Hello, everyone! Hopefully you have had a nice week, and are getting into at least somewhat of a routine during these unprecedented times. From what I have heard from other students, some of us may have our first exams this week, and coupled with our continued adjustment to college, the worsening pandemic, and other outside stressors, many of us are probably feeling a bit overwhelmed! However, that also means that it is important to work on building a self-care routine – I’d like to talk today about some simple mindfulness techniques that you can implement into that routine, and that you can use to help manage your stress during these challenging times!
Now, it’s important to keep in mind that not all stress is bad – feeling challenged and outside your comfort zone helps you grow; it’s when you feel overwhelmed and are spiraling into a state of panic/anxiety, that you should take a step back and practice some of these techniques. Engaging in the following practices, as well as the short ones from last week’s post will also assist in gauging when you feel overwhelmed and need a moment of “me time.” These new practices go directly together, and you will be able to see why when you try this for yourself! It can be done in as little as three minutes, so it’s definitely worth a try when you have a spare moment.
Figure 1-1. Time. Isabelle Grosjean
First, you want to start with a full body scan – put yourself in a comfortable position, and close your eyes. Start with a few deep breaths… again, there is no wrong way to do this, and you can change this to what works best for you! I personally prefer to count up to about four while inhaling, and then count down from about six while exhaling. After three or four breaths (or more, if you’d like), you should feel that you are in a calmer state. Once you have achieved this, begin noticing your body… you can work your way from your head to toes, or the opposite. Feel for stiffness and tension, and with each breath, focus on letting that tension go – doing this process will help relax your body. While you perform this process, try to notice if your mind is wandering. If it is, gently guide it back to the mindful practice at hand, and let any unpleasant thoughts go. If you’d like, you can even silently repeat a mantra or two to yourself – “I have enough time” and “I am in control” have both worked for me, and you are welcome to try others that come to mind as well! When you feel that you have scanned your entire body and are relaxed, you can either exit the practice, or continue for as long as you’d like. Any amount of time will be of benefit.
Figure 1-2. Dandelion. Nick Wignall
This technique is essentially a form of meditation, and like the other mindfulness exercises, it encourages self-awareness and allows you to slow down and let your body heal. Even just doing deep breathing before big presentations, for example, helps me to calm down and to increase my focus. I should also mention that this is not the only way to engage in meditation/mindfulness. There are so many other forms of meditation and body relaxation, and there are some great guides out there to help you. Mindfulness apps are a wonderful resource – I personally like to use Calm for guided meditations. And again – all it really takes is about three to five minutes, and when faced with so many challenges, that three to five minutes can really make all the difference.
I found this blog post to be so helpful, especially during this time of the school year with our first exams. I have three exams next week, and I can say that I am definitely a little overwhelmed. Mediation is a great way to relax and release some of my stress. Sometimes, when we have too much stress, it can lead to unproductiveness. This post made me realize the important of mindfulness when I am feeling overwhelmed. I definitely want to implement more meditation into my routine and try out some of your suggestions!
Another week another great post! I like how you pointed out that not all stress is essentially bad. I often produce my best work in my most stressed out times and like that it does motivate me to do something about what is stressing me out. I took a mindfulness class in high school which incorporated a lot of yoga and meditation and the practice that you suggested was one that we did weekly! I often notice even when I am out if I am unknowingly clenching my teeth or even remaining rigid for too long. It is really relaxing and soothing to just take a deep breath and learn your body. Since I have come to college and been exposed to new people, food, environments I have begun to learn what. my body does and does not like. I am going to do this tonight as I need some much needed time to myself.
I love these blog posts! I am always stressing way too much, so these are so helpful for me. I have actually tried some of these out, and let me tell you, they help. I am always in need of some peace in my life. Listening to what you have said so far, it’s definitely helped. I am trying to do these more often, but honestly sometimes I just forget. I forget often, but when I do remember, I always feel so much better afterwards.