Stress Management Archives - Page 3 of 5

September 7, 2021 By Divita Bhatt 3 Comments

7 Ways To Beat Stress

I was quite shocked to find that every 1 out of 5 of my clients was suffering from stress. After digging a little deeper, I found that the root of their problems, the most common factor causing stress was Expectation!

Any form of expectation that isn’t fulfilled turns into a negative thought process that can either cause stress or depression. Be it a job, a boss, colleagues, family or friends, any expectation can sometimes lead to disappointment. It isn’t necessary that we get all the symptoms of depression every time. If something constantly hurts you or stops you from thinking anything else, you are stressed!

If you feel like there is nothing you can do in a stressful situation, here are 7 surefire ways to beat stress!

7 Ways to Beat Stress

Breathe Deep & Let Go: Spiritual Masters often say – Forgive everyone and yourself, accept everyone and yourself, love everyone and yourself. Whenever you go through any bad experience, take a deep breath and tell this to yourself.
Set a Goal: Spend half an hour with yourself every day. Do any of your favorite activity in those 30 minutes. If I ask you what’s your hobby and nothing comes to your mind, you need to spend 60 minutes for yourself.
Bunk: Sounds immature? Once in 6 months, I strongly recommend that you bunk your routine. Go out with your loved ones, do what you love or explore new places. When you return to your routine, you will be recharged.
Make a Memory Box: It can either be your hard disk or a physical box. Store all the memories worth cherishing in the form of papers, photographs, videos or objects. Go through this memory box regularly to cherish positive memories and be happy!
Treat Yourself: You don’t need to prove anything to anyone as long as you are giving your best. When you feel exhausted, take a break. You should be the first one to reward yourself and value your work. It could be in the form of your favorite dish (don’t overdo it), a favorite activity or a pass time.
Say No to Negativity: Never entertain negative thoughts. Whenever you get negative thoughts, divert your mind with positivity. Meditation, singing, dancing, a conversation, or anything else – pick whatever is available and possible.
Smile: You look your best when you smile. Spread the charm everywhere!

Which of these 7 ways to beat stress did you like the most? Do you have queries? Share them all in the comments below!

To read more on how to beat stress, check out Healthy Reads or get more tips directly from your GOQii Coach by subscribing for personalized coaching here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

#BeTheForce of a Stress-free lifestyle!

May 26, 2021 By Neha Goyal Leave a Comment

All About Digital Detox: Part 2

You might have understood the basic idea about digital detox in the first part of this article. In this part, I’ll be sharing how you can actually digitally detox! I promise, after reading this, you will definitely want to give it a try.

What Happens To Your Brain and Body During a Detox?

Here are some good things that you can expect during a digital detox:

Spending some time away from your phone that regularly beeps can result in a calmer state of mind.
Staying away from social media can make you more productive and your memory power may improve.
Your mind will be more clear & focused.
You may have lower anxiety & stress levels.
Growing awareness about how you use technology.
Improvement in sleep quality.
Better posture & reduced tech neck.
Improved social life as you connect with people in reality & eye contact will become a thing again.
Better engagement with yourself and the world around you.

Challenges You Might Face

It will be uncomfortable at first as you might feel alone or disconnected.
The thought of quitting the digital detox will fill your mind recurrently, but it will lessen over time.
You may feel you are missing out even if there is nothing to miss out on other than pictures & gossips.
Boredom will try to deter you as you might feel uncomfortable without having something to do.
You might feel unproductive at first.
Other people may directly or indirectly pressure you to quit.
You might find it challenging to go out without a phone.

Easy Steps To Do A Digital Detox

For many of us, quitting gadgets completely is not at all possible. But here are few practical and easy ways you can try to have a taste of digital detox.

First step in your digital detox journey can be observation of your daily digital involvement time. This will reinforce you to make a change and unplug.
Clean your device. Delete old apps and social media accounts.
Have a device free morning. Do not check your phone as soon as you wake up. In fact, keep your phone away during bedtime.
Choose a day in a week when you will stay away from gadgets. On this day, focus more on health, meditation and spend time with family.
Turn off notifications as they distract you constantly. Set a time for checking messages, emails and notifications.
While reading, eating and doing some work when you need to focus, keep your phone out of sight in another room, or turn it on silent or vibration mode.

How Do You Ensure Digital Detox Success?

Consider doing it during vacation or start with weekends if you have a technology focused job.
Commit loudly: Let your family & friends know that you will not be available on social media during a particular period of time & ask for their help & support.
Fill the void: Plan, in advance, some ways to stay distracted and some other activities/ hobbies in hand to keep you busy.
To reduce temptation and easy access, delete social media apps from your phone.
Keep a track of your progress and write down your thoughts & experiences.
Plan for real meetings with your friends and family or simply go for a walk when you feel most tempted to use your gadgets.

Going device free might be a bit uncomfortable at first, but if you can just start doing it, you will find it much more rewarding. So try this detox over the coming weekend and share your feedback in the comments below!

