5 Ways to Quiet Your Mind When You Are Overly Stressed

Jul 20, 2017

I do not know about you, but when I get overly stressed, I can’t think straight, and everything just seems to fall apart at the seams all at once. Life is filled with stressful events and situations, so we all have to learn how to manage our stress so that we are not overwhelmed. Here are some things you can do to quiet your mind when you are overly stressed.

1 List it

Make a list of all the things that are stressing you out from the tiniest detail to the biggest project you might need to complete. The idea here is to clear your mind by putting it on paper, so you do not have to keep it all in the forefront of your mind. You will be able to look at the list often so you can see what you need to prioritize rather than trying to remember what is priority.

2 Meditate or pray

Now that you have put all your stressors on a list, you can really focus on calming your mind through prayer or meditation. Take time out to slow down, take deep breaths, and sit quietly as you meditate or pray. Focus on clearing your mind and calming your body.

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3 Checklists

After you have cleared your mind and calmed your body down, take your list and make checklists. This is where you will prioritize your to do list. Put the most important or first project due first and list the rest in order of priority. Then, once you have completed the item on your list, you can check it off.

I am a big believer in checklists as a motivator and a way to manage my workload. It’s such a relief to see how much I have accomplished and what I have left to do when I use a checklist. It helps keep me on track and organized.

4 Take breaks

Be sure to take breaks as you work. This will help you slow down and relax, but it will also rejuvenate you. You can also take more slow, deep breaths and then after 5 minutes or so, get back up and complete the task.

You can also take a quick break between checklist items. That way it is a reward for you as you accomplish each task. It will also help you keep your mind clear if you just focus on one thing at a time during your break.

5 Celebrate

As always, you need to celebrate your success of accomplishing the list of items that were causing you major stress. Do something that you enjoy. Take a bubble bath, read a book, or call a friend. Whatever makes you feel good about what you have done is of utmost importance. It helps you realize that you can accomplish great things when you quiet your mind.

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When your mind is cluttered with stressful thoughts and worry, you can’t complete things well. Take time to quiet your mind with these steps, and rather than feel the stress, you feel a great accomplishment when you are done. Whew!