How to Upgrade Your Mindset - Part 5

Over the last few weeks I’ve been posting bits and pieces of this series of blogs focused around upgrading your mindset. Today will be the fifth post in the series, and the final post in the Mindset Upgrade series. I’ve had a lot of fun writing this and I think I’m going to try and do more “series” posts in the future. Ok, on to the good stuff!

What Is Deep Relaxation?

Deep relaxation is one of those commonly overlooked areas when it comes to mindset. But it’s SOOOO important to having a healthy and productive mindspace. Most of the time, when we hear the word relaxation it looks something like this:

• Come home

• Take your shoes off

• Sit on the couch

• Turn on Netflix

• Zone out with a few “Hundred” episodes of Friends.

Although this may seem like relaxation to you, this isn’t exactly what I'm talking about here. Friends is a great show, and I love me some couch time but doing this doesn’t actually help to reduce the negative effects of stress.

To do that we need to bring ourselves in to our natural relaxation state.  This is a state of deep rest where your body naturally detoxes the stress of the day, where your heart rate actually slows, your blood pressure drops and your mind puts itself back into balance.

That my lovely readers is what the practice of deep relaxation is all about. You ready to learn some easy ways to practice? Read on!

Take A Nice Steaming Bath

I know, I know... “I don’t have time for a bath”. Common response, and I get it, we’re all extremely busy. But hear me out on this one, you’ve already taken the time to practice everything else I’ve talked about in my previous posts. So why not give this one a shot? 

Go run a bath, toss your favorite bath bomb in there, light some candles (I like aromatherapy candles for this), grab a glass of wine and give yourself some much-needed uninterrupted relaxation time. For those of us out there who are empaths, being in or near water is a hugely important source of grounding for us.

Practice A Deep Breathing Routine

This process involves full, deep and purposeful breathing where you breathe in heavy through your abdomen. This sort of breathing is tied heavily to being able to disengage your mind from the stresses of the day. The beauty of this practice is that you can do it anywhere. You can even pair the act of deep breathing with other relaxation techniques. 

So, how exactly do you practice deep breathing? 

Sit with your back straight (If this is hard to do try sitting with your back against a wall in a comfortable position)

• Place one hand on your chest and one on your stomach

• Slowly and deeply breathe in through your nose

1. The hand on your chest should raise

2. The hand on your stomach should move slightly

• Breathe out through your mouth while forcing out as much air as possible. 

1. As you do this focus on contracting your abs

• Continue this process for 3-5 minutes as you’re learning

1. Your goal should be 10-15 minutes

2. Deep breathing can be done for upwards of 20 minutes for experienced practitioners

Practice Visualization

This is a process where you visualize a relaxing and serene place. The goal here is to get as detailed as possible with your visualization. Experienced individuals have been known to feel the sensation of wind or rain on their skin while practicing this technique. 

Find a quiet place in your house, sit in a comfortable position. As you’re doing this get as focused as you can on your serene place. You’re not just trying to create a “screenshot” of the place, you’re trying to put yourself in that place.

So, for example if your serene place is a beach on a private island here's how you’d visualize:

• Hear the birds flying around the beach as they sing and chase each other

• Feel the heat radiating off of the sand on to your skin

• Hear the waves crashing on the shore

• Taste the brine in the air as you breathe in

• Listen to the sound of the palm fronds rustling in the wind

As you do this take solace in the feeling of all your worries, stress and anxiety flowing out of your body. Enjoy the act of being in your serene place, stay there for as long as you need to. Once you’re ready, slowly open your eyes, take a deep breath and enjoy being free of stresses.

When first learning how to do this, it is common to lose track or become distracted, don’t worry about this as its normal. Your limbs may feel heavy or sluggish after this practice, don’t freak out! That’s normal too.

Final Tips

• Ensure you have a quiet and comfortable place to practice your relaxation techniques

• We have a decent sized walk-in closet in our bedroom. I’ve claimed ownership of a corner of it to use as my relaxation haven. Heres a quick list of the items it has (Practice visualization to imagine how this looks)

1. An oversized bean bag floor pillow / lounger

2. “Fairy” lights draped above the lounger

3. Oversized chunky knit blanket

4. Essential oil diffuser

• Ensure you set aside time in your schedule

• Use apps or other aids (Like calming music) to help get you to a place of relaxation

I hope this series has given you some beneficial and actionable processes to ensure that you can improve your mindset and continue to grow in a positive manner.

I’ve really enjoyed this series, and would love to do more in the future. If you liked this series and would also like to see more please leave me a comment below!