Ways to Clear Your Mind of Stress

Read the article below. 

Stress was never meant to be a 24/7 experience. As Stanford professor Robert Sapolsky explains, you’re only supposed to feel stressed in the five minutes right before you die. That stress response is supposed to be short-lived because it wears down your body, your health, and your energy. It also impacts things like your emotional intelligence and your decision-making. If you want to get the most out of yourself in terms of your productivity, creativity, and innovation or just solving the basic problems of life that you’re faced with—calm is the key. Remember that a clear mind is a healthy, productive mind.

First, learn the process of breathing. Our breathing is a powerful way for us to regulate our emotions, and it is something we take for granted. Through your breath, you can activate your parasympathetic nervous system—the calming response in your body. Using your breath, you can change how you feel. Next is self-compassion. It is the ability to be mindful of your emotions that are going on inside whenever you fail at something. Self-compassion also involves understanding that everyone makes mistakes and that it’s part of being human. It is the ability to speak to yourself the way you would speak to a friend who just failed.

Connection is also part of clearing our minds. Our greatest human need, after food and shelter, is to connect with other people positively. When we face adversity, research suggests that our relationships and community have an important role to play in our resilience. Lastly, compassion for others. When we feel compassion, our heart rate goes down and our parasympathetic nervous system is more activated. Kindness and compassion can also help protect us from adversity. Cultivating calm isn’t about avoiding every kind of stressful emotion. When we make time to breathe, connect, and care, some of the negative feelings we’ve been running from might catch up with us.