Hello there! If you have been struggling with stress and anxiety issues, in this post, I’ll be sharing with you how to use breathing and breathwork for it. I’ll also be sharing some simple deep breathing exercises that will help calm your nerves and relieve your anxiety and stress. These are the ones that I use too whenever I’m feeling stressed out or anxious!

Towards the end of this post, you will find out more about my favorite breathing technique that has helped me in many different ways! So, stay tuned till the end!

What is breathwork?

Breathwork refers to any type of breathing exercises or techniques that are performed to improve your overall well-being.

You are intentionally changing the pattern of your breath when you do breathwork.

** Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links that allow you to find the items mentioned in this post and support the blog at no cost to you. While I may earn a small commission when you use the links, you are in NO WAY obligated to use these links. Thank you for your support! **

Why breathwork is important

When you think about it, breathing is vital for life. It is important to use Breathwork because it is a powerful tool that activates the parasympathetic nerves. This helps in calming down your stress response that could lead to stress and anxiety. The activation of these parasympathetic nerves by using breathwork and deep breathing causes the relaxation response in your nervous system that results in reduced blood pressure and better heart health. In short, breathwork deeply relaxes your mind and body.

Now, how about exploring breathwork deeper for your health and wellness? Sounds like a treat right? Then start here with a FREE 7-day trial of a Group Breathwork Journey with Leah Pardee that I highly recommend for you to be a part of. I myself am a part of this and have been reaping amazing benefits from it, so I’d love for you to join too!

How to do breathwork

Here is what is involved in breathwork:

During breathwork,

1. You will first center your awareness.
2. You then do some rounds of conscious breathing that awakens your system.
3. Doing such conscious breathing connects you with your source, your purest form…
4. This then generates a state of completeness.
5. This state of completeness helps you reach great relaxation states, increases your awareness, and even improves your focus.

Doing breathwork opens up your whole energy system so you are more receptive to higher consciousness. This in turn helps you to let go of control like releasing all control buttons from your system.

As profound as this may sound, you will realize the truth of this when you really start practicing breathwork on a regular basis.

Now, here are 3 deep breathing exercises for you:

In the video below, I have walked through exactly how to do each of the 3 breathing techniques that I personally love to use whenever I’m feeling stressed out and anxious.

Watch the Video

1. Box Breathing

Box breathing is a breathing technique that is normally used by the Navy Seals before going into the stressful situations that they have to get into. For this, you can imagine drawing a box or a square in front of you. You begin with an inhale for a count of 4, then hold your breath for a count of 4, exhale for a count of 4, and then again hold your breath for a count of 4.

2. Pursed Lip Breathing

In Pursed lip breathing/ 2:1 breathing, you inhale for a count of 4 and exhale for a count of 8 with a pursed lip. Notice that the exhale should be longer than the inhale? This longer exhale exerts more pressure on the lungs which not only makes your lungs stronger but also helps in relaxing your brain and calming down your nerves.

3. Alternate Nostril Breathing

Enter, Alternate nostril breathing, which is my personal favorite breathing exercise! This breathing exercise balances your left and right brain, which helps calm down your nerves. This has been a very effective technique for me personally because it has helped reduce my stress levels and has also helped in reducing my migraine headaches!

To learn more about other techniques to manage your stress and anxiety, check out this post right here -> How to Reduce Stress

Did you know? Meditation also helps in relieving anxiety? Check out this post to learn more >> Meditation for Anxiety – The Ultimate Guide

Conclusion

So, there you have it, guys! That was the wrap for this post sharing with you 3 of the best breathing exercises that have been very effective for me in reducing my anxiety and stress. You can start practicing these breathing exercises by doing about 3 to 5 reps of each, and you will start noticing a difference in your stress and anxiety levels!

I’d love to hear from you if you are going to try (or have already tried) any of these techniques to relieve your anxiety and stress. Go ahead and share your experiences in the comments section below. Also, don’t forget to share this post with those who might benefit from these techniques!

Alright then, until next time, take care, and stay safe! And, I’ll see you around soon!

