A quick summary:
Many different factors in life can cause stress and anxiety. These feelings can negatively affect you both physically and mentally as well as have an impact on your relationships with those around you. That said, there are many different methods to overcome anxiety and stress as much as you can. We’ll save you from some of the guesswork with these suggestions:
Practice mindfulness
Being mindful means that you are more reflective than reactive, and that you are focused on the present. Mindfulness is the process that can lead you to a certain mental state where you have a non-judgmental awareness of your present sensations, bodily states, environment, thoughts, and other current experiences. This way, you can distance yourself from feelings and thoughts without identifying them as bad or good.
But does it work? Mindfulness lets you focus on what’s happening now or the present moment, so it may counteract worrying and rumination. Anxiety and stress can be caused by worrying about what’s going to happen next or in the future and deeply thinking about the past. Although you should learn from your past and know how to plan ahead, spending too much time worrying about it is already a dysfunctional thinking process, which can lead to anxiety and depression. In that case, mindfulness might be able to reel you back to the present moment.
Through mindfulness, you can learn to respond to stress more effectively as it keeps you aware of what is currently happening. This way, you won’t be prone to acting instinctively and being unaware of the motives or emotions that are influencing your decision-making. Mindfulness teaches awareness for your mental and physical state in the moment, so it conditions you to have adaptive reactions when facing difficult situations.
The power of Yoga
Mindfulness is a natural aspect of yoga. Together, they quieten your mind to encourage a deeper understanding of and connection to the self. They teach you to pay attention to your bodily sensations, focus on your breath, and learn to be accepting of the current moment. Yoga is a great exercise which is also essential to relieve stress and anxiety. When you exercise or do any physical activity, your brain produces endorphins, which work like natural painkillers and give you an overall sense of being well, leading to feelings of reduced stress and anxiousness.
Take some time to meditate
Mindfulness and meditation overlap with many similarities, but they are not the same practice. Meditation uses focus to increase calmness, awareness and balance. A few minutes of meditation a day can reduce stress and bring inner peace.
Meditation can be practiced anywhere by anyone! It is simple, inexpensive and doesn’t require any equipment. Auro provide meditations for whatever your lifestyle – whether you are out on a walk, on public transport or just need to take some time out at home, we have a meditation for you. When you meditate, you gain new perspective for situations, clear your head, increase your self-awareness and focus on the present, bringing you a sense of peace and balance.
New to yoga and meditation?
Get yourself an audio personal trainer like Auro to gain access to a qualified instructor. This lets you practice yoga and mindfulness at home, at the gym, or on the go while being guided by a professional. At Auro, we believe that feeling good on the inside should be prioritised over how you look on the outside. This year has been tough on us all, which is why we want to spread awareness of our classes to help manage stress and anxiety.
