SANTIVIA BLOG

With the world's current chaos, it's very understandable to feel all kinds of thoughts and emotions. You may feel overwhelmed, worry, anxious, fearful, stressed, confused, or just feeling tired and plain ole "Meh".

Meditating, exercising, and journaling are great ways to relax your mind, but the problem is mustering the energy to do all these things that I know are good for stress and anxiety relief. Instead, I got stuck in a cycle of beating myself up and guilt-tripping myself. Can you relate?

Treating and priming the mind is the first step even before we launch into some action plan. It is more important to get a cognitive change and free the mind from being stuck in a loop. Cognition refers to "Higher" brain functions such as complex reasoning, conceptual thinking, focus and managing emotions.

Here are 5 min tips for Peace of Mind:

1. Clear Your Mind Space

Just imagine that your mind is a computer programme that has every single programme opened. You know your computer is going to run slow and it will not operate efficiently. This little exercise allows you to shut down some of your programmes and free up some mental space. Close your eyes and just imagine an event, an emotion, a thought, and I shut it down like you are quitting a programme. It is simply putting aside the white noise in your head for a moment. I do it till I generally feel a sense of clearness. It's a quick and easy Mindfulness exercise.

2. Manage the Guilt

Do you sometimes feel like you are born with a "guilt gene" that gets activated over the minor things?

• Didn't do your self-care practice? Guilt!
• Didn't finish your to-do list? Guilt!
• Didn't make a home cook meal for the family? Guilt!
• Feeling bad from guilt? More Guilt!!

When it comes to emotions, journaling is an excellent way to release and get it out. But if you just can't even get a pen to a piece of paper, this is an easy technique that helps manage your emotions. As soon as you start to feel guilt, use your imagination - turn to your guilt and say out loud, "I see you, I hear you, I acknowledge you."

Allow yourself to really mean it. Like you are a kind, compassionate friend who gives guilt a big old hug. This exercise works for other overwhelming emotions too. While you are not getting to the root cause of it, it helps provide some relief should that emotion overwhelm you into inaction.

3. Recognise the Inner Critic

Often it's an Inner Critic just going to town and having a field day with you by triggering the guilt, shame and anxiety. Notice and identify this Inner Critic. As soon as you become aware of negative self-talk, shout NO! And make a chopping motion with your hand as you say or shout the word "NO" from your solar plexus. This method helps separate you from the energies of your Inner Critic and makes you aware that the inner voices are not you and you are not them.

4. Be Compassionate

Give yourself permission, whatever permission it is you need - whether it's to take a nap, not to have a clean house, to procrastinate a little, to go out and play. Just take a deep breath and permit yourself to be messy, flawed and fabulous! That takes genuine compassion to give yourself a break and not to punish yourself. So much of our anxiety comes from ourselves and not allowing any room for less than perfect behaviour.

Final insight

These 5 min "Free Your Mind" hacks are what I use to give myself that mental boost. Try these tips for yourself. And please share this post as it could really help someone.