How to Take Time Each Day to Calm the Mind

Everyone occasionally feels worn out and overwhelmed by life and all that it entails. If you find yourself lying in bed awake at night with racing thoughts and feelings of intense panic, you may benefit by taking some time out of your day to calm your mind and manage your stress. Work on your personal well-being and health by gaining a sense of inner calm and relaxation.

Instructions

• 1

  Take a walk to give you some time to clear your mind and collect your thoughts. After a walk, you may find that you can go back to tough life situations with a better and more balanced point of view. Temporarily escape the problems of your life every day by going for daily walks. Establish a set routine for your walks. For example, tell yourself that you will walk for half an hour before or after work.

• 2

  Put your mind at ease by envisioning situations that make you smile, whether you are sitting at your office cubicle or on your sofa at home. Shut your eyes, keep your body open and loose and picture things that conjure up warmth and happiness for you, such as your grandmother baking chocolate chip cookies for you as a child or watching waves crashing on the sandy beach.

• 3

  Focus on breathing by thinking about each breath you take in. Count all of your breaths and make a point to inhale and exhale slowly and deeply.

• 4

  Confide in someone by sharing your deepest feelings with her. Talk about your biggest fears, what you want to happen and what keeps you up at night. Ask the other person if she ever feels the same way. Find some common ground and realize that you are not alone in how you feel.

• 5

  Enjoy a hot bath daily as a form of relaxation. Not only can taking a bath provide you some quiet time to absorb all of your thoughts, it also is a form of heat therapy and can help ease stiff and aching muscles and joints.

• 6

  Release stress by partaking in cardiovascular activity at the gym. Some examples of cardio exercise are running or jogging on the treadmill, using the elliptical trainer, climbing stairs and riding a stationary bicycle. Engage in some vigorous cardiovascular exercise to increase your "feel good" serotonin levels. Not only will exercise calm you down and help your mood, it will also enhance your health and help you lose any unnecessary weight.

• 7

  Meditate by sitting back, closing your eyes and repeating a comforting sentence or word to yourself. Go to a quiet spot in which other people cannot interrupt or distract you. For instance, say to yourself over and over "Everything is going to be all right." This type of meditation can be beneficial for preventing stressful and anxiety-ridden thoughts from taking over your mind.