It’s all about water. It can help you go with the flow, literally
Summer is upon us- it is friggin hot. Besides the warm humid breeze, we get the everything-sticks-to-everything feeling.
I find that everyone is a bit cranky too. Like we need a tad more frustration to add to our already stressful life, Right?
Even though I was born in August, I am not a hot-weather person. Give me a cool breeze, a cozy sweater, a cat, a book, and coffee and I’m good. How about you? Shameless plug, but if you need a book to read, check out my author page.
In the summer, we need to find ways to keep our bodies cool and decrease our stress as well.
And since it is summer, it’s all about water! Enjoy!
Five ways to go with the flow as you stay stress-free
1. Run your hands under really cold water. Move your hands around slowly focusing on the water and the coolness of it. It’s relaxing and distracting to the mind. You can also use your imagination and see your worries spiral down the drain leaving you clean, refreshed, and more relaxed.
Lastly, take a few deep breaths in and out and smile. If you are feeling anxious, splash some cold water on your face.
This activated the vagus nerve, which will begin to calm you down.
2. Be like Water. Water moves over things, adapting and forming into what is needed at the time. Water is powerful, it can move mountains and smooth out rocks and it sustains us.
Since you are mostly water, you can tap into the feeling of flow too.
Water is a metaphor for our emotions and sometimes we need to allow that emotional energy to move. Releasing or letting go of what no longer serves us. Water can help us smooth out our edges as we learn to release what may be a heavy burden.
Remember, to go with the flow is to let things move. This can be expressing our emotions as we laugh, cry, rage, or scream.
Other times we need to be still; like the calm surface of a lake so we can reflect our emotions at our deepest core.
“Realize the power you have to create changes as you move with the flow.”
3. Fill a water bottle and freeze it. When you feel stressed or anxious-hold onto that bottle. More often, the cold distracts us, pulling us into the present moment. Gently, move the bottle back and forth from hand to hand, focusing on the heaviness and feeling of the cold bottle.
Do this until your mind is distracted from your ongoing thoughts and the bottle is a bit too cold to hold on to.
4. Drink plenty of water. Even on a good day, we tend to live dehydrated which can cause fatigue, moodiness, loss of focus, and difficulty concentrating. Being just 1% dehydrated can cause this! As you drink your water, be mindful of drinking. Be mindful of how it feels to drink and swallow. Imagine the water in your body. You are water, you are connected.
5. Imagine the ocean. The sound of the waves moving in and out, the spacious sky, the salty air, and the feelings of the sun on your face and your feet in the sand.
Imagine walking along the shore, the cool ocean waves lapping upon your feet, grounding you into the present moment.
To get the best effect, go to the beach.
The sound of the ocean waves promotes an alpha state-a relaxed state of calm. Plus there are a lot of negative ions (this is a good thing) in the air which boosts the serotonin in our brain. Serotonin is the happy chemical-the feeling of well-being.
Yea, we can all use more of that!
Sit back, turn the audio on below, and enjoy the sounds of the ocean waves!
Sound from Zapsplat.com
So, the next time you find your stress levels rising or your overthinking too much, try using water to calm the mind, soothe the soul, and get yourself into the flow.
Be sure to leave a comment below to let me know what you tried.
You can also e-mail me too.
Warm Cool Hugs, Cheryl
