We forget to live in the "here and now" and savor the moment.
Relaxation is the body’s antidote for the stress response.
Relaxation lowers blood pressure, respiration, and pulse rates.
Combining several techniques, for example, deep breathing exercises, muscle relaxation and meditation, can significantly lower stress levels.
They also elevate mood and improve concentration and ability to focus.
--> Try these activities so you can relax & find your happy state of mind:
Savor the moment-
Go for a walk or do an activity and use all of your senses to to dwell in the moment. (Turn your cell phone, TV, computer, music and other distractions off.) Do you hear birds, wind? Do you smell anything? Really look at your environment and feel the textures of objects around you. If you are eating, what does the food taste like? Focus on the here and now and not your worries or to-do list.
Visualization-
Picture in your mind a favorite safe and peaceful place. (A beach, pool, waterfall, mountain cabin etc.) Try to imagine details and different senses about the scene. Imagine experiencing the scene in different ways.
Take 10 deep breaths with your eyes closed. This can be done anywhere & at any time.
Do some light stretching. Roll your head, bend and touch your toes etc.
Progressive muscle relaxation-
Try tensing your facial muscles by scrunching up your face for 5 seconds & then relax, repeat 3 times; repeat by clenching your jaw and releasing 3 times; then move to your neck muscles, to your shoulders (hunch up and down), your arms, hands (squeeze fist), your stomach, legs, and on down your body to your feet and toes by tensing muscles and then relaxing them.
Meditate-
There are many techniques for meditation. Try this simple breathing meditation- Observe your chest, shoulders, rib cage and belly. Make no effort to control your breath; simply focus your attention on your breathing. If your mind wanders, simply return your focus back to your breath. Maintain this meditation practice for 2–3 minutes to start, and then try it for longer periods. You can try focusing on your favorite color during the breathes as well, having the color become more vibrant as you breathe in and fade as you breathe out.
Take a yoga or tai chi class.
Aromatherapy-
Close your eyes and relax your body while you concentrate on a soothing scent from a candle or oil. Take deep breathes in through your nose and out through your mouth.
Listen to peaceful music.
Have the music be the focus and not just background noise while you do another activity.
Find an opportunity tolaugh.
Flow State- Find an activity that puts you in a flow state. This means you are so focused on an enjoyable task where you lose sense of time passing. You become focused on something positive and release your mind temporarily from worries and problems. The type of activity is different for everybody. What is yours? Share with someone.
Of course adequate sleep, regular exercise/physical activity, and healthy eating are important as well.
Sometimes life hands you more than just minor or temporary irritations or problems.
You may have to deal with really serious, heavy stuff.
This is where you need resiliency.
Being resilient means:
You are always learning & growing.
You refuse to be passive and accept difficulty as destiny.
You remain committed to your values when tempted to compromise.
You can find purpose & meaning even in adversity.
You don't give up hope.
Story of resiliency from the book "Man's Search for Meaning" Author, Victor Frankle was a Viennese psychiatrist who survived the Nazi death camps at Auschwitz and Treblinka. He discovered that the imprisoned person who no longer had a goal or found a way to find meaning in his life by having gratitude, connecting, and giving, was unlikely to survive.
He wrote: "We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken away from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms- to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's way. The way in which a man accepts his fate and all the suffering that it entails... gives him ample opportunity- even in the most difficult of circumstances- to add a deeper meaning to his life."
** If you are finding it difficult to be resilient, talk to a trusted adult to help you discover your self-worth, purpose and hope! It is there!