7 Ways To Let Go Of Stress And Maintain Your Inner Calm

The lifestyle of most people today is chaotic, fast-paced and stressful. This could be due to many factors including modern workplace culture, poor eating habits and lack of sleep. To add to this, there’s added stress from family, colleagues and life in general. With all this, it can be very challenging to stay calm and not be affected by everything.

Here are some tips on how you can stay calm and composed despite a stressful situation:

1. Take control: A good way to calm yourself down in a difficult position is to take a deep breath – slowly and in a controlled way. Inhale deeply, and try to let go of the thoughts cluttering your mind gradually. Taking a slow and deep breath calms nerves, restores your blood pressure to a normal level and calms you down.
2. The power of aromatherapy: The next time you go to bed, spritz a lavender essential oil onto your pillow, or take a warm relaxing bath with essential oils. The aroma of these oils can help calm your senses.
3. Commune with nature: Take a walk early in the morning through the garden, or a nearby park. Take in the beautiful surroundings and do some light exercises – walking, or stretching, or yoga poses. Exercise releases endorphins, i.e. mood-boosting hormones that keep you positive and active. Exposure to sunlight enriches your Vitamin D levels as well, and gives you positive energy.
4. Perform self-massage every other day: In Ayurveda, the power of massage is emphasized. Regular body massage with natural oils like sesame, coconut and mustard strengthens immunity, detoxifies the body, and calms stressful emotions.
5. Get enough sleep: Often when we are sleep-deprived, we tend to be much more prone to negative emotions like anger, depression and lethargy. Ensure that you get at least 8 hours of sleep every night. Take a few minutes to clear your mind of all thoughts, and switch off all gadgets at least an hour before bed.
6. Learn to let go: Holding grudges is easy – however it is much more conducive to your health to let go of negative emotions. Don’t hold on to bad incidents in life, such as a fight with your partner or a tiff with your boss. It’s important to move on because it affects no one else but you, and can make your stress levels shoot up.
7. Breathe: Control your breath – practice the method of pranayam every other day. It is simple and is nothing other than taking alternate breaths from each nostril in a calm and controlled way. Once you wake up in the morning, take 2 minutes to sit down, face the sunlight and take deep, cleansing breaths. You will feel calmer and won’t have to hurry for everything.

These were some of the ways that Ayurveda teaches you to maintain your inner calm. If you would like to learn about the various Ayurvedic therapies that can help you combat stress, click here.