While you might think it's silly at first, taking time to just sit quietly while breathing deeply and calming your mind can actually make a difference in your daily life.
Meditation can help with anxiety, depression, insomnia and even pain according to the National Institutes of Health.
If you have trouble just closing your eyes and letting your mind clear, these 5 videos will give you a virtual guide to a constructive meditation session that you can incorporate into your life daily.
It only takes a few minutes to help your body completely relax, so close your eyes and give it a try.
A 4 Minute Meditation
Find your inner calm and prepare to tackle your day ahead with a short mindfulness exercise that provides guided breathing and a simple scan of your body.
Mindful Breathing Exercise
It's amazing what you can do when you just control your breathing. Taking short breathes when your paniked or unintentionally holding your breath during stressful situations can wreck havoc on your mind and body. Slow down your breath with this easy to remember technique.
An Anxiety-Reducing Song
Set the right tone to your day with the right music. Marconi Union's song "Weightless" reduces people's overall anxiety by up to 65% according to research done last year. Give it a try for yourself and see how you feel.
Sleep-Inducing Forest Sounds
Are you tossing and turning at night? Do you have trouble getting and staying asleep? This 8-hour recording has lulled millions of people into a sweet slumber thanks to the sound of babbling brooks and singing birds.
10 Minutes of Mindfulness
Whether it's the beginning of your day, your lunch break or just before bed, take 10 minutes to carve a small moment just for yourself. While it may seem like another thing to add to your To Do List, taking this quick moment for yourself can make your day run much smoother.
When you're stressed, it seems like the last thing you want to do is stop what you're doing and just clear your mind- but it can really be the best way to help you deal with the situation.
IKEA has taken a hint from this for their new ad campaign this month.
IKEA knows that college days can be stressful, so they put together an ad that will help you relax in your dorm room when school starts to overwhelm you- and it's oddly satisfying.
"We were shooting a back-to-college TV spot and wanted to extend it into online content," explained Ogilvy's creative director Della Mathew and IKEA external communications specialist Kerri Homsher in an email to Adweek. "We knew that ASMR videos are very popular, especially with young people, college students and IKEA co-workers. So we put two and two together. Our products are designed to help people every day. Our dorm room solutions help students relax after a long day. So we thought of content that does the same."
With oddly satisfying focuses on sheets, cushions, closet organization and shelving units, you will find yourself relaxing while learning about all the great benefits of IKEA products.
What do you think? Are you more relaxed now?
Sources: Good Housekeeping / Adweek