P.S.: You might be interested in this Free Download of my personalized Guided Meditation to relieve your Anxiety and Stress. If yes, click this link or the image below now! >> Guided Meditation for Anxiety and Stress

P.P.S.: Get access to the FREE 7-day trial to the Group Breathwork journey on the Breath Portal with Leah Pardee that also gives you exclusive Portal access to all of its previously recorded sessions here! >> The Breath Portal

The post How to do Breathwork for Anxiety and Stress appeared first on Magical Healing & Awakening.

Do you find yourself stuck in an overthinking loop quite often? I know how true this can be especially if you are an introvert like me! This is the reason I’m here to help you out by sharing 11 techniques that I personally use and have been effective in getting me out of my overthinking rut!

Since you have been searching for a solution for your overthinking, I know how much you might have been struggling with it. You might also be very well aware how unhealthy this trait is. It can actually be termed as a bad habit! This overthinking might have even been getting in your way of doing even the simplest of things in your day-to-day life. And I totally get you, my friend, because I’ve totally been there too! And, I want you to get closer to getting over it too like I have!

The 11 ways to Stop Overthinking

So, here are my 11 tips that you could use to overcome your habit of overthinking:

Also, stay with me till the end because I’ll be sharing with you a sneak peak into a bigger strategy that can really help you get over your overthinking.

Watch the Video

1. Become more Problem aware:

Awareness is the first step in bringing about any change. The fact that you’re even looking for a remedy means that you’re aware that there is a problem and that is your first step towards achieving success. Self awareness is the first and necessary step towards Self-improvement. When you become more aware of your thoughts specially the negative ones, you can step back , and take a corresponding corrective action towards it.

These are a couple of things that can help in being more self aware:

1. Meditation, or 2. Maintaining a Thought Journal.

Now you might be thinking to yourself on the lines like, “Oh, meditation? That is simply not for me! I am always thinking non-stop whenever I try to meditate!”

But here’s the thing, you don’t need to resist your thoughts during meditation. You should just let them flow while just maintaining your focus on a simple thing like your breath and you will be able to see great results. 

If you’d like to learn more about Meditation and how to practice it, I urge you to check out this post >> Meditation for Anxiety – The Ultimate Guide

You might also be interested in this Free Guided Meditation Download for Anxiety >>

Talking about Self awareness brings me to this next tip:

2. Being more Present in the moment:

Learn to be more present in the moment by staying focused and completely engaged in whatever it is that you are doing, even while watching a video.

3. Separate your beliefs from reality:

Learn to separate your beliefs from reality. So many times it is your belief system that holds you back from doing stuff and gets you to overthink. So in order to stop overthinking you have to question if those beliefs have any probability of turning into reality and how valid those beliefs are? If they are not valid enough, you will have to let those beliefs go.

4. Don’t let your fears get in your way:

If it is your fears that is keeping you stuck and overthink, you will have to try and change your perception of it. For instance, if it is a fear of failure that is holding you back and making you overthink, you will have to change your perception of that fear. Even if you would have failed once before, it doesn’t mean in any way that you will fail every time you try.

You should also not let the fear of worst case scenarios get in your way. You will have to just stay prepared for it mentally and physically instead of getting stuck in an overthinking loop. This will also help in getting you to a more positive state of mind.

5. Think about the best case scenarios:

Thinking about the best case scenarios will again get you motivated to do the things you have to do. You don’t have to get into a fantasizing state but just keeping best case scenarios in mind will also help you to stay more positive and upbeat.

6. Take imperfect actions:

You have to start by taking small and imperfect actions. This will get you to the “Stop thinking and Start Doing” mode. The more actions you take , the more results you will get. So those results and wins will keep you motivated in taking more action. So, this will also act as a push to get you out of your head and can be especially helpful if you are someone who gets into the feeling of overwhelm with the number of tasks on hand to do.

And, this brings me to the next tip,

7. Stop obsessing over Perfectionism:

You need to stop obsessing over Perfectionism, if you have a Perfectionist tendency. Perfectionism can keep you stuck and worse, not let you do things you wish to accomplish. It can even get you into an obsessive thinking mode that can become detrimental for your success. So you will have to stop it in its tracks. Try to slowly work towards changing this trait.

Trust me, I’ve been a perfectionist myself , and I know how much it can affect even the smallest of your day to day activities . We need to get real that nothing can be perfect, and that aiming for perfectionism is simply unrealistic. Always remember that “Done is better than Perfect”, and just start getting things done rather than overthinking and wasting your time on perfection. As they say, just do your best and forget the rest.

