All of us have been through situations where there is absolutely no time left for ourselves. Work, family, kids, friends, etc all seem to eat into the time that we might want to spend with ourselves. Most of the times we tend to feel that we are treadmill picking up speed all day.

The following simple and easy techniques will help us to keep ourselves focused in the job at hand. The most interesting part of these techniques is that they can be done and practiced absolutely anywhere.

Count your breath

This teaches you to focus on your breathing. Being aware of and in control of our breathing, we can learn how to focus on our actions, minds and emotions. In order to practice this, choose a favorite number between 1 and 10. Once you have chosen this number, inhale, hold the breath, exhale and finally hold the breath for a count of this chosen number. Most people who have tried this technique feel calmer within after multiple sequences of counted breathing.

Be in the moment

It is very important to concentrate on the present, the circumstances that we are in right at this moment as this will help us emerge with a more positive form of self-control. Stop thinking about failures of the past and the challenges of the future. In order to help you focus in the present, breathe slowly and say “Here” as you breathe in and “Now” as you breathe out. You will experience that the annoying thoughts start to fade away after number of repetitions.

Practice Gratitude

In case you start focusing on what you do not have rather than focusing on what you have, you will slowly start to colour all your thoughts with the same brush and start expecting all of the things to go wrong.

Contrary to our usual thoughts that nothing is going well for us, there is something or the other that goes well for us. It is very important that we identify this something that is going very well and focus our attention on that. It is also important that we draw our inspiration from the things that are going well. By concentrating on such good things and reminding ourselves of the kind of blessings that we have been showered upon thereby lifting our spirits and thwarting our life’s stressors from invading our life’s happiness.

The next time you find yourself in a stressful situation, try any one of the above mentioned techniques. The above described mind-managing methods will help you overcome the rough spots and achieve inner peace with practice.

The following are 3 major ways to de-stress:

1) Remove, reduce or disseminate the things that cause stress to your life
2) Change your point of view and attitude towards situations that induce stress
3) Practice healthy ways to manage and tackle stress

The following tips will help you deal with stress in each one of the ways listed above:

1. Do not concentrate and waste your time on meaningless minute details which are only temporary and are not part of your long term goals in life. Prioritize and concentrate.

2. All changes, irrespective of whether they are positive or negative in nature, need ample time and energy for you to be able to adjust and cope with it. Do not plan stressful events such as the change of job, wedding, a move or a child all at the same time.

3. Remember, you cannot satisfy everybody all the time. Practice saying “NO” when you already have enough to handle.

4. Take a 10 or 20 minute break in between each day. Do not be accessible 24 x 7. Take vacations that will relieve you from stress and avoid those that will give you more stress. At least take a day off during the week and plan no activity at least one or two evenings every week.

5. Change your outlook towards events that produce stress and accept situations that you cannot change or have no control over as they are. If you have trouble dealing with a person, imagine that he or she has a terrible physical handicap that is causing that person to behave in that manner.

6. If you find yourself in a no-win situation, get out of it for sometime or change the atmosphere which is causing the situation.

7. Look deeply in to the things that are causing the stress and analyze:
A. Ask yourself “Am I worrying about something that is actually existent or am I worrying about something which is very rare to happen?”

B. “Is this situation within my control or not?” If the answer to this question is “yes” then do all that you can to change it and then let go. If “no”, then there is nothing you can do and hence stop worrying about it.

8. Exercise daily. The body’s harmful chemicals and hormones that are responsible for stress are burnt while we exercise. Further, exercise is a natural tranquilizer that gives you a sound sleep and helps your body to relax completely.

9. Develop your spiritual component which will help you attain calmness and inner peace. Give yourself a massage, sauna, heat, sunlight and biofeedback to relax yourself.

10. Do not hold back your feelings. While crying the body releases certain chemicals which reduce stress both emotionally and physically.

All the above tips are simple and easy to do but we usually forget about their existence. Keep these tips handy and practice it as often as possible.