Nishall’s Blog

Relax your mind!

WE all lead busy lives. In today’s world, it’s as if it’s a badge of honour. Always rushing to the next thing. Working late to meet that deadline to please a boss or client. Driving from one place to the other.

With all of the busy-ness that fills our days, weeks and months, our mental space begins to fill simultaneously. Internal thinking begins to pile high collecting dust. Stress and anxiety begin to form, ultimately, transcending into our outer world. Our days become even busier with stress and anxiety layered on top.

This is especially true during times of personal struggle. Our mental space becomes so cluttered with thoughts of reality, sprinkled in with fictitious inner-ramblings that we often find it hard to decipher between the two.

Here are some tips to help you do that.

1. Keep a gratitude log

Gratitude is appreciating what you have. It’s saying that what you have is enough. Taking time every day to consider your blessings will help bring balance to your life. It’s hard to be grateful and angry at the same time.

Spend five minutes every day to note/think of at least five things you’re grateful for. Some ideas: time with a friend, an award at school, your seatbelt, your breath, the colours in the park, and even the nourishing beauty of a rainy day.

2. Laugh

Laughter has been proven to be the best medicine for relieving stress. It eases defensiveness, lightens your emotional load, and lifts the stress off your shoulders. It brings balance to your psyche because laughter is presence.

Practice not taking yourself so seriously and laugh more often. Really laugh. A deep, hearty, Santa laugh. Watch comedies, hang out with funny friends, go to a comedy club, or play with your kids or your dog. With so many options, stress doesn’t stand a chance.

3. Zone out

Take time to rest your mind every day. Let your mind shut off from having to process, apply, or interpret information. This means no TV, no conversation, no reading, and no problem-solving.
Take a break from the chores, from the duties of the day. Let the breath come and go naturally, and the eyes roam wherever they want.

Look at the trees sway, the clouds float, the stars shimmer. Afterwards, when it comes time to work, you’ll find focus more easily than before your mini-retreat.

4. Control your media intake

Watching or listening to anything and everything just because it’s on doesn’t bode well for your psyche. Subtle opinions, biases, and judgments creep into your mind and embed thought structures. Oblivious, you then form opinions that aren’t your own, simply because you heard it on the radio.

Start really paying attention to the noise that you let seep into your eyes and ears. Ask, is this benefitting my life in any way?

5. Get creative

As often as possible, connect with your inner child by exploring your imagination. Let curiosity lead. When it comes to opportunities to get creative, there are plenty! A few of idea: doing puzzles, colouring, drawing, singing, dancing, and even making a meal from scratch.

The point is to get lost in awe and wonder what you did at five years old. When you achieve that feeling from a certain activity, keep doing it!

6. Exercise

Move. Sweat. Stretch. Get active and get your endorphins going! Exercise helps control your weight, prevent illness, boost energy, and improve your mood. It helps you sleep better, feel better, and focus better.

Find an activity that inspires you to raise your heart rate—dance, yoga, martial arts, running, walking, whatever. If you maintain some level of frequent activity, it will serve your health and well-being for years to come.

7. Get clear on your priorities

To figure out your top priorities, list your goals, your motivations, and those relationships that matter most to you. Then rank them in order of importance to your well-being. These are the things, respectively, that you’ll want to spend the most time on.

Evaluate anything that comes between you and your priorities—is it worth you compromising on what matters most?

8. Do something kind for another person

The late Zig Ziglar said, “You’ll get everything you want if you help others get what they want.” Whatever we feel is lacking in a situation is something we’re not giving. And anytime we feel lack or longing, we’re out of balance.

Sounds counterintuitive, but if you want to see more of something in your life, start giving that thing away—be it love, money, or attention.

Make it a point every day to be kind with your actions, your words, and especially your thoughts.
If you don’t feel genuinely moved to lend a helping hand or pass along a compliment, simply smile instead. That act alone is enough to improve your mood and clear the mental blockage between you and compassion.

9. Let go

Since when does worrying get you anywhere? Release those useless, negative thoughts of worry. When we do this regularly, we drastically reduce the amount of “stuff” that needs our attention and depletes our energy.

Drawers and cabinets are not the only areas that need tidying. Our minds are full of thoughts in the form of judgments, expectations, and fears that blind us from the truth. Try monitoring your mind and replacing negative thoughts with positive ones. You’ll soon notice a change in your entire outlook on life.

Decluttering your mental space uncovers the truth that sits within you, most times buried under the unnecessary. As your truth emerges and you begin to live life through it a sense of lightness takes over. Meaning and purpose ensue.

Our inner world is often the thing that gets neglected, even though it’s the very things feeding our outer world. As you might look to declutter your physical possessions, pause and pay attention to your inner dialogue. Maybe, just maybe, your next task is decluttering your mental clutter.