As much as it is important to accomplish your tasks, it is also important to take breaks for a healthy mind. So this brings me to the next tip,

8. Distract yourself with healthier alternatives:

Time to time, distract yourself with healthier alternatives whenever you find yourself overthinking. It can be in ways like taking a stroll, singing, dancing, exercising or cultivating a hobby. Anything that can distract you from your overthinking stress.

You may even try getting busy with things that bring you to your flow state, like for me, blogging and creating YouTube videos brings me to my flow state and prevents me from getting stuck in my head.

So you can choose any healthy alternative that refreshes or stimulates your mind and prevents you from overthinking. But keep in mind not to indulge in any unhealthy activities and stimulants like drugs, binge eating, or any other such activities, because that is not what I’m trying to suggest. 

9. Put things into perspective:

There are 2 ways of doing this:

1. You can either use other people’s perspective by just opening up to someone, even if it is online on platforms like Quora or Reddit where you can open up, ask questions and discuss anonymously so you can gain better clarity on your thoughts. This will also help you with some kind of emotional support from a wider community of people who have been through similar situations. 

If there’s no one, you can comment down below and share what you’re overthinking about and I’ll try my best to give you my perspective!

Or, 2. You can also bring in the timeline perspective by just asking yourself if this will really matter 5 years from now, or even a month from now, and more than likely, it won’t.

10. Turn your negatives into positives:

See how you can turn your negatives and shortcomings that is making you overthink into something positive. Meaning, try to recognize if there is a negative trait that you are overthinking about, and try to turn into a more positive one by working on improvising it. So, see if this is a new skill you could learn or improvise upon. This kinda circles back to tip #1 to be more Problem aware! When you are aware of what is causing you to overthink, you will be able to take corresponding actions to stop it.

Want to learn more about Stress Management and Anxiety Reduction? Here are a couple of other blog posts that you might be interested in >>
1. How to Reduce Stress – 10 Simple Ways to Relieve Stress & Anxiety
2. Breathing Exercises for Anxiety and Stress

11. Final Bonus Tip:

Here’s my final Bonus Tip for you!

It is to work on your Decision-making skills. This is a really big one. Learn to make decisions quickly and stick by it. This has helped me in a big way so I’m sure it will help you too!

If you would like to learn more about how to improve your decision making skills, please let me know in the comments below! I would love to share all my experiences with you all!

P.S.: If you’d like to learn more about how to stop overthinking, worrying, getting over anxiety and depression, here are some books that you might find helpful …

P.P.S.: You might also be interested in this short and Free Guided Meditation Download to Relieve your Anxiety >> Guided Meditation for Anxiety and Stress

The post How to Stop Overthinking – 11 Ways to Stop it Now appeared first on Magical Healing & Awakening.

Hey there! If you have been looking to learn how to meditate so you can relieve your anxiety, then here’s an ultimate guide for you! I’ll be sharing with you a step-by-step process that you can follow to be in track with your meditation practice. There’ll also be some simple practice tips that can help you with your meditation routine.

I’ve been practicing Meditation for 2 years now almost every single day, and have noticed some immense benefits from it. So, I’ll be sharing my tips with you in this post because I know it can be a struggle to stick with a meditation routine for many of you out there. I’ll also be sharing a bonus tip with you towards the end of this post.

The Meditation technique that I’m going to cover over here in this post called the Mindfulness Meditation. I’ll be breaking down this technique into an easy step by step process. You can follow this process like a guide for whenever you might need a reference .

Are you ready to say goodbye to your anxiety and stress with Meditation? Awesome! Then let’s begin!

The Ultimate Step-by-Step Guide to Meditation for Anxiety

This ultimate stepwise guide for Meditation will help you in relieving your stress and anxiety. It will also ease whatever overwhelm or restlessness that you might be experiencing when you sit down for meditation!

Watch the Video

Step: 1 Choose a time and place. Preferably a quieter place with minimum distractions.

Step: 2 Sit in a comfortable position. Experts in Meditation might sit in a specific way with their legs on top of each other. Although this might be advisable, it is not absolutely necessary to sit this way, specially if you’re a beginner. However, it is best to avoid the sleeping position since there might be an inkling to fall asleep in this position.

