Clearing space to focus on your emotional wellness can be a challenge in the hustle of today’s world. Work, the kids, your social circle, your partner, your personal responsibilities…these important aspects of life all compete for space in your mind and your outward attention, and each brings its own unique joys and stresses. But to truly be your best–and give your best–you must operate from a place of calm, centered emotional stability.
Here are a few easy tricks to silence the noise and make space to focus on your own emotional wellness.
Meditate regularly
Frequent practice is the fastest way to center your thoughts. Beginning a regular meditation practice doesn’t require devoting hours of your time to sitting in silence or building a special meditation room in your house. You can begin the practice of meditation with just five short minutes per day. You can even meditate at your desk during your lunch break. The main benefits of meditation are stress reduction, increased concentration, and a greater sense of wellbeing. This useful technique provides a stable foundation to support your overall mental and physical wellness.
Clean up your environment
Your physical surroundings play an important role in your own sense of wellbeing. Remove the clutter in your home, work, yard, and car. This visual and spatial “noise” acts as a low-grade stressor. The stuff around you scatters your attention by pulling it in every direction. Visual and spatial noise also distracts from whatever you’re doing, preventing you from being mindful of the present moment. We’ve all had those recurring thoughts of “I have to sort those papers on my desk” or “Boy, the yard really needs to be raked” while we’re trying to enjoy another activity. Straighten up your surroundings and bring more order to your mental state.
Get tips on how to achieve work/life balance>>
Swap out the noise
We’re surrounded by the noises of life, whether we like it or not. This is especially true if you live in a city, have a home in an apartment building, or share your home with children. In most cases, it’s impossible to prevent these external noises–but it is possible to block them out. Use a white noise machine in your bedroom to absorb noise irregularities and replace them with a soothing, constant background noise. If you don’t want to invest in a white noise machine, simply use a fan (point it toward the wall during cold months).
Remove judgment
Some of the most prevalent noise comes from inside the mind as it rushes to compulsively judge everything around it as good/bad, wanted/not wanted, like/dislike, yes/no. Observe your thoughts more often. Notice when you judge. (But try not to judge yourself for judging!) After a few days of practice, it will become easier to simply observe and gradually remove the unnecessary judgments that fill your mind. With this space cleared, you’ll have more attention to devote to thoughts that support your wellbeing, instead of siphoning it away.
Learn 5 Easy Yoga Poses to Reduce Stress.
Visit a wellness retreat
Wellness retreats are structured around supporting your emotional and physical state. By design, they clear out space in your day to direct your attention to your own wellbeing. Unlike other vacations, all-inclusive wellness retreats provide the opportunity for you let someone else handle things while you simply relax. You have nothing to plan, nothing to manage. Your days and activities are structured with the ideal balance of “doing” and “being”, so you have the opportunity to open yourself up to a more receptive state of mind.
Allow silence
Some of us are so uncomfortable with silence that we’ll do anything to fill the sound. We’ll turn on the TV in the background, call someone during our commute, sing in the shower. There’s nothing inherently wrong with any of these activities–but they are distractions from simply being with yourself. Allow yourself to exist in silence, where you are not doing, but simply receiving, allowing, and accepting.
Clearing out the noise from life might seem like an impossible task. But by making some minor adjustments to your external and internal environments, you can create space to allow your best self to thrive.
For more information about how VeraVia can help you focus on your own emotional wellness, contact us today.
