If you’re feeling a tad stressed because you have an overbearing boss demanding that you meet unreasonable targets or your home is too cluttered, or your kids are ruling the roost, you need to begin to take a step back. Being in the center of stress can make the condition chronic leading to high blood pressure, heart problems and poor eating habits. Consider what it is that you love to do when you have half an hour to yourself and endeavor to do it. There are plenty of activities for you to have a go at that inherently make you calmer, more refreshed and help to feed your soul.
Yoga
Don’t think that you have to be a dreadlocked commune dwelling individual who adores incense sticks in order to become a student of yoga or pilates. Yoga and pilates are fantastic gentle forms of exercise that can leave you feeling surprisingly worn out as you concentrate on your posture, movement and breathing. While you might not be working up a sweat like you would be on a treadmill, you are focusing more on your mind and your well being. By concentrating on your breathing, you can channel your negative thoughts and energies out of your mind to be replaced with a feeling of contentment. Pilates and yoga allow you to relinquish your negative feelings and replace them with more positive and actionable thoughts.
Read
There’s nothing better than curling up on a comfy chair and reading a book. This doesn’t mean an e-reader or a Kindle but an actual book made of pages that you have to turn. The traditional old school method of reading a novel, a biography or a non-fiction text is great for the soul. For half an hour a day, you can immerse yourself into a story on a whole new level of consciousness. It doesn’t matter whether you adore chick-lit, dystopian novellas or nineteenth century classics, find something that you love and just read to take your mind off of your stress.
So Anything New
Finding a new passion can enthuse you and give you something to look forward to on those stressful days. If you’ve always fancied learning a new language, book yourself on a Japanese taster session. If you want to learn the piano, find a music teacher local to you. Or if you are keen to get more active, join a gym or try out a team sport. By doing something new, you are focusing your mind on learning new skills. When you’re in the office on a Thursday afternoon working through payroll, you can feel content in the knowledge that your art class is that evening. Having something to enjoy just for yourself can bring you a sense of joy and improve your self esteem.
Stress has always been a common condition that most people feel at some point in their lives. Usually, the feelings of stress are acute and short lived. However, when they become chronic, you need to take more proactive steps to overcome the negative thoughts. Try one or two of these activities and feed your soul.
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