Simple practices that soothe your mind when meditation just isn’t cutting it.
My most recent attempt at meditating was pretty embarrassing. I downloaded an app that my friend swears by and had planned to begin a daily practice to help reduce my stress during a particularly chaotic time. The app promised that my mood would improve with a consistent practice and that the more time I spent meditating with the app, the better I would feel. This sounded great and I was anxious (hah!) to get started.
I figured I would start with a very modest chunk of time, so I chose a beginner meditation that was less than five minutes. I hit the button, closed my eyes, took a deep breath and sat there. After what felt like an eternity, I peeked…it had only been one minute. Disappointed with myself, I closed the app, canceled my membership, and dug back into my email stack.
Why was I so bad at this? My husband can meditate for an hour without getting distracted. Was I too impatient? Too weak of spirit? Instead of spiraling, I turned to a few experts on the subject to see if I could find ways to feel calm without meditating.
1. Gentle Movement
It turns out that many people find it easier to focus their mind when their body is moving. “Light movement, such as stretching or mobility work, gives the nervous system something to follow, which can create an automatic sense of calm,” shares Kristin McGee, mindful movement expert, yoga and Pilates teacher, author, and founder of the Kristin McGee Movement.
2. Walking
If you find that a daily walk helps you feel centered and at peace, think of it as a walking meditation. The rhythm of walking helps regulate the nervous system, and nature’s calming powers are “grounding for people who struggle with stillness,” McGee says.
If you already take a daily walk, you can amplify that practice by turning it into a gratitude walk. Kendall Toole, founder of NKO Club, loves her nightly gratitude walks because they combine intentional movement with calming the mind. “So often in our busy days we completely neglect to think about how far we’ve come, what we’ve achieved, and what we’re grateful for.
If you’d like to turn your morning walks into something more meaningful, Toole recommends focusing on three things you’re grateful for. If you’re walking with a friend or partner, share the specific things you’re grateful for out loud. Focusing on the gratitude you feel for particular things or people helps focus a mind that might otherwise wander.
3. Progressive Muscle Relaxation
If you’ve taken a group yoga class, the teacher may have started the class by asking you to tense and then release various parts of your body, starting at the toes and moving on up your body. This is progressive muscle relaxation, and according to Saba Harouni Lurie, owner and founder of Take Root Therapy, this practice can help us feel calm because it releases tension we may not know we’re carrying. I’ve found that this is a great technique to do at night while in bed, or on an airplane if you’re feeling anxious.
4. Visualization
If you picture your family’s lake house or your favorite beach when you’re stressed, you’re already using visualization. Thinking about your “happy place,” either a real location or an imagined one, when you’re anxious can help you feel calm. The more details you can conjure up, the better. Lurie recommends thinking about what the place looks, smells, feels (is it humid or refreshingly cool?), and sounds like.
5. Grounding
For people like me who need to focus on concrete things instead of entering the chaos of my mind, grounding practices can be very helpful. Lurie explains that “some folks find that it’s far easier to access than meditation,” she says. “Grounding helps us cope with intense feelings by shifting our attention to the outside world, and can be utilized alone or with a loved one. When you’re using grounding, you give yourself a break from your inner world and focus briefly on something else.”
A simple grounding technique is the 5-4-3-2-1 method. Look around your environment and name five things you can see, four things you can hear, three things you can touch, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste.
6. Hands-on Tasks
Focusing intently on doing one thing for a specific period of time can be very calming. Repetitive motions like slicing carrots, pulling weeds, and even scrubbing the bathtub can reduce mental static because they “anchor attention, create structure, and give the brain something soothing to focus on,” McGee says.
One thing that’s similar to a meditation practice is that these methods should be used often. Lurie recommends practicing grounding and other techniques regularly to make it easier to access calm when you’re feeling overwhelmed. I’m putting the 5-4-3-2-1 prompt in the notes app on my phone so I can access it whenever I need to banish overwhelm. Something tells me I’ll be referring to it often.
