5 Things That Will Totally Help You Chill Out

I’m pinning this for my reference later. Sometimes I think when things are feeling like they’re falling apart or, you know, hitting the fan, I find that I’m so focused on what’s going wrong that I don’t have time to think clearly. And when I’m not thinking clearly, I’m not keeping things in perspective.

LOVE these suggestions from Maxie because they’re easy to implement, even if you had forgotten about them!

5 Things That Will Totally Help You Chill Out

Guest post by Maxie McCoy

Sometimes there’s so so so much going on we don’t even realize how much of a crazy person we’re becoming. We rock our way through a to-do list on the regular. We’re on the go. We’re trying to get to a million places and trying to see a million friends. We’re getting to class or getting to work and simultaneously keeping ten thousand plates in the air without letting them drop.

And while we’re busy getting all the right now things done, we tend to completely freak out about all the big questions: What am I doing with my life? What will I do when I graduate? Am I in the right job? Will I ever meet someone? Am I with the wrong person? You know the oh crap questions I’m talking about.

When we do this to ourselves, it’s a constant tizzy all the time. There’s no space for enjoyment. We forget to smile at the person handing us our coffee. We rush past the friend on the street. We miss the most beautiful songbirds chirping from the trees. We’re not there for our friends because we’re not there for ourselves.

There’s no breathing and being; there’s just freaking out and worrying. And it’s zero fun. I’ve done it, and it’s led to some not so pretty places. And what I would have given to have someone sit me down and tell me to chill out. Because it is going to be okay. It always is.

So if you’re one of those people that is all zero chill this week, listen up:

Sleep always always helps
If I ever call my mom worked up or upset, her first questions is, “Have you slept?” The answer is almost always no in those moments. We cannot function without proper and consistent sleep. We think we can, so we attempt to jam 26 hours into a 24 hour day. It doesn’t work and we suffer big time. We eat more when we’re tired, we’re at a higher risk for disease, and it heightens all those anxious feelings we’re having about our lives. So if you need a chill pill, try 8-10 hours of sleep a few nights in a row.

Step away from the screen
If you’re anything like me, you’ve convinced yourself that scrolling mindlessly through Instagram or Facebook is like totally “zoning” out. But it’s no break, not at all. Whether you realize it or not your brain is jammed with information at every glance. It’s information overload. So if you want to give yourself a real break and honest rest, take an afternoon or evening off of the screens. Back away from technology and tune back into yourself. Doing this weekly as a digital detox is a really good practice too, regardless of if you’re freaking out about things or not.

See a movie
One of the amazing things about going to see a movie is that you’re full immersed in someone else’s story. You get to (finally) stop thinking about your life. You’re sitting in the dark. You’re not playing on your phone or googling whatever the person says on TV while they’re saying it. You’re zoning out. And sometimes that’s a necessary break from your own thoughts.

Take five really big breaths
Why we all forget to do this, I’ll never understand. I always forget to breathe, but as soon as I do everything calms down. Your breath is a built in stress reliever. It tells your body to relax. Taking five really deep breaths will give you an almost immediate calm. And the beautiful part is you can breathe from anywhere at any time, and it’ll help you chill.

Ask, will this matter next year?
So much of your own freakouts stem from your mind running completely wild. When you’re losing your mind over that curt email someone sent or you’re completely panicked that you might be making the wrong decision, ask yourself…”will any of this matter next year”….if the answer is NO (most times), give yourself permission to let it go. You’re doing the best you can. And perspective is always a beautiful thing.

You don’t want to be an anxious, worried, crazed person all the time. But sometimes it happens! To all of us. Let yourself chill out, because when you do, everything has a way of brightening back up again.

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