These stress-relief activities can help get you through 2020 and into 2021.
It’s no secret 2020 has been hard. The pandemic. Summer in quarantine. A rocky start to online learning. Extreme weather. Racial injustice. A critical election… Even the most resilient among us find it to be…a lot. That’s why it’s critical to find the right calming techniques that positively impact stress levels. With that in mind, we wanted to share some of our tried-and-true stress-relief activities to take you into the new year.
Everyone must learn to cope with life’s curveballs and demands – it’s just a matter of finding the right (healthy) techniques for the situation. One of the conversations we’ve been happening a lot lately at VIDA is how our Members are finding new ways to adjust. Their “standard” relaxation techniques for stress just aren’t working as well as they did pre-Covid.
So, we continued the conversation by pinpointing new ways to reduce anxiety, take care of ourselves both physically and mentally, and get through this particularly challenging year with a sense of peace and calm.
The best part? These calming techniques are simple, manageable and easy ways to trigger a relaxation response, all without feeling like you just added to your to-do list.
Meditation for Anxiety
Meditation for anxiety can be an incredibly powerful tool for self-regulation, improved awareness, quieter minds and clearer thoughts. That said, we understand it can be hard to sit for 20 or 30 minutes each day, especially when you have kids, Zoom meetings, meal prep, etc., etc.
The purpose of meditation is to quiet the mind, freeing it from stress, anxiety and rapid thoughts. It combines mind-clearing concentration and breathing exercise (ex. close your eyes while taking deep breaths and belly-breathing). We know clearing the mind can feel impossible right now. The good news: It’s not!
If you’re new to meditation or your practice isn’t working as well as it used to, try swapping it out with binaural beats. What are those, you ask? Binaural beats are sound recordings that play two slightly different tones in each ear, which means you’ll need a pair of headphones to get the full effect.
In an effort to compensate for the different notes, our brains generate the auditory illusion of a third frequency—and, in doing so, allegedly helps to synchronize our brain’s activity between the two hemispheres, creating feelings of calm, focus, and relaxation.
“I had never heard of this until my acupuncturist suggested a nightly session to reduce stress,” says VIDA Founder Melanie Marconi. “I did some research, got intrigued and started right away. It’s amazingly relaxing.”
Lots of companies offer binaural beat recordings for sale, or you can find free recordings on YouTube or Spotify. At VIDA Coworking, we also produce a bunch of free guided meditation videos that can work wonders.
Find a Purpose in the Election
When political rage seems to increase your blood pressure, don’t stew in a feeling of powerlessness. Instead, write letters or postcards that encourage people to vote.
Participating in letter-writing campaigns from political action groups like Indivisible or Vote Forward helps to direct your thoughts into a feeling of purpose and action. It also aligns with something for which you feel passionately. Plus, it doesn’t demand quite as much social finesse as working at a phone bank or knocking on doors.
“Writing postcards is mindless and repetitive and feels like I am doing something good,” says writer Catherine Ryan Gregory. “It feels like one thing that could make a tiny bit of a difference.”
We’ve started hosting letter-writing parties at VIDA, or you can sign up to write on your own whenever you have a few free minutes.
Relieve Muscle Tension
Nothing hits the reset button like a good sweat session. But the pandemic means some of our favorite ways of perspiring are difficult or impossible to access.
Could a solution to this be an inexpensive, individual infrared sauna? They may look ridiculous, but they still provide many of the same benefits of traditional saunas, like increased circulation and immune system support. It also helps burn calories and helps muscles relax.
Not into saunas? Just take a hot bath—102 degrees or higher—that’s infused with Epsom salts and your favorite natural essential oils. We recommend pairing lavender and lemon for relaxing yet optimistic vibes. The hot water feels good on an overworked body, while the essential oils are natural stress relievers.
Self-care is so critical, especially when we’re feeling overwhelmed. The key is finding calming techniques and stress-relief activities you enjoy – ones that don’t feel like a chore. Otherwise, it’s counterproductive.
In wild times like 2020 (which will inevitably spill into 2021), there’s absolutely no reason why you shouldn’t find something to calm your nerves and your mind. After all, you deserve the break.
VIDA Coworking is a unique shared workspace in Portland, Oregon. Looking to join a wonderful community of career-minded individuals? Contact us today to schedule a tour.