Unwind with Your Mind

A blog covering ways to relax your mind and body.

Have you ever found yourself so stressed out that you don’t know what to do? Or maybe your life is so hectic, you can’t seem to relax. Sitting down for a long hot bath might be the cure for your blues, but maybe you want to try something different. Unwind with Your Mind seeks to help you find activities that can help you relax physically and mentally. We want to help you wind down, unwind, relax, take a deep breath!

Take a breath now

Breathing is a skill that you can learn with time and practice. It is a tool, a powerful one, for staying calm in the face of stress and pain. One way to learn how to breathe properly is to follow your breath from the moment you inhale to when you exhale. This may sound simplistic, but it actually works! When you really focus on your breathing, you will notice a number of things:

Breath has a rhythm. Inhale for a count of 4, pause for a count of 2, exhale for a count of 4, pause again for a count of 2. The rhythm is easygoing. You don’t have to get the timing exactly right; just follow it as best you can. The breath moves air into and out of your body at all times. Even when you’re not taking full breaths, the air is moving in and out of your nose and mouth.

Exercise to release tension

There is a difference between tension and stress. Tension is the result of anxiety, worry, frustration, anger, and fear. Stress can be caused by tension but is not synonymous with it. Exercise releases endorphins that combat the negative effects of tension and stress. It helps your body eliminate toxins and replenishes energy supplies. Exercise also improves your memory and your ability to focus your attention. Even if you are physically tired, you will feel less tense after exercise because it increases blood flow to the brain (which allows oxygen to boost your mental acuity).

Keep a journal to figure out what you’re thinking about

Journaling is a great way to help you figure out what’s on your mind and why. It allows you to focus on the thoughts and events in your life, analyze them and gain a better understanding of yourself.

Journaling can be done in many different ways:

1. Writing your thoughts down on paper: This is an old-fashioned but effective method for journaling. It allows you to put your thoughts and feelings into words and helps you gain clarity about what’s on your mind.

2. Writing on a computer: Journaling on a computer is quick, easy, and portable. Evernote, a software program that stores notes from emails, web pages, and other information in one place, is a popular choice for journalers who want to go paperless.

3. Voice recording: Recording your thoughts using voice recognition software allows you to keep a permanent record of your thoughts without having to worry about spelling mistakes or losing your notes.

4. Video recording: Some people find that they speak more freely when they’re not confined to writing by hand or typing on a keyboard. A webcam is all you need to get started with video journaling.

Read outside of your preferred genre

Reading outside of your favorite genres helps you get out of any negative thought patterns that have formed in your mind. It also allows you to see the same topic from a new perspective. This helps expand the scope of what is possible for your life. When you read outside of your preferred genre, you might like or dislike certain aspects of that book or series that you wouldn’t have thought about before. If you dislike something, keep reading anyway. Understanding why something isn’t for you is just as important as understanding why it is.

When you are able to see things from new perspectives, it helps reduce stress and anxiety. You will start to feel more hopeful about the future, which can help change negative thought patterns into positive ones.