Bogged down by the everyday stresses and tensions? Here are a few proven spiritual exercises, which can help to rejuvenate your body and mind.
Life is stressful, and you need to be able to handle considerable amounts of work-pressure. Corporate life can place pretty high demands on your mind and body, which might tire you out pretty soon. Do not pop anti-stress pills every time you feel mentally/physically fatigued, and try out the following spiritual techniques instead:
- Meditate regularly – Practice meditation, for at least an hour every day. If possible, pick up some simple yoga exercises, and practice them on a regular basis. You can also join weekend meditation/yoga classes – if time permits. Do not try exercises that are too complicated, particularly if you are not used to meditation postures.
- Listen to relaxing music – Once you are back from office, freshen up, have your meal – and then, put off the lights in your room, and listen to some good relaxation music. Slow classical tunes, or those with light, rhythmic beats will be ideal for the purpose. You can also create a disk of your personal favorite numbers, and play it to de-stress yourself. Stay away from hard rock, however. It will excite your nerves, instead of having a calming effect.
Practice deep breathing – Do the busy everyday activities at office leave you ‘out of breath’? Rejuvenate yourself, by following a few easy deep-breathing exercises at home. Once your breathing becomes regularized, you will automatically feel mental pressures and physical stress levels go down. Regular deep breathing will also help you have better control over your temper levels.
- Read a religious book – If you believe in a Higher Being, reading a few pages of religious books everyday will also be useful for driving away stress problems. Select texts on the different famous religious entities and deities, and feel inspired. You can read books related to only your religion, or can expand your knowledge about other religious beliefs too. Have relaxation music CD-s playing in the background – and feel calm and detached within a few minutes.
Think good thoughts – Something unpleasant might have occurred at your workplace, but that should not clout your mind – even after you have returned home. Try thinking pleasant thoughts, which would recede the unpleasant ones in the background. In particular, do not be vengeful towards anyone who may have done you a wrong. Avoid people you don’t like, but don’t get into confrontations. Stress levels will remain low.
- Go for a stroll everyday – A laid-back walk at the local park (for an hour or so) every evening can also do wonders for bringing down the day-to-day mental stress levels. Carry along your music player and ear-plugs, and listen to some lovely relaxation music, while walking. If you have a pet, take it on your strolls too. Its delightful company can make you forget all your daily tensions.
- Think up solutions to all your problems – Make a list of the issues that are bugging you, and jot down the probable solutions to them. Once you do this, you will find that, many of the so-called ‘huge problems’ are nothing more than minor glitches. That way, you will have less things to worry about as well. Remember, problems do not stress you out, the lack of proper solutions to them do.
- Pray – Believe that a higher, divine force is always by your side. You can also chant a few prayers everyday, to keep your mind on a higher plane, and avoid the petty hassles of life. Many artists have also launched records of relaxation music and prayers, and you can buy and listen to a few of them.
Adopting a spiritual approach towards de-stressing yourself would also help to bolster your concentration and productivity levels. Such an approach does not have any adverse side-effects, unlike most chemical medication procedures. Manage your everyday stress levels efficiently – and be at your freshest, always!