Step: 3 Rest your hands comfortably on your legs

Step: 4 Gently close your eyes . You can have them open too, but it is best to keep it closed so you can stay more focused. 

Step: 5 Focus & Re-Focus: Focus your attention on your breathing while you slowly breathe in and breathe out. If you feel like you are having a lot of distracting thoughts from your day to day life, like, “What should I cook for dinner?”, or “I still need to do laundry”, or “Oh I need to do this”, “ I need to do that “, “oh, I forgot to do something “, or any other thoughts for that matter, just observe and acknowledge them as your passing thoughts without actively thinking about them. Just let them pass but bring your focus back to your breathing.

P.S.: To learn more about other Stress Management Techniques, check out this post >> How to Reduce Stress

Some Practice Tips for you…

1. Prioritize meditation: Having a desire to meditate without a goal will get you nowhere. Use a time block, put it on your calendar if you have to. Even if it is for 5 mins a day, it will get you started with cultivating this habit. 
2. Embrace patience:  Be kind and compassionate towards yourself. Even if your mind wanders a lot, just let go of control over your thoughts. Don’t be harsh on yourself for losing focus. Be patient. Meditation is like building that muscle and over time, it will get better. So, even if you start small, you will be able to build upon it.
3. Reading books on Meditation will also help you gain more insights about your meditation practice. You can find links to a couple of them down below:
4. Lastly, Consistency is the key: Stay consistent and persistent, and optimistic about your practice, and you will see benefits from it.

Bonus Tips:

1. To remain focused, repeat a calming word in your mind like “Love”, or “Peace”, or the name of a God, if you believe in, and do it in a calming way. You can also use some calming images of nature like the ocean or greeneries, or images of God to lay your inner gaze upon and remain focused. This will also help in calming you down and getting you to a more peaceful state. Also, if you think your mind has wandered almost the entire time, and you start feeling like it was a total waste of time, just refocus for one more minute, and you will feel a lot better!
2. If you find yourself fidgeting and feeling restless whether or not the time set for your ritual is complete, I suggest that you use an alarm so you can stay focused on your meditation and not the time.
3. If you find it hard to do your meditations at a stretch, I suggest that you split them up throughout your day. Like for instance, if you’re starting off with a 10-min meditation a day, you can do it for 5mins in the morning and 5mins at night.

Did you know? Breath work and Breathing exercises also help in relieving anxiety? Check out this post to learn more >> Breathing Exercises for Anxiety and Stress

Conclusion

So, there you have it! The ultimate guide for meditation that will relieve your anxiety! If you got value from this post, share it with those who might benefit from it. Leave me a comment below to tell me more about your meditation practice .

And, before you go, be sure to check out other stress and anxiety relief techniques that I’ve shared in other posts that have been linked over here too! And, until next time, take care and I’ll see you soon!

P.S.: You might be interested in this Free Download of my personalized Guided Meditation to relieve your Anxiety and Stress. If yes, follow this link now! >> Guided Meditation for Anxiety and Stress

The post Meditation for Anxiety – The Ultimate Guide appeared first on Magical Healing & Awakening.

Have you been tired and stressed out lately? So, you must have been wondering how to reduce that stress and relieve that anxiety that you might be experiencing! Don’t worry, I’ve got you! I’m going to help you reduce your stress with very simple and easy relaxation techniques right here in this post!

I find myself stressed out and anxious too many a times. Since I have learned to manage my stress, I really want to share my relaxation techniques with you all too!

Here are 10 simple ways that will help reduce your stress and relieve your anxiety:

Practice these relaxation techniques to see a reduction in your stress levels.

Watch the Video

1. Meditation:

Meditation technique has proven to be the most effective technique for me in relaxing my mind in the 2 years that I’ve been practicing it.

P.S.:To learn more in detail about Meditation to relieve your anxiety and stress, check out this post over here -> Meditation for Anxiety – The Ultimate Guide

2. Breathing Exercises:

There are a number if breathing exercises that can help you with stress. I’m sharing one of them here called Pursed Lip Breathing.

