space to breathe
our thoughts
In our first article about Resilience, Andy Freeman shares honestly about his own anxieties and how he’s had to change his approach to resilience during the Coronavirus situation. “Had I allowed too much positivity to be my solution to life’s challenges rather than taking a good hard look at a life that is often difficult, where suffering is just part of the journey?” Instead Andy outlines a way of being realistic and being hopeful that has proved a helpful resilience tool going forward.
Relaxation is a key tool to help you cope with stress.
When you’re relaxed your breathing and heart rate slow, your blood pressure drops and it’s possible to find enough balance to be calm and think rationally and clearly. We featured relaxation as one of our Stress relieving techniques that we featured this week.
But we wondered what enables you to relax, when was the last time you felt properly relaxed and calm.
We chatted to a few friends this week and discovered a few things which have really helped them.
I relax when I take some time to do Yoga. I’m not an expert at all, I use a YouTube channel by a lady called Adrienne - but it really helps. Yoga helps me to find balance and calmness and for the time when I’m on my Yoga mat, I don’t have to think about anything else.
Getting outdoors is the priority for me. When I go walking I find my whole outlook changes. I get calmer almost instantly. Its been harder recently with the lockdown but I’m so grateful for the parks being open. They’re a real oasis for me right now.
I find it hard to be honest. Life has been very stressful right now and even your question made me feel nervous for a while. I guess I listen to music to destress. There are particlar tracks I know will help. You’ve actually prompted me to think about making more time for it so thanks.
How do you relax?
We’ve found a few helpful articles from the NHS, Mind and Headspace that may help you. Check out our question of the week and post a response in the comments or on social media if you’d like to. Make time, it’ll be worth it.
