The semester has barely begun and I don’t know about you, but I’m already feeling frazzled and overwhelmed. One of my New Year’s resolutions is to be more mindful and I’ve found that practicing mindfulness actually helps with my stress and anxiety. Check out five of my favorite mindfulness tips to help you destress and unwind when the going gets tough.
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Meditate
I was skeptical of meditation at first, I really was, but then I started trying out some random apps or just youtubing a meditation session and let me tell you, even just five minutes of sitting cross legged on the floor works can do you wonders. Check these apps out here, here and here.
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Make a List
I’m an absolute skank for a good list. Grab yourself some filly paper or just a napkin and make a list. It shouldn’t be a todo list or anything like that, try to do something like “ten things I did today that made me happy” or “five things to remember when I’m feeling anxious.”
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Stretch it Out
If you’re anything like me the upside down-dog face-beetle pose (or what ever real yoga poses are called) don’t come very easy. Give chair yoga a try. It’s a bit more ~approachable~
Check out these easy moves to help you loosen up.
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Tidy Up
Sometimes the chair, you know what chair I’m talking about, gets so piled up with clothes and blankets and god knows what else, that you can’t even begin to focus in your own space. I’m a cleaner on all levels (stress, procrastination, bored, etc) so this is something I do for fun, but I’m telling you, a clean desk, where every pencil and pen has found its mason jar, where every stack of post-it notes is evenly stacked, and that framed selfie of you and your besties has been dusted, man there’s nothing better. Sitting down at one of those bad boys, cracking out a paper, sis there’s nothing you can’t do.
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Breathe
So breathing… literally everyone does it. EveryTHING does it, but there are ways to breathe to help relieve stress, get to sleep and even improve focus! I’m telling ya, this shit’s wild. Once a week/whenever I need it and it seriously makes a difference. Letting your thoughts float away and really focusing on your breathing innards is kind of magical. Give these a go!