Practices for Self-Improvement and Stress-Relief

One of the things that you cannot control are the circumstances of life and the stress they bring. However, one can always find ways in which to stay positive and true to themselves, and that's why practicing self-improvement is crucial. Not only does it help in living a (somewhat) stress-free life, it can also help keep our mental health intact. Conversely, if you pay attention to your mind and your body, you will be more likely to be resilient toward everything that comes your way. If you're not quite sure what to do to stay stress-free and practice self-improvement, take a look at the following tips.

Breathe

There are those small things, such as making coffee or tying our shoe laces, which we do automatically, without actually thinking about them. One such activity is breathing, that we always take for granted and we never actually think about whether we are doing it right or not. However, if you really want to get rid of the stress from your body, you definitely need to pay attention to the way you're breathing. This is an important tool, as it increases the supply of oxygen in our body and our brain, which, as a result, helps us with focus and calmness. The first thing that you need to do is check whether you're breathing properly, and then use that to just deep-breathe for 5 minutes a day. This will definitely help you feel better.

Meditate

Even though many people consider meditation to be a part of a different culture, practicing it can seriously help us in stress relief. If you've checked the previous tip on the list, then you definitely need to start meditating right away. Allocate fifteen to twenty minutes a day, play some relaxing instrumental music, sit nicely and simply breathe and think of nothing else but a beautiful scenery where you would like to be. Once you start practicing meditation, you will see how difficult it is to close your mind to the life around you, but don't worry, as everything takes practice. Soon enough you will master this extremely helpful skill and you will see what wonders it can do for your body and mind.

Masturbate

It's 2018, and all the taboos around masturbation should have been lifted off a long time ago. It's a well-known fact that masturbation has many health benefits, and perhaps the most important one is that it's a great stress-reliever. Since the best way to feel good about yourself is to make yourself feel good, you should practice this whenever you have the chance. If you, however, want it to be more efficient and stronger, you can always purchase one of many sex toys that will make the orgasm even stronger, and provide for yourself not only pleasure, but mental benefits as well. Masturbation floods your brain with endorphins, dopamine and oxytocin, and can help you improve your digestion and balance your hormones.

Yoga

Yoga is very close to meditation, but much more popular, which means that you can easily find tutors who will help you do this in the best possible way. Choosing to enroll in a yoga course (or do it by yourself at home) is a great way of combining proper breathing, meditation and physical activity. If you, aside from self-improving want to be more physically active, then this should be your choice.

Talk to people

It’s always good to have a close circle of friends who you can laugh with, but it's always better to have that one or two friends whom you will tell everything that's troubling you. According to a study, being around a best friend and chatting with them about your or his/her problems can significantly decrease any stress levels. Talking to someone about your ups and downs and listening to other people do so can decrease the stress levels as if you were meditating. It's always good to be engaged in a relationship where you won't be afraid to say everything that's making you feel blue and show your true self and vice versa.

Listen to relaxing music

Lastly, make sure that you have your relaxing tunes ready at all times. Millennials have perfected the art of having background music to everything they do, so make sure that you do the same, no matter what your stress-relieving activity might be. On another note, you can find numerous playlists online from instrumentals, relaxing Tibetan chimes and jazz. Make sure that you use music that soothes your ears and doesn't include any lyrics as this will only make you think about them and meditating, doing yoga or masturbating requires you do be fully concentrated on that specific process.

You don't have to go full Zen to release the stress from your body, but the key is in practice. Once you start practicing any of the aforementioned tips, you will see how quickly you will learn to shut down the world and just enjoy and indulge in the activity.