Free your mind, and the rest will follow….. En Vogue? Was I the only one who thought of that when I read the title? (For those who don’t know who that is, you can YouTube the song, and I’ll try to forget the fact that I might be showing my age!)

The Numbers

Nothing can hold our minds captive more than stress. 1 in 4 Canadians consider their lives very stressful, and an online survey conducted in 2014 concluded that 47% of Canadians considered work the most stressful part of their lives.  There may be ways of improving work stress over time, or ultimately deciding that a change needs to be made, such as in "How to Fall in love with your job again". One important factor in managing stress, however, is the ability to free your mind and have a break from it.

Stress Management

Why is stress management so important? Stress can cause conditions that aren’t always pleasant to deal with. The most common short term effects of stress are:

• Muscle tension or pain.
• Chest pain.
• Change in sex drive.
• Stomach upset.
• Sleep problems.

With prolonged stress, the list grows more concerning. Chronic stress, when not managed, can lead to:

• Heart problems
• High blood pressure
• Susceptibility to infection
• Skin problems
• Pain
• Diabetes
• Infertility

Free Your Mind

One of the most effective ways to manage your stress is by meditation. Throughout this blog, we’ve discussed many different ways to meditate, and it’s not just ohm ohm ohm (“Catch a Wave”, “Colour me Calm”, “Off the Beaten Path: uncommon ways to reduce stress”, and “Meditate, Don’t Medicate”). If you aren’t too sure how to jump right in, there are also some great apps available on our apps page, under the section “Wellness Apps” http://gobelmont.ca/wellness-strategies/health-apps/ Another great way to free your mind is to trash your thoughts. At the end of your day on Friday (or whichever day of the week YOUR Friday is), take the time to write down a list of things from the week that are still bothering you… things you just haven’t been able to shake no matter how hard you’ve tried. After this, take a few minutes to read each thing you’ve written down. After each point you’ve made, think to yourself (and close your eyes if it helps!) “I am letting this go.” Do this for each item on your list. Once you have completed this, tear up the list into small pieces and throw them away. The physical act of discarding your thoughts will help you follow suit mentally, as well. This should help you enter into your weekend in a calmer state, where you can reap the full benefits of your time off… before Monday comes around and it starts all over again!

Let us know if you give this one a try, and how it worked for you!

 

Image by Shahariar Lenin from Pixabay

Source Url: http://gobelmont.ca/freeyourmind/