how to keep calm in the modern world

How to calm your mind within the chaos

Do you struggle to relax?

Do you have a lot of internal chatter?

Are you easily distracted?

Do you often feel anxious or stressed?

If you answered ‘yes’ to any of these then you’re definitely not alone.

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Living in this busy modern society with constant distractions coming from our phones, the news, social media and being bombarded with information from the outside world, can really impact our ability to relax our minds and bodies. This can result in headaches, stress, anxiety, sleep problems, negative thought patterns… the list goes on.

Adding a new mindful practice, or a little bit of ‘calm’ into your day can be of real benefit, but it should never feel like a chore. When a new practice becomes a habit (like brushing your teeth), then it can start to have a big impact on your day.

Here are a few practices that help me, that I hope will support you:

1. BREATHWORK

By simply focusing on your breath it can really calm your mind and nervous system down and help to bring you back into the present moment.

There are many Breathwork techniques out there to explore. Here is one easy breathing technique known as 4-7-8 breathing that you can do anywhere and anytime:

• Find a comfortable seated position and close the eyes down

• Exhale completely

• Place the tip of your tongue behind your upper front teeth, aim to keep it there through the whole exercise

• Breathe in through the nose for 4 seconds

• Hold the breath for 7 seconds

• Then exhale through the mouth for 8 seconds (if you’re on your own you can make the exhale loud through pursed lips)

• Feel free to adjust to whatever suits your own breathing pattern e.g. 4-6-7 may feel more comfortable for some

• Repeat the cycle 4 times and try to notice any changes in the mind and body

Focusing on longer exhales triggers your parasympathetic nervous system, which influences our body’s ability to relax and calm down, rest and digest so long deep breaths are extremely beneficial for our health and wellbeing. It is a useful tool to have in your back pocket for those moments when you need to calm your mind.

2. SOUND HEALING

Sound has been utilised for thousands of years as a tool for its therapeutic effects and as an aid in meditation. Research has shown that specific sounds and frequencies can lower blood pressure, decrease your heart rate and support the parasympathetic nervous system (where we rest and digest).

If you haven’t tried a Sound Bath I’d recommend trying one; London now offers a wide variety of sound events with Gongs, Crystal Singing Bowls, Tibetan bowls, harps and many more. Lying down for 30-60mins and being bathed in pure sounds is so blissful and relaxing! I run monthly Sound Bath events in combination with Breathwork and yoga which you can find out about here.

Or, if you’d like to recharge your mind and want to focus more at work, you could try listening to classical music by Mozart, Bach or Tibetan chants. Research shows that listening to classical music can help students to study and keep nerves under control when preparing for exams.

3. & 4. MEDITATION & MANTRA

Meditation has been proven to help with stress, calming the mind, concentration, sleep and much more. Sitting down for just five minutes and meditating can make a huge difference to your state of mind. Anyone can meditate, it’s just finding the right style for you.

If you’re new to meditation I recommend trying an app called Insight Timer (there’s a free and paid option). You set the time you want and you can choose from many guided meditations to support anxiety, sleep or mindfulness.

If you struggle to listen to guided meditations and find yourself drifting off (a bit like me) then doing a more active meditation practice might be preferable. Chanting or listening to mantras can be very beneficial and are known to relax the mind, help with boosting memory, improving concentration, lowering stress, adrenalin levels and reducing blood pressure.

A mantra is essentially a sound and each sound has its own vibration, so when you chant a mantra you begin to absorb the frequency of that mantra. The vibrations of certain mantras can have healing effects, which work deep at a cellular level within our bodies.

It’s believed that there are around 70 million mantras. Each mantra has a different purpose – for love, prosperity, balance, health and abundance – have a listen to some and see which resonate for you.

A favourite of mine is Om Mani Padme Hum (easily found on YouTube or Spotify), it’s said to invoke love and compassion and dissolve attachments.

5. A WALK IN NATURE

Try to take 10-20mins out of your day and spend time in nature. Take a short stroll with the intention to clear the mind and relax the body.

Walk slowly and be mindful of every step you take, see how your feet feel on the ground. Take long deep breaths, close your eyes for a moment and tune into the subtle sensations like feeling the wind on your face.

Have a little check-in with how you feel at this moment and if an area feels tense or tight breathe into it.

When I’m feeling anxious or stressed, taking a walk always calms me down, even if it’s just for 10 mins. Sometimes I just head to the local playground and go on the swings.

If you want to boost your mood a bit, jump in a puddle, hug a tree, scrunch some leaves under your feet, spread your arms wide and spin around and appreciate what nature has to offer.

I'd love to hear how you get on! Let me know which one of these works best for you?