However hard we try to stay positive and look after ourselves, we can often find ourselves in a slump that can be hard to flip out of easily. Sometimes, we just have to take a step back, practise a little extra self care and hit that reset button to get ourselves back on track. Whether you're fully practised in living a more positive life or taking the 'fake it 'til you make it' approach, it's so important to pause and take action when needed. Here's five ways that you can 'reset' your mind when you find yourself buckling under the pressures of every day life.
Share, talk, brain dump...
By sharing what's on our mind (often called a brain dump), we can instantly relieve ourselves of some of the stress and weight carried by negative thoughts. Carrying all our worries without releasing them means they just build up and up and become far worse than they need to be. Although sharing doesn't necessarily always lead to the problem or worry going away, it can bring with it support, reduced stress and means that whatever is weighing your mind down can be rearranged in a more manageable way making it easier to cope with. If you don't feel like talking to a real person, you could just keep a journal, write a blog or even just talk out loud when you're by yourself to get the words out there.
Take the reins, say no...
Take control of your own life. If you feel like you are being pulled in different directions, taking on too much or saying yes to more things than you can cope with, take the reins back on your life and stop. Say no to things you know will have a negative impact on you and your well being, even if only for a short time. Realign those things in your life that have gone off track and try your best to only take on realistic amounts that you can comfortably cope with. Even though some things we have no choice but to take on, it's important when you're in a reset stage to minimise external stresses and put yourself first.
Relax, take a nap, meditate...
Putting the brakes on your life and simply doing nothing for a short time can make the world of difference. Enjoying the sound of silence, focusing on long deep breaths or listening to sounds/music that make you truly relax can all help. For a little digital help, there's apps for mindfulness exercises, basic meditation and peaceful sounds. In the busiest of lives, with the busiest of minds, there's nothing quite like stopping completely to help reset your mind.
Find the happy, find your happy...
Gratitude is hugely important and by noticing the happy things around you and focusing on the positives, you can soon bring your worries into perspective. Find things that make you happy, embrace nature, get stuck into your hobbies, escape into a book or spend time with people that make you feel at your best. Happiness and positives are everywhere, but we do sometimes have to look a little harder through the fog to find them.
Self care, self care and more self care...
By looking after ourselves we make ourselves stronger, happier and more in control. In turn, we can then care for others better, absorb the happiness of others and project more kindness into the world. By being well rested, staying healthy and doing things that make us smile we can build ourselves back up have our mind focused on what really matters.
By practising these five simple tips, you can soon rise out of a slump and reset your mind. This will give you some simple focus on what matters, bring you back to the present and help to shed some of the mental weight we carry needlessly from day to day.
