Stress can have a negative effect on our physical and mental health. Taking steps to help manage stressors is a vital part of wellness, but sometimes we need a little help.
In addition to your normal daily habits, there are a number of things you can do to boost your immune system and improve your well-being.
Here are my 5 favorites:
Get Out – as in outside in nature. Breathing fresh air, appreciating beauty in nature, and listening to the quiet sounds of nature all help to soothe your central nervous system. This decreases stress which helps decrease the body’s stress response and frees up resources to keep you healthy. As little as 10 minutes a day can have positive effects.
Thymus Thump – Your thymus gland sits below your collar bones under your sternum in the center of your chest. It’s part of the lymph system and plays a role in immunity. Tapping or thumping this area boosts energy to the area and can help boost immunity.
- Take 3 fingers or a loose fist and tap the thymus area for about 30 seconds once a day. Here is a video of how it’s done by Eden Energy Medicine
Breathwork – Using your breath to balance your biofield, body, and mind can help to decrease stress, anxiety, and boost your energy. Here is a balancing breathing pattern.
- Inhale through your nose, keeping your tongue on the roof of your mouth for a count of 6
- Hold for a count of 2
- Exhale through your mouth for a count of 6
- Hold for a count of 2
- Repeat this for 4 – 6 breaths (approximately 1-2 minutes)
Chakra Cleanse – The chakras are major energy processing centers in the biofield continually moving energy. Keeping them clear and flowing helps to support the physical body.
Breath into each chakra for one full inhale and exhale while tapping in a circular motion starting at the root chakra, moving to the sacral chakra, moving to the solar plexus chakra, moving to the heart chakra, moving to the throat chakra, move to the third eye chakra, and last the crown chakra. Finish by taking a deep breath and drawing energy up through the chakras, and then another breath drawing energy down through all of the chakras.
If you prefer audio, there is a simