3 Ways to help quickly calm your mind

A favorite writer of mine recently wrote, "Where do good decisions come from? A calm mind" - Yung Pueblo

But how exactly do we calm our mind, especially when we are experiencing a chaotic internal storm? It sounds so simple in theory or when we’re telling others to “not worry” or “just calm down, it’ll be fine”, but as we all know (if we're being honest with ourselves) this is not always easy to do. 

And the truth is, it’s not your fault when you’re in this internal state; it’s a physiological response to stress. And yet, when we know we are safe and the physiological response is not necessary in the moment, we can learn to pendulate out of this state into a calm mind with more perspective.

The mind is like water. When it’s turbulent, it’s difficult to see. When it’s calm, everything becomes clear.

Here are 3 ways to get out of your head and into the present moment:

1. Notice how your body is breathing for you. By simply doing this, we are moving into a different part of our brain and being the observer of our experience vs. consumed by it. Next, see what it feels like to focus on your exhale. Feel free to just do this or if you want to experiment a little more,  see if you can start to add length to your exhale. Try this: Inhale (4 counts); exhale (6 counts). Notice what, if anything, feels different.

2. Scan your body with your breath and notice what parts of you feel supported. Start by noticing your back again the chair or couch that you're sitting on. Or maybe your feet being supported by the ground. Or maybe placing your palms on top of your thighs and feel the weight/temperature of your hands on your body. Try to focus on these parts of your body for a few moments and reflect on how your body is experiencing this support.

3. Notice three things in your environment that you find interesting or evoke curiosity. Describe these objects to yourself in great detail. Notice how curiosity feels in your body. Notice if your breath shifts at all when you're in this state. When we're curious or interested in something, our body is in rest and digest mode vs. fight/flight/freeze. We tend to feel more grounded and stable when we're in this state. 

Where our attention goes, energy flows.

These 3 tools are ways to throw a wrench in your sticky thought patterns and instead, redirect and drop into the moment throughway of your environment and/or your body.

They are what we call bottom-up approaches that work directly with your nervous system, which helps bring your body and mind to a calm and resourced state.

For more tips on the mind body connection and more tools to calm yourself quickly, subscribe to my email list here.