When we’re super busy, we often get stressed. Because we think we get stressed because we are so busy. This is an automatic response that is deeply ingrained in our thinking. But imagine for a moment that it can be done differently? That you can reset your brain? And stay relaxed even when it’s busy?
“There is a profound reason to relax” the great kungfu masters often said. Why? Because they knew that tension, stress and fear are the recipe for failure during a fight. In this blog, I’ll provide practical tips for staying relaxed during a busy day. So that you can face the challenges of your daily life from strength.
Text: Francisca Boel Image: Premdeep
There are two reasons to stay relaxed during a busy day
When we are very busy, we often automatically become tense. We shrug, we clench our jaws, and we start racing to get everything done. Our thoughts become more and more agitated. And before you know it, you’ve got it: stress.
Imagine what it would be like if you stayed relaxed no matter how busy you are. There are two reasons to stay relaxed during a busy day.
The first reason to stay relaxed
The first reason to stay relaxed during a busy day is that tension and stress demand an extra effort from you that takes a lot of energy. You are not helping yourself or your environment with that. Seeing to it that you do not build up unnecessary tension is an effective form of self-management.
A teacher once said: if you are faced with a problem and you can solve it then you don’t have to get stressed. Because you can solve it. And if you can’t solve the problem there is no reason to get stressed.After all, you can’t solve it anyway.
For me, it helps a lot to work with this question. Sometimes, of course, I forget about it in the hectic pace of the day. But the moment I remember the question I immediately come closer to myself and to my strength.
The second reason to relax
The second reason to stay relaxed during a busy day is that research shows that your brain does not perform well under pressure. That’s because your brain rushes into survival mode when tension and pressure increase. This survival mode is useful if you encounter a saber-toothed tiger on the way to your office. But you won’t have much use for this survival mode if you want to work effectively. Read more about saber tooth tigers in this blog .
How can you stay relaxed during a busy day?
Staying relaxed during a busy day is easier than you think. In fact, you can train your brain to relax when the pressure is getting too much for you.
At first it takes effort and you keep forgetting. Because changing an ingrained habit takes time. We are all conditioned to react from tension and stress in difficult moments. Tension and stress are actually forms of resistance to what is. When you let go of the resistance you face the situation with an open mind. Like a true warrior.
Three practical hints
I’ll close with three tips for practicing your skills as a warrior. By staying relaxed during a busy day, you give your brain a chance to work from a reflective and effective mode.
- Take a few minutes to sit in silence, focus your attention on your breath and relax your body. Think about a situation that is causing you stress. See yourself dealing with the situation from a position of peacefulness. How does that feel in your body? You are now busy making new connections in your brain
- During a busy day, keep in touch with your body. Feel your feet on the ground, your seat on the chair. Regularly follow your breath for a moment during your work. Be aware of tension in your body and get used to relaxing your muscles again and again. Working will cost you less energy
- As soon as a difficult moment arises (a traffic jam, someone saying something unkind to you) first relax the muscles in your body. In this way you take your brain out of survival mode. Now you get the space to respond with a clear head. But if a saber-toothed tiger is nipping at your heels, this is not a good tip. Then my advice is: run for your life!