3 Simple Ways To Feel Calm + Connected (in less than 10 minutes)

Feeling calm is the first step towards mental wellbeing because from a calm headspace you can think more clearly.
When your body is relaxed and not holding onto any unnecessary tension you can communicate more effectively with your words and your body language, and physically you feel calmer.
When you feel calm on all levels; mental, emotional, physical and energetic, you are more likely to make empowered decisions and feel more at ease in everything you do.

Feeling calm, however, can be fleeting and in those moments we experience a disconnection from ourselves and those around us or from the task we were initially focusing on. I am a firm believer that although it may feel counterproductive to stop what you’re doing, pausing to rebalance is the very best thing we can do when we find ourselves easily distracted, feeling overwhelmed or have lost focus on what we are doing in the first place.

Today I’ve pulled together three of the simplest and self-empowering ways I know to be effective in helping you find a sense of calm and re-connect you to yourself in the here and now.

Turn off any devices that may disturb you.

You can set a timer if you like so you can relax without needly to check your phone or watch.

1. Grounding

Let’s first get clear on what it means to ground yourself…

• The ability to feel calm and connected to the essence of yourself.

• The ability to find calm amid challenging times.

• The ability to connect to the present moment and quieten worrying thoughts of the future or the past.

Why would you need to ground yourself?

• When feeling overwhelmed with life’s challenges it helps to feel the support around you and literally beneath your feet.

• If your thoughts have become anxious and you feel like everything is spiralling it can help to bring you back to yourself and where you are present.

• After a heated conversation or uncomfortable experience, it can be hard to shake the negative feelings so it is supportive to bring you into the present moment.

Here’s a Grounding Meditation I have created for you to use anytime you choose…

Allow yourself to get comfortable, propping yourself up so you have length to your spine and your belly and chest have space to expand freely.

Take a long and slow breath in through your nose and let the exhale be a sigh-out through your mouth.

Take three more of these grounding breaths.

Become aware of the support beneath you or behind you as you begin to close down your eyes.

Bring your awareness to your breath now as it travels in deeply through your nose as you count; 1,2,3,4,5, releasing your breath for 1,2,3,4,5.

Give yourself time to settle into your rhythm and you can reduce this to 3 or 4 counts as you begin.

Draw your awareness to the sound of your breath. Continue breathing in for 5 and out for 5.

Notice any thoughts that you may be having, acknowledge their presence but let them be and come back to your breath.

Continue breathing in for 5 and out for 5.

Become aware of the rhythm of your breath, its warmth or coolness, how it feels and sounds.

Be aware of the support beneath you, the points of contact with your back, your legs, your feet and the floor beneath them.

As you inhale, feel your breath flow in your nose and as you exhale, begin to relax your hips.

Breathing in, feel the air flow in through your nose and as you exhale relax your shoulders.

As you inhale, feel your breath flow in your nose and as you exhale relax your face.

Become aware of the rise and fall of your belly.

Follow the sound and movement of your breath.

Take three slow, full breaths with the sigh on the exhale.

Start to wiggle your toes, feel the touch of the support beneath you.

Begin to come back into your space slowly opening your eyes

Taking three more grounding breaths.

2. Take a Mindful Minute or Two

Mindfulness by definition appears to be very simple however the reality can be more challenging especially if we find ourselves easily distracted or feeling overwhelmed by our circumstances or situation.

Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us.

The Calming Countdown is one of the simplest ways to practice mindfulness by focusing on each of your senses one at a time, this not only builds your awareness but by doing so you are calming down your nervous system which will leave you feeling more present and connected to yourself in the moment. Take your time, find somewhere quiet or maybe go outside…

Notice 5 things you can see

Notice 4 things you can hear

Notice 3 things you can feel

Notice 2 things you can smell

Notice 1 thing you can taste

3. Give Yourself Some Breathing Space

We tend to direct the term ‘give me some space’ or ‘I need some space to breathe' towards something external however we often find ourselves getting in our own way by pushing through even when we are distracted, confused and feeling a disconnection from what we are doing.

Your breath is the first place to start when you want to calm yourself and feel more present. Taking a few minutes to have conscious awareness of your breath and to breathe in a way that will allow you to be feel calmer is not only accessible but it’s also super practical because no one will notice you’re doing it.

I call this one the Rebalancing Breath because it does just that!

Start by taking 3 slow breaths in through your nose and let the exhale out with a sigh.

Begin by slowly inhaling for 1,2,3,4 and hold your breath for 1,2,3,4 then release slowly for 1,2,3,4.

Repeat this 5x before deepening your breath to extend your inhale and exhale.

Breathing in for 1,2,3,4,5 and out 1,2,3,4,5.

Allow yourself to settle into a rhythm and perhaps imagine an infinity loop in your mind.

If you notice any pauses between your inhale and exhale gently start to remove them and allow yourself to breath in this connected way for 3-5 minutes.

These were my three simple and self-empowering ways to feel calm and connected, I hope you found them helpful.

Come and let me know how you found these over on Instagram or join the FREE Big Love Community over on Facebook.

Have a great week my friends

Becki