Sometimes it’s just the workload be it personally or professionally that doesn’t let you soak in and absorb everything that is happening around you, that leads to overthinking. Whatever be your reason we all as human are wired to worry. But more than the problem I am going to focus on the solution in this article.

Here’s what I do to unwind and calm those nerves.

1. Declutter the space around you, Dust the furniture, vacuum clean and Light a candle

If you are a Marie Kondo fan, you’d already know the benefits of a clean space but if you aren’t then let me explain. A clean and tidy space helps to organise your thoughts as well. A lot of it is to do with what you see and how that makes you feel. So a clean house, organised wardrobes and a spotless place resonate good vibes and positive energy. When you sort your physical surroundings, it helps to focus on what’s on your mind.

2. Listen to some relaxing music

Music is a great stimulant. It helps to focus on the task at hand, and as the music rolls, it helps in thinking straight, decluttering that mind and completely relaxing. There is proven research on this subject that shows a positive correlation between music and concentration – it helps in calming down and getting lost in a different stream of thoughts altogether. So days when you are down, don’t reach out for that bar of chocolate or alcohol, start with some good music to uplift that mood.

4. Take a shower

Steaming hot water helps to relax those tired and sore muscles and rejuvenates the entire body. It is also this time that allows a lot of artists to think of new ideas and also improves focus. Have you ever wondered why? Probably because a lot of your physical activities are restricted – you can’t write, read, listen, talk or do anything except for taking a shower which is a mundane activity wired in your subconscious mind. So that leaves your conscious mind to wander in those gazillion thoughts that you couldn’t focus earlier; this is precisely why meditation helps as well.

4. Dump all those wandering thoughts onto a piece of paper

I am a big fan of diarising your thoughts and writing down your those ideas, emotions, views, opinions and beliefs. It helps to slow down in your thoughts and interpret each word that you pen down.

5. Understand what is bothering you

Dig deeper in your thoughts to understand and break down each of those ideas, decisions or feelings. Try to understand what is causing that stress and what makes you feel overwhelmed. Once you recognise what the issue is, that solves half the problem there itself.

6. Do what brings joy

Today is your day. Allow yourself to do what brings joy – Binge-watch your favourite show, order food from outside, go for a run around the park, just groove to that hip-hop party song, plan your next travel, do whatever makes you feel good. These activities aren’t for the weekend or the future solely. Instead, do it when you are stressed or tired because that’s when it matters the most.

Credit – Joel Valve @Unsplash

7. Focus on one thing in that most urgent /important sort of quadrant

You’ll feel good about having thought through what matters the most to you. Even if you take one step today, you are one less step towards this most significant thing in your life. For me, it is blogging and developing on my writing skills, so when I am overwhelmed, confused and feel pressured, I write to relieve that stress. It helps me feel a sense of accomplishment.

8. Talk to someone on something unrelated

So when I am in this shell thinking (mostly overthinking) about myself and how the world revolves around me. Everyone is conspiring against me or criticising me, or the world is out to get me. But in reality, everyone is living in their shell too. So give yourself some breather and relax, not everything is always about YOU (unless you are Donal Trump or Narendra Modi). Talk to someone on something that is worrying them, and that might make you feel good and come out of this downward spiral of thoughts.

9. Vent it out

Let it out. Breathe. Relax. When you vent it out and tell someone about these gazillion thoughts, it would feel good because it is out of your system. Also sometimes at my workplace, unproductive discussions, directionless initiatives or meaningless outcomes stresses me out; I try to structure my thoughts – understand the problem, what led us to this situation, and discuss it with someone to gain perspective. If nothing at least you have let the steam off of your mind.

10. Exert physical energy

Be it Zumba or boxing or a weight lifting, whatever helps you to exert physical strength is a great stress buster. It is a known fact that it helps to relieve those happy hormones, improves concentration and makes you feel good about your physical self. These are the reasons why I love workouts – a great way to strengthen the mind, muscle and matter – all three.

I was just wondering if we ever stop for a second to think about how our last week was, how you are doing in the current role or how your business is growing or not growing, what have you studied and what’s left to study, what we ate and didn’t eat, what stories are we consuming, how much screen time do we have in the day, how are we contributing to make this world better, are we giving back to the community?

Sometimes, it is important to unwind to perform better. We have all probably heard about the saying that sometimes you have to take one or two steps backward to pivot forward in the right direction.

So whilst we might agree that it makes sense – not most of us really do it. When have you taken some time off from whatever you have been doing to do just what you have wanted to and ALONE? Yes, that’s the key here – ALONE. Not with your spouse, not with your family or friends. Just spending time with yourself. Now you might think it’s difficult, but it isn’t – you just need to plan a day in a month or fortnight when you wanna go to some quiet place, take your arms and ammunition to amp up the fire inside you – your laptop, your diary, your headphones, your camera or your phone and some snacks and just go on a trip of self-discovery – Start in the morning and give yourself ample time to think through all of what I mentioned above and come back with a more productive self. Read, write, run, jump, exercise, click, eat do whatever you please but alone – so you have had the best company in the world you can ever get – Yourself.

Now some might say this ain’t me – ‘I can’t go alone’ or ‘I can’t eat alone’ or ‘I can’t be alone’ – sorry to break your myth, it’s just in your mind – you are always on your own, always. Period! We all have a family and friends and colleagues and social circles but we need to live our own lives and the way we want to, so it is essential we spend time with ourselves asking ourselves those big questions – ‘What we want to do’, ‘Where we want to go’, ‘How things have been so far’ and ‘If there is anything we can do to make it better.’ And if that doesn’t convince you, I just have one last question for you – If you can’t stay with yourself, how do you expect others to stay with you?

Another popular myth would be what do I do? Oh, my God! there is no dearth of things you can do and trust me it can be done, in any part of the world – go to a park, beach, temple, cafe, trek wherever you can break the monotony of your routine and somewhere you won’t be distracted

Now there are some do’s and don’ts for this to work

Do
Write your thoughts
Pen a poem
Shoot a movie
Read a book
Reduce screentime if possible
Reflect on things (office, work, business, school, people)
Be creative
Plan the entire day
Have a positive attitude
Wear comfy clothes

Don’ts
No calling anyone
No wasting time commuting a lot
No shopping
No indulgence
No sleeping
No procrastination
No cutting corners
No exploring (like a tourist)

If you work out or even if you don’t you might have heard about the concept of a recovery week when you need to rest a little to be able to perform better, this is exactly the same thing in life but yet we fail to do so and that includes me. I have said the same thing using different perspectives to stress the importance of doing it.

So don’t think, probably plan your next Sat or Sunday to take time off from your usual life, pack your bag with some essentials, choose a location (need not be just one location, can be multiple, just need to plan it better) where you can sit, relax, unwind, do some deep thinking and come back rejuvenated. Hope it helps.