Modern life often appears to be fraught with undue stresses and angst due to the relentless pace of life in the world we now live in. With hidden tensions lurking around each and every corner, be it work related, socially or even just everyday situations such as driving which can cause anxiety levels to be raised, it requires us to be mentally strong to fully enjoy life and find that elusive balance between productivity and happiness.
Below is a list of simple techniques which can aid emotional self-improvement and psychological resilience:
1. Set personal goals in life.
By setting small, manageable targets you can achieve a sense of achievement and progress through their completion. There’s few things better in life than placing a tick next to something on a list.
2. Accept failure.
With every task is the potential for failure and nobody ever wins all of them time so it’s important to be able to maintain a positive outlook when defeat and loss are experienced. One simple method of this is to be objective and look to learn from the situation to prevent similar situations arising in the future.
3. Fresh air
Venture through the great outdoors and take a walk, preferably away from the crowds and the traffic, to allow yourself time to think and reflect on other daily matters and stresses that can quietly build up.
4. Meditate
Whether it’s a form of yoga or Xi Gong that you choose to partake, controlling your thoughts and breathing are proven ways to decreasing anxiety levels and helping with depression by clearing your mind and altering your pattern of thought.
5. Exercise
Healthy body, healthy mind. It doesn’t have to be gym sessions or require a personal trainer but by being more active, including as little as walking several times each week, will result in lower levels of stress and can even improve your self-esteem.
6. Benevolence
Being more generous in your relationships towards friends, partners and work colleagues is a route to greater happiness and self worth as well as stronger relationships with those around you.
7. Control your worries
Everyone suffers worries and physical tensions but it is important that you don’t sink into a constant state of worst-case scenarios and what-if situations. One easy solution is to use a scheduled “worry period” of 30 minutes where you allow yourself to be focused on these worries and then look to shut them away at the end of this time.
8. Count to ten
We all get beset by trivial annoyances but it is the way in which we deal with them that can make a huge difference to our quality of life. By not reacting immediately every time someone queue jumps or you find yourself without a parking space will relieve anxiety that builds into emotional distress.
9. Social media
Social media can be a great source of negativity through many factors ranging from worrying about your image to comparing yourself against others and it’s easy to slip into downward spirals due to the constant accessibility we have to this platform. Make sure you don’t use all of your spare time being sucked into the online world and allow yourself some personal freedom from all forms of communication from time to time.
Please note that the above article is designed as a way to improve yourself and aid personal growth rather than be seen as a remedy for any of a wide range of psychological problems or mental illness and that it is vital for anyone who suffers with an underlying mental health issue or disorder to seek advice and help from a trained medical worker to which there is no true alternative.
