighter you’ll feel as you process the events of the day. Breathing also helps you to feel less overwhelmed and stressed. If you consider people who love to smoke, there’s a lot of breathing that takes place. Smoking helps a person to center themselves as there’s a lot of deep breathing involved. This doesn’t mean you should start smoking because there are tons of negative health consequences that fall in line with smoking. Still, the deep-breathing component is undeniable as it helps a person to feel more connected, grounded, and present.
4. Exercise
As you exercise, your body releases lots of endorphins. That endorphin rush provides a lot of people with that dopamine hit they need to feel happy and centered. After a stressful day, many people jog to mentally connect and feel better. Sure, there’s a physical component involved with weight management and heart health. However, the ability to release stress with exercise provides a mental benefit as well. Whether you go for a long walk and take brisk steps or do yoga in the comfort of your home, find ways to physically move your body daily.
5. Care for Your Physical Health
If you’re feeling groggy or lethargic, chances are that this will impact your mental health because you’ll feel less productive and absent-minded. Take care of your physical health by prioritizing a great sleep routine, lots of water, and nutrient-rich meals. Don’t underestimate the power of eating lots of fruits, vegetables, and healthy grains. When you place the right fuel in your body, your brain and body will operate much better. The brain/gut connection shows that your internal stress can be directly linked to the quality of the food you consume. By eating well, sleeping well, and drinking lots of water, you can set yourself up for optimal mental health and less stress.
For many people, chaos and trauma are normal experiences. As a result, they don’t know how to fully exist in the abundance of peace. If this sounds like it could be you, you can intentionally change your experience, overcome internal stressors and create a beautifully peaceful life. This work isn’t the easiest because it requires you to change your habits and your mindset. However, when you do the work, you’ll reap some incredible results.