The weekend is here and this is the time to release stress and push that ‘refresh’ button of your mind. Here are some easy techniques to be stress-free, which can be useful to you even on other days too.

Meditate

A few minutes of practice per day can help ease anxiety. Research suggests that daily meditation may alter the brain’s neural pathways, making you more resilient to stress. It can produce a deep state of relaxation and a tranquil mind. During meditation, you should focus your attention and eliminate the thoughts that may be crowding your mind and causing the stress.

Breathe Deeply

Take a 5-minute break and focus on your breathing. The process is like this: Sit or lie flat in a comfortable position. Put one hand on your belly just below your ribs and the other hand on your chest. Take a deep breath in through your nose, and let your belly push your hand out. Breathe out through pursed lips as if you were whistling. Do this breathing 3 to 10 times. This helps in creating a peaceful breathing pattern and the brain gets more oxygen through this.

Be In The Present Moment

Take time out form overthinking and take one day at a time.Take 5 minutes and focus on only one behaviour with awareness. Notice how the air feels on your face when you’re walking and how your feet feel hitting the ground. Enjoy the texture and taste of each bite of food. When you spend time at the moment and focus on your senses, you should feel less tense. Try to observe little details in the present and your mind won’t be wandering for wrong reasons.

Try To Feel Your Body

Mentally scan your body to get a sense of how stress affects it each day. Lie on your back, or sit with your feet on the floor. Start at your toes and work your way up to your scalp, noticing how your body feels. For relaxation, try to listen to your heartbeat. Try to feel the blood in your veins. This exercise is really calming and a good way to release stress.

Music Therapy

Research shows that listening to soothing music can lower blood pressure, heart rate, and anxiety. “Create a playlist of songs or nature sounds (the ocean, a bubbling brook, birds chirping), and allow your mind to focus. There are many playlists available on youtube as well. So whenever you are feeling stressed, search for these melodies online and you will have so may option on the screen.

Here is a youtube music video that may help you: