Simple ways you can keep calm during these troubling times
Mental health awareness is becoming increasingly important in modern times. Our social relationships, career, and quality of life can be affected by our mental health. It's vital to develop the emotional skills necessary to cope with fear, anxiety, hysteria, and depression all around us. These emotions put us under immense amounts of stress and can affect our reactions to unforeseen events.
Fortunately, we can prevent stress from taking over our lives. Ease your mind by using some of our tips to keep calm during these troubling times.
Keep Your Mind Clear and Rational
Having cluttered thoughts and being easily swayed by mass chaos can be detrimental to your mental health. We encounter calamities and hear troubling news regularly, and we should have the power to take things objectively and rationally.
Mass hysteria can cripple not just a community but also your train of thought as well. When you keep your line of thinking straight and clear and look at the situation rationally, you can remain calm even if you find yourself in strange situations. The last time we saw such widespread panic was during the 2012 end of the world event where millions of people believed the world would end based on the Mayan Calendar. The increased solar activity at the time gave scientific credence to the hoax and increased media coverage increased the visibility and authority of the baseless claims.
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The COVID-19 pandemic has caused instances of hysteria for those in heavily affected areas. Many people panicked at the onset of the pandemic due to news, speculations, and social media posts that were not grounded in fact or had scientific bases.
Take a Deep Breath
Taking a deep breath can help relieve the butterflies in your stomach when your mind is troubled by adverse situations. Practice deep breathing as a way of calming yourself when something or someone is troubling you.
Take an extended, deep breath through your nose for about five to six seconds, and then release your breath as you exhale through your mouth. Repeat the process up to 10 times, and you’ll start to feel relaxed on the fourth exhale. By the tenth exhale, you already feel relieved and calm.
Deep abdominal breathing increases the oxygen supply to your brain. This promotes full oxygen exchange, where incoming oxygen is traded for outgoing carbon dioxide. It stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system to promote a feeling of calmness. It also stabilizes your blood pressure and normalizes your heartbeat.
Constructively Release Your Anxiety or Anger
Bottling up your negative thoughts and emotions can be detrimental to your overall health. The adverse effects not only manifest in your mental health and emotional health but also your physical health. While it is good that we practice self-restraint as a sign of maturity, it’s also a good thing to release the pent-up negativity from our minds, but in a constructive way.
Instead of lashing out or venting your anger on other people, put that negative emotional energy to good use by exercising. Do some running, cycling, weightlifting, or an intense workout until your body releases serotonin to calm you down and help you feel better.
Listen to Relaxing Music
Listening to relaxing music has long been an effective therapy for anxiety and other negative thoughts and emotions. Music helps the autonomic nervous system produce calming sensations to the listener as it occupies the brain with positive mental images. When you feel like your anxiety level is rising or you are about to blow a fuse, take your headphones, and listen to relaxing tunes or playlists.
Slow, classical music is recommended to help collect your thoughts, clear your mind, and explore your emotions. So sit back, relax, and like what Huey Lewis sings in Cruisin’, let the music take your mind.
Life shouldn’t be wasted on negative thoughts, feelings, and emotions. We can learn how to redirect them and turn them into something constructive. When you regularly practice positivity in your life, you can learn to effectively manage and counteract the negativity that distressing and troubling situations may bring.
