1 - Seven Tips To Improve Your Mental Balance
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a powerful effect on our lives. As a result, we face new challenges that can be stressful, overwhelming, and cause strong emotions.
According to the Center for Sociological Research (CIS), "from the beginning of the pandemic to the present day 6.4% of the population has gone to a mental health professional for some type of symptom" "more than 50% of the population has felt some type of sadness or anxiety."
Now, it seems that we see the light at the end of the tunnel, but it is clear that the wear and tear we suffer is important.
To prevent all these feelings from paralyzing, incorporate several of these tips into your routine to improve mental balance. This way, you will recover your strength and vitality to face new challenges:
Eat Chocolate
Surely you are used to eating without thinking, without feeling, and most of the time without tasting. So take advantage of this time of continuous changes to enjoy the foods you like the most and eat with full attention.
Take time to chew, chew, chew and try to savor every bite you eat. Savoring food is a fascinating exercise. However, if you do it correctly, dedicating time to the swallowing process so that the food gives you back all its flavors, it can become an absolute pleasure.
For example, take a piece of chocolate and place it in your mouth, closing your eyes, taste it slowly and spend a few minutes to feel its texture and discover its aromas and flavors. Most chocolates contain a wide range of up to 300 flavors; how many are you able to find?
Enjoy Nature
How long has it been since you've enjoyed a quiet walk in nature?
Although we are governed by natural light and the seasons, human beings have been gradually moving away from nature; we spend much of our lives in small air-conditioned spaces illuminated with artificial light.
For this reason, nature can seem distant and unknown, although it is really close and wonderful. If you do not have time to go to the countryside or the mountains, something very simple and pleasant that you can do is to walk through a park near your home.
Plan this walk as an experiment in nature. That is, without a cell phone, stroll, without marking time to return. Enjoy the colors, smells, sounds, and sensations that you observe.
You will see how this walk will have a spectacular effect on you, increase your tranquility and energy, and improve your mood, filling you with a feeling of happiness.
Breath, Breath, Breath
Breathing deeply helps the body oxygenate better and releases stress, anxiety, frustration, and negativity.
There are different breathing techniques, but the one I recommend is very easy to perform in a couple of minutes.
Alternate Breathing: This technique consists of inhaling alternating (4 times) each of our nostrils. It is simple breathing, and its realization can induce a state of calm and relaxation very beneficial for your body and mind.
Sitting comfortably and without crossing your legs, cover your right nostril with your right thumb and inhale slowly and deeply. To release the air, plug the left nostril and exhale through the right nostril.
Do Something You Really Like
To feel happy, you must be comfortable with what you do. An excellent strategy to achieve this state is to share tasks with your family.
If each family member takes care of the task that they like the most, you will be able to do the one you like the most with love. In addition, you will have more time to do an activity that you enjoy even more.
Another interesting strategy to reactivate the feeling of joy is to do something unpredictable or unplanned. For example, reading your favorite book, listening to music, or immersing yourself in a movie will help you forget the routine and stimulate you positively.
Choose Your Mantra
It is a syllable or word that is repeated during meditation and can be spoken, chanted, whispered, or repeated in your mind either in Sanskrit or in the language you speak.
The basic and primordial mantra is AUM, pronounced "OM" and is connected to the force of creation, uniting spirit and matter through the power of Love.
When you pronounce the word or mantra you connect with the emotions and meanings that word carries. And when you pronounce a mantra you are creating a vibration in your body that helps you connect with your deepest SELF and with the vibration of creation.
It has multiple benefits and will help you to calm and quiet your mind by bringing your attention to something else outside of your thoughts.
Practice Gratitude
The idea is to feel grateful for everything you have, your family, friends, health, love, or whatever is important to you. The best thing is that gratitude is associated with well-being and those who practice it feel more optimistic and pleased with their lives.
It is very easy, you can start practicing gratitude like this:
- Give thanks every day for everything you have.
- Say thank you when someone helps you or praises you.
- Smile to yourself and to others.
- Redirect your thoughts.
- Help someone else.
- Show gratitude instead of anger.
- Give thanks even for the negative things in life, because problems are really an opportunity to grow and learn.
Get a good night's sleep.
Sleeping well is essential to feeling good and being healthy.
An excellent way to begin to sleep and rest better is through conscious breathing. For this, diaphragmatic or abdominal breathing works effortlessly, and if you practice it every night 15 minutes before going to sleep, you will notice its effects from the first day.
Technique. Lying in bed, start by placing one hand on your abdomen and breathe deeply, constantly breathing in and out through your nose. You will notice how the abdomen swells and deflates with each inhalation and exhalation. Each time you are invaded by a thought, consciously resume breathing.
"The best meditation is to sleep," Dalai Lama.
Take care of yourself and make the most of life. Make small changes and see how your mental health improves. Why don't you start today?
With lots of love,
Silvia
