How to find calm right now

​How to Find Calm Right Now
 
The New Year is here and with it, great promise for the future. Or is it?
Have you made your New Year’s resolutions yet? Right around the end of the year (or the beginning of a new year), people create their lists of vows to stop bad habits and start positive ones. Individuals have long embarked on the quest for self-improvement at the beginning of each New Year to varying degrees of success. You may have even set some for yourself in years past.
However, even in the few days after January 1st those optimistic self promises may start to dim as you: a) return to work, b) look at your bank balance following the spending spree of Christmas and c) realise that the goal(s) you set yourself actually requires a certain amount of hard work – consistently. What happens? You get depressed and stressed and the targets you set yourself crumble away into dust.
How can one actively seek solace in this environment?
How do you shrug off the stress? Its not easy but there are things you can do for yourself.
If you find yourself worried, nervous, and a bit ‘off’, here are some suggestions on how you can create a little calm in the storm right now and use these ideas in the future too.
What about trying out these things?

• Stop – this one is, of course, the easy way out and assumes that you can actively “check out” of a stressing issue.  Nonetheless, if you have the ability to change locations for even a few minutes, do so.  A change of venue changes how we perceive situations and will often slow down the heart rate and the stress levels. So, identify what is stressing you and actively confront it by simply recognizing that it is there, but saying to yourself that you are in control – not an external force.
• Close your eyes – according to science, despite our five senses, we use sight to gather about 80% of the sensory stimulation we get.  By simply closing your eyes and shutting that “window”, you can gain the upper hand on stressors and, with a bit of active focus (meditation if you like) find your centre, ground and then rejoin the world by opening your eyes and witness the beauty that is around you.
• Breathe – stressful situations cause us to react like the animals we are.  Fight or flight syndrome causes us to have a higher respiratory rate and our breathing becomes faster and more shallow.  Taking a few moments to take truly deep breaths and holding them for a few extra seconds, you are able to slow the heart rate and regain control in nervous system.  There are so many different ways to calm using breathe. Try checking out this article which describes 6 different ways: http://greatist.com/happiness/breathing-exercises-relax.
• Understand and avoid the stressors – this may seem obvious, but if crowded public places get your nervous, avoid them.  If you find yourself in a near constant state of confrontation in the workplace, understand the causes for that and work in the long term to mitigate them.  Yes, that may mean moving to a new area or a new job (themselves stressful), but the long-term stress would be much lower.  
• Choose one – today more than ever, we multi-task.  Even one generation ago, the level of connectivity was exponentially less and thus, our ability to concentrate on one task was much easier.  Now, with notification pinging through on the smart phone, dozens of emails, and a bigger workload than ever, we can easily be overwhelmed.  Make rules for your multitasking and adhere to them – check email twice a day, check your phone once an hour, and leave social media alone except for certain specific times. Get disciplined!
• Pet your pet (if you have one) – if you can, a definite way to calm down is to care for something that loves you unconditionally – your pet.  Taking five minutes to pet your cat or play with your dog has been shown to reduce blood pressure and there is some scientific evidence to suggest that a cat’s purrs actually resonate at a level that stimulates growth and healing. If you don't have a pet, go and find a friend you has a dog and ask to take them out for a walk.
• Laugh and smile more – without a shadow of doubt, laughter is an amazing de-stressor. More than just brightening up your day, sharing a good laugh can actually improve your health. The sound of laughter draws people together in ways that trigger healthy physical and emotional changes in the body. Laughter can reduce stress, anxiety, and depression, strengthen your immune system, and diminish pain. As children, we used to laugh hundreds of times a day, but as adults life tends to be more serious and laughter more infrequent. By seeking out more opportunities for humor and laughter, though, you can improve your emotional health, strengthen your relationships, find greater happiness—and even add years to your life.

There is a strong relationship between low stress and longevity and even the clichés remind us of this – in 100 years, will this matter?  I read the other about the Frenchman who set the world record for distance cycling in 1 hour for over 75 year olds. He was 105! He put his secret down to drinking red wine and eating garlic as well as smiling!
 
By taking a moment to step out of the stress and perhaps reboot our minds, we can exert calm back into our day and move on – productive and happy.