What are good ways to relax and calm the mind?

A good friend of mine was an emergency first response expert, dealing in oil disasters. For
years he would have to leave home at a moment’s notice and fly to some of the world’s
toughest environments.

It’s intense, working in life-threatening situations with constant anxiety and tension. If
you’re going to survive, you have to manage the stress. Otherwise, you’ll burn out—which
hurts you and the cause you’re dedicated to.

Recently, we compared notes on how the two of us, myself a public speaker and him an
emergency first response expert, manage stress when we’re traveling. In one year I may
take up to 50 flights to speak at international events, which takes its toll. We realized there
were some similarities in how we prepare to show up as the best versions of ourselves no
matter where we are going. The biggest unifying factor was rest—good, quality,
uninterrupted rest.

But that doesn’t always mean sleeping.

1. Sometimes it means a big travel mug.

One of the most frustrating things about traveling is the cups never seem to be big enough.

When you want a large, warm, soothing cup of tea, the best you can get in a hotel room is a
little paper vessel worth half a mouthful. So I always pack a large travel mug and ask the
hotel for a kettle. This works perfectly for brewing my favorite tea after a long day of air
conditioning on planes and in conference buildings.

And of course, like any proper Brit, I bring my own tea.

My favorite is a turmeric and ginger tea from Rishi. Anytime I’m particularly worn out, a cup
of this warm magic helps restore my energy. It’s the perfect way to ease into a good night’s
rest or wake my body up in the morning. It also reduces the inflammation of my voice after
a long day of talking.

And having that key element of calm in my hotel room is a must.

2. Because most people don’t rest well in hotel rooms.

You’re in a strange environment, you have a major meeting in the morning, you’re wired
from travel adrenaline—so you’re quite likely to toss and turn all night.

This means you’ll also worry about oversleeping once you finally drift off.

To counteract this anxiety, one of the early things my emergency first response expert
friend and I do is plug in our phones. This way no matter what happens we have an alarm
to rely on and a touchstone to remind us where we are.
The challenge? Many hotel rooms only have one plug socket and it’s across the other side
of the room! We both take a long phone charger cable—at least 10 feet long—so if we
wake up disoriented, we aren’t disrupting our sleep by shuffling around the room trying to
check our phones. We can just roll over, check our phones, and return to sleep.

It’s a simple touch, but it makes for an improved night’s rest.

3. And of course, we can’t forget conscious relaxation.

My friend says no matter how stressful the day was, no matter how many disasters he dealt
with at a time, he always allows himself 30 minutes of laughter.

This block is completely uninterrupted by any responsibility and is meant solely for
pleasure. He’ll stream Netflix or download comedy specials on his laptop to watch in
increments. It’s how he switches his mind off to reset and recharge for the next day. And
he’s on to something—laughter activates and then soothesyour stress response, so it helps
to release extra tension from having fired it up earlier.

I also block out uninterrupted stress-release time—although I prefer meditation over

comedy specials.

I like to use meditation apps—Headspace in the morning or Insight Timer in the evening.
Either way, I follow about 10 to 15 minutes of guided meditation. It eases my mind and
puts me in a balanced state so I can accomplish everything on my list the next day.

What works for you? I’d love to hear your best tips for performing at your best when
traveling for work. Is there something important you always take, or a routine you aim to
stick to? Whatever it is I hope it helps you to be your best self when you need to be.

You can find out more about performing at your best in important business situations
through booking a workshop with our team. We travel all over the world, especially across
the United States, Asia, Australia, and Europe.

And you can connect with me on Linkedin to read the latest articles

10 Techniques to Help You Relax Your Mind and Body in Less than 5 Minutes

With the bustle and hassle of life, it’s common that many people feel overwhelmed,
stressed and pushed to the edge of the cliff at one point or another.

Thankfully, there are some healthy practices that you can follow to find just a little more
relaxation in your daily life. These practices can help in overcoming signs of depression and
anxiety disorders, which can progress to mental health problems if they’re not addressed in
time.

One of the most effective ways of overcoming stress and relaxing our mind and body is to
take a 5-minute break anytime we feel overwhelmed by our daily activities.