For more tips on improving mental health, check out Healthy Reads or tune in to LIVE sessions by experts on GOQii Play. To get these tips directly from your GOQii Coach, sign up for our personal coaching service now: https://goqiiapp.page.link/wssu

#BeTheForce

June 3, 2020 By Dr. Vaidya's 1 Comment

Stressed Out? Natural Ways To Manage Stress During Lockdown

It is normal to feel sad, stressed, confused, scared or angry during an epidemic outbreak. Hearing constant reports about the illness and death caused by the outbreak world over can be hard to take. But even amid the pandemic, it is important to make sure that you take care of your physical and mental health. We must cope with the stress and anxiety that the pandemic brings. Stress and anxiety can trigger ailments such as insomnia, depression, high blood pressure and more. It may also lead to an imbalance of the three doshas; vata, pitta and kapha in the body, depending on an individual’s constitution. Here are some ayurvedic tips that can help you manage stress and anxiety during this time period:

How To Manage Stress During Lockdown

Eat right and hydrate well: Eat foods that help you relax. Choose foods that help reduce stress. All fresh fruits, lightly cooked, spiced vegetables and whole grains will revive your tired mind and body. Drink at least eight glasses of water a day to flush out any disease-causing toxic matter from your system. You can also add some calming teas like peppermint or chamomile to your daily diet. Use this time to get restful sleep of 7-8 hours – this can also drastically reduce stress and anxiety.
Exercise is a good way to de-stress: Yoga is a great way to exercise all parts of your body, while also soothing nerves and balancing the mind. Some of the yoga poses that can be practised are child’s pose, bridge pose, standing forward bend pose, eagle pose, extended triangle pose and extended puppy pose (you can find explanations and demonstrations of each of these poses online). Simple pranayama exercises can also help restore vitality to the energy channels of the body, release tension, and offer support to the mind and the nervous system.
Create a sense of structure and routine in daily life: At the most fundamental level, our physiology is very much adapted to and supported by some sense of regularity. This is precisely why the daily routine is such good medicine for anxiety. The routine itself has a very grounding and stabilizing effect on the system; it creates several familiar and comforting reference points throughout the day. This, in turn, sends an affirmation to the body that all is well and we can be at ease. Adopting a daily routine is also an act of love and self-care. Our routines provide us with opportunities to take care of our health and well-being, despite what else might be going on in our lives. While one is at home, try and keep a routine like one is actually going to the office. Don’t stay in pyjamas all day, eat at the same time and schedule the day with virtual meetings like you would at the office. These seem like inane steps but really help.
Meditation: Meditation, even if practised for as few as 10 minutes each day, can help you control stress, decrease anxiety, improve cardiovascular health, and relax the mind. It consists of the silent repetition of a word, sound, or phrase while sitting quietly with eyes closed and a good posture for 10 to 20 minutes. This should be done in a quiet place to get rid of any distractions. Sitting is preferred to lying down to avoid falling asleep. Relax your muscles and breathe through your nose naturally. During a meditation session, all worries and thoughts should be dismissed by focusing on the word, sound or phrase.
Abhyanga: Abhyanga or self-oil massage utilizes the absorbing properties of the skin to not only nourish but also provide a healing and calming effect on the mind and body. Daily massage with natural oils like sesame, coconut, almond, tea tree, etc pacifies all the doshas to provide relief from fatigue, stress, and promote peaceful sleep.
Avoid unhelpful coping strategies: Habits like drinking alcohol and smoking may not help cope with stress and anxiety. They not only harm you physically but can also increase levels of stress and anxiety and reduce immunity. It is better to avoid such practices.

Staying in touch with near and dear ones can also help reduce anxiety and promote positive thoughts and environment around you. During these difficult times, we must take care of our physical and mental health and take preventative measures like practising personal hygiene and social distancing till the tide passes over. We hope everybody stays safe and healthy! This too shall pass.

We hope this article helps you. Do leave your thoughts in the comments below. For more tips on managing stress, tune in to our emotional wellness experts on GOQii Play.

Stay home, stay safe, manage stress and #BeTheForce

November 13, 2019 By Pradnya Shinde Leave a Comment

Benefits of Minimalism You Need to Explore to be Happy!

In my last article, we saw what minimalism is and how to begin the process. Moving further, let’s see how minimalism can add quality to your life and health!

Benefits of Minimalism

Less Anxiety and Stress: There is a direct correlation between material possessions and the amount of stress that a person experiences. When you own less, you worry less about losing it or keeping it organized. More so, a clean and tidy home keeps you at peace.
More Happiness: It’s never wise to rely on things for happiness! More so, giving away things you don’t need will make you feel more satisfied and happy instead of hoarding them with no purpose! It’s awesome to know how little we need to be happy.
More Time: When you don’t spend time organizing your stuff or buying new items, you get more time to do things that really matter. You also get more time to exercise, explore your hobbies or spend time with friends and family.
More Energy: Minimalism definitely saves a lot of your energy. That’s because you don’t need to exhaust yourself while taking care of too many things! You have to make fewer decisions while shopping, which prevents mental fatigue. When you shop and clean less, you are more focused on things you want to do. You live with a better purpose!
Increased Fitness: When your mindset shifts to minimalism, you prefer going for eco-friendly options. For instance, walking instead of taking your vehicle or even cycling! Fewer household gadgets mean that most of your work like washing clothes, cleaning the house, etc. will be manual which will definitely help you burn more calories!
Better Diet: When you choose quality over quantity, you avoid the bulk storage of food and grocery. You will eat fresh and even avoid storing junk and processed food at home. Eating clean and fresh home-cooked food is way more nutritious and healthy!
Environment-Friendly Lifestyle: Getting rid of unwanted things doesn’t mean increasing waste. Think about how you can repurpose used items into something functional. When you feel there is no more use of the item, you can donate or resell it. It promotes the reuse of goods and creates less waste.
Saves Money: This is the reason many people get attracted to minimalism. When you spend on only what you need, you end up saving a lot of money and who doesn’t want to do that?
Getting over Materialism: You’re confident without an expensive car or fancy clothes. You understand you don’t need to own something because someone else has it. You get less attached to things because you don’t rely on things to be happy.

In Minimalism, you start spending on experiences rather than stuff. For instance, instead of gifting something material to your kids on their birthday, you can maybe plan a camping, hiking or rafting trip which will add more experience and perspective to their lives!

In short, Minimalism is more of a mindset than a lifestyle, it is empowering. There is no rule of how many things you own, it is about your mindset. You can explore more of your own benefits in your journey.

#BeTheForce