Pursed lip breathing:

For pursed lip breathing, you inhale your breath through your nostrils for say about 4 counts, but you exhale for a little longer, for say about 8 counts. You exhale through your mouth with a pursed lip for this. (Watch the video above for better assistance)

P.S.: To learn more in detail about breathing exercises to manage your anxiety and stress, check out this post right here -> Breathing Exercises for Anxiety and Stress

3. Aromatherapy:

Aromatherapy involves using the aroma of essential oils in your routine. Using aromatherapy could improve your psychological and physical well being, but it is important to use 100% organic oils for this. The oils that are recommended (and that I recommend too personally) are hemp and cbd oil, use a diffuser to diffuse the aroma of these oils in your space.

For me, Lavender oil has been very effective in calming down my nerves, reducing stress, for inducing sleep, and in even reducing pains like migraine headaches! So, if you are having troubles sleeping, you have to include lavender oils in your routine. It is advisable to use 100% organic oils that don’t have any fillers in them, so if you need help in finding them to include in your routine, I’ll be sharing a couple of links for it here. It is  also better to have a diffuser to diffuse the fragrance in your surroundings, like in your bedroom while you sleep, so I’ll be sharing a link to a diffuser as well in case you need it.

4. Music:

Listening to calm and soothing music can be a very quick fix for a gloomy mood.

5. Take a Walk:

Going out, taking a walk, and getting in the midst of nature whenever possible, and if you have access to any water source like lake, river or ocean, even better.  Water views and nature, in general can have an especially calming effect on your mind. So, if you need to clear your head or get yourself more aligned, this would probably be the best remedy. Speaking of which, I actually am blessed with a lake view for my apartment, and just looking at it brings so much peace to my mind , so you can take it from me on this one! Studies also show that being in the midst of nature reduces stress and improves your wellbeing, so do go out and soak in nature’s beauty for some relaxation!

6. Talk to people and Make real connections:

Spending time with people and connections, even if it is just about calling your parents and talking to them can indeed refresh your mind and help you both mentally and emotionally.

7. Read:

Reading can be such an incredible relaxation technique! It can take you to a whole new world, so do consider reading for relaxation and reducing your stress.

8. Write:

Writing has always put me in a better state of mind. Therefore it has been a very effective relaxation technique for me personally. If you’re into writing too, you will know what I’m talking about. At times when you have too many thoughts in your head, even some overwhelming emotions. So, writing or journaling those thoughts could serve as a very good outlet!

9. Drink Tea:

Drinking Tea can totally reduce your stress and improve your mood. This is especially true for me when it comes to my cup of  traditional Indian tea! Sharing my choice of tea that instantly relieves my stress here.

10. Rest or Take a Nap:

Resting or Taking a nap is a very important relaxation technique that helps reduce your stress. You might have heard of the power nap. The nap that lasts about 10 to 20 mins, leaving you feeling refreshed. There is also the 30 mins nap, but this can leave you feeling groggy. However, a 90 min full cycle nap (REM nap -rapid eye movement nap) apparently improves your memory and creativity!

So, if you’re really stressed out, it is a clear indicator that you need to take breaks. Do get some rest!

I can’t stress this enough, you guys, how important rest is for you, emotionally, mentally and physically! No matter the level of a hustler you are, or the hustler that the world wants you be, nothing should come at the cost of your health! So, as important as it is to keep crushing, it is equally important to take care of your health.

Conclusion:

So, these were my 10 simple tips to reduce stress and even relieve some anxiety. These are some natural remedies that come at a minimal cost but are very effective in managing your stress. It is necessary to relieve your stress using healthy ways to prevent any adverse effects on your health.

So, if you found this post helpful for relieving your stress, I’d love to hear from you! Also, do share it with someone who might benefit from it. If you have tried any of these stress relief techniques, do let me know in the comments. You can also let me know which ones are your favorites. I’d also love to hear from you if there are any other techniques that you use to relieve your stress.

Alright then, that is all I have for this post, so until next time, stay safe and healthy!

P.S.: You might also be interested in this blog post to help you Stop overthinking and worrying >> How to Stop Overthinking – 11 Ways to Stop it Now

P.P.S.: You might be interested in this Free Download of my personalized Guided Meditation to relieve your Anxiety and Stress. If yes, follow this link now! >> Guided Meditation for Anxiety and Stress

The post How to Reduce Stress – 10 Simple Ways to Relieve Stress & Anxiety appeared first on Magical Healing & Awakening.