Want some ideas of what you can do during these breaks to truly feel refreshed? Here are
some effective techniques that you can use to relax your mind and body that you can do in
less than 5 minutes:

1. Have a Cup of Tea

Drinking a cup of tea, whether green or herbal is one of the simplest ways to relax your
mind and body for a moment. Different teas offer different health benefit just from the
consumption of it. For example, chamomile tea acts as a natural nerve tonic while green
tea is clinically prove to overcome stress.

2. Get a New Perspective

Another good technique to relax your mind and body for a moment is working on changing
your perspective of the situation that is bothering you. This requires you to identify why
you are feeling overwhelmed and if the thing is worth stressing over. You should then
determine whether or not you can solve the problem or if it involves something that you do
not have control over.

Convincing your mind that the problem is not worth stressing over, or understanding that
you have no control over the matter, can help you to relax. This technique will also allow
your mind to manage the issue rationally and enable you to acquire a positive attitude,
which helps in managing stress.

3. Take a Walk

Taking a walk is effective in relaxing your mind and body as it enables you to forget about
troubling thoughts. This gives you peace of mind, which creates space to cultivate a positive
attitude about the situation. You do not need to walk for hours to enjoy the calming effects
of walking. A brisk walk will be enough to help you overcome negative thoughts, and
therefore help relax your mind and body.

However, it is advisable to focus on engaging your mind when walking and concentrate on
the present moment and the nature around you to reap the maximum benefits. By doing
this, even a comfortable or brisk walk can be effective.
4. Hand Massage

Giving yourself a hand massage helps in relieving tension in your hands. You can also use
lightly scented lotion or oil to relieve tension in the area around the base of your thumb.
This also helps to release stress from your neck, scalp, and shoulders.

5. Meditate

According to research, meditation is one of the most effective ways of relaxing your mind
and body. Therefore, meditation can help to overcome early depression symptoms or
anxiety disorders while also improving memory. There are many techniques to meditate,
but you can start by focusing on your breath while trying to overcome your thoughts and
avoiding getting attached to them.

6. Stretching

Doing a bit of stretching for about five minutes helps in loosening your muscles, which
relieves tension from your body. This can be just simple stretching or specific yoga
poses that can easily be done anywhere including in the office to aid in relaxing your mind
and body. Relaxing your body doesn’t require you to go to the gym for long workouts.
Rather, simple stretches that can even be done at your desk could do the trick.

7. Playing Soothing Music

Playing soothing music with a smooth tempo that involves light instruments create a
conducive environment to relax your mind and body. You can even identify some soothing
songs that help you gain calmness once you feel overwhelmed by the daily challenges of
life.

Picking soothing music helps in blocking the negative thoughts and therefore prepares your
mind to adopt a positive attitude.

8. Use Lavender Oil

According to studies, lavender is known to relax muscles and offer calming effects when
inhaled. Consequently, this popular plant helps in overcoming depression, stress, anxiety,
irritability and sleep disorders. Applying lavender oil relieves any tension, enabling you to
relax your mind and body in less than five minutes.

9. Write down Your Worries and Fears

Writing your worries, fears or dreams helps in clearing off all negative thoughts to allow
you to focus on the present. This involves taking time to write down something that helps
in clarifying your feelings and thoughts, which enable you to understand yourself better
and find reassurance in life. It also offers a better way to look at a problem and easily come
up with a solution as everything is put on paper.

This technique can also help you overcome powerful negative emotions and make it easier
for you to let go. This is because writing a short journal of what you are facing enables you
to identify what you do not need and what you cannot change and therefore should let go.

10. Counting Backward

Taking some time to relax and counting from 10 downwards while focusing on your breath
is another method to relax. When you feel stressful thoughts creeping in, try this simple
task. It works because because it interrupts your brain from the cycle of worrying about
what might happen in the future.

You can combine this technique with a yoga pose that allows you to relax and take a deep
breath after every count such as child’s pose for better and faster results. This simple yoga
pose helps in steadying your breath and relaxing your mind.

In conclusion, your mind and body need to relax and get away from the daily struggles and
challenges that you face. This helps in improving your overall well-being and prevents
mental diseases. Therefore, there is a need to understand or master some simple
techniques that allows us to relax any time we feel overwhelmed. We might not always be
able to see the physical signs of stress, which makes it crucial to master some simple and
practical techniques that can address the early signs.