Where do you turn when your mind gets “rough”? When the turbulence gets loud and it gets difficult to think, let alone do anything? What can you do to help you ride out the storm? You don’t have to be into meditation, essential oils or incense to be able to find a way to calm things down.
1. Breathe
This may sound very simple, but we know that it’s not in practise. That said, sometimes it’s the simple tasks that can do the most to help lift our spirits, or at least lift enough of the mental fog.
There are several studies which are investigating the effect of our breath on your ability to calm your brain and function, as well as helping you sleep.
There are several great websites and apps for learning calming breathing techniques through guided sessions.
2. Music
There’s a good reason they say that music tames the savage beast. Music can also be used to find a place of comfort and a secure base where physical and emotional balance can be found.
This article written by a Music Therapist suggests you want to find music that has the following traits:
“The speed of the music should be relatively slow, the melody should be simple, and the beat and harmony should not hold too many surprises. Other factors, such as the complexity of the music and – surprisingly – familiarity with the piece, were not so important.
In fact, knowing a piece too well was found in some cases to be counterproductive. The genres most likely to support relaxation are classical, soft pop and certain types of world music. These are found to largely contain the musical elements necessary to help a person relax.
All of the major streaming services that have calming playlists on them. Just jump on your favourite and search.
3. Dance
If music can provide a path to calm, then it makes sense that dancing is also on this list. Dance can assist in emptying the body of tension caused by having a storm in your mind. Using music plus the physical exhaustion of energy can help bring your brain back to center.
So, how do you do it? Well, you could join a class and learn some dance basics. You can then apply this anytime you need the excuse to move.
The other alternative is to just let loose. It’ll be messy and look ugly, but it doesn’t need to look good to be effective. Put your favourite track on and just bop around to the music. Don’t try to make it look good, make it FEEL good. You won’t need long, stop when you feel yourself starting to get tired and then just let the waves of music ride their way over you while you sit back and enjoy the feeling of the music and dancing course your body.
Do you have any other great tips, tricks or hacks to help get your brain back to neutral? Why not drop us a line via email, or hit us up via Facebook or Instagram and share your secrets.