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5 Effective Ways to Calm the Mind

By Operation-Meditation

We are bombarded from all sides with all kinds of noises and visuals that produce nothing but disquietude: from the movies we see, from the billboards and advertisements we encounter on the road to work, from colleagues or classmates whose idea of a good time is wreaking havoc on someone else’s life. As we are constantly under siege, the most productive thing we can do is find effective, lasting ways to calm the mind, and everything else will just fall in their right place. Check out the following suggestions and see which works best for you.

1. Meditate

Finding a quiet, calm spot in your home and spending a few minutes each day engaging in meditation is your best first step. Regular daily meditation can work wonders on your mental, emotional and physical well-being, and this is due to its scientifically proven mechanism. Countless studies have shown that meditation increases the body’s production of certain hormones that are responsible for making us feel good or free from worry, such as endorphins, GABA, DHEA and melatonin. Having low levels of these neurochemicals is directly linked to depression, anxiety and other disorders, whereas elevated levels (often achieved through meditation) leave us feeling good, calm and rested.

2. Breathe deeply and slowly

While breathing deeply and slowly is often linked with meditation (in fact, deep breathing is an essential part of meditation), you can also use deep breathing as one of the quick, effective ways to calm the mind. You can do this wherever you are, whatever you may be doing. One popular deep breathing technique is the 30-second breathing exercise: breathe deeply and slowly through your nostrils, then also exhale slowly through your mouth. Do this for 30 seconds, and you’ll immediately feel a whole world of difference. Repeat as necessary.

3. Help others

Helping others is a mutually beneficial endeavor—it helps the recipient of your good deed, and you also feel good. And when you feel good, you’re calmer than ever. Indeed, it is one of the best ways to calm the mind as you are compelled to think more about the other person than about your own anxieties. You can start by helping out one of your friends in need. You can also volunteer at the local shelter, or join a local socio-civic club that raises funds to help the poor and the needy. If you can integrate the idea of helping others in your daily life, that would be much better. When you wake up in the morning and think, “What can I do for someone today?” Then you’re on the right path.

4. Take a walk

Just go out there and start walking. Don’t worry about direction or destination. The process is what’s important. If you feel as if your head is full of worries and thoughts, walking has always been proven among the best ways to calm the mind. What’s more, walking has many benefits—it gives you a good cardio workout, lets you breathe in some fresh air, the sights along your route can calm you down and take your attention away from what worries you, and, like other forms of exercise, it boosts the production of certain feel-good hormones or neurochemicals. And at the end of your walk, you will find that what previously seemed like a gigantic problem has been whittled down to its actual size.

5. Listen to good music

There are people who listen to love songs from the 1970s whenever they want to relax. There are those who like classical music by Mozart, Vivaldi or Beethoven. But the point is, you cannot dismiss the power of music in calming the mind and heart. Whatever you like, whatever type of music makes you feel good and relaxed, by all means have at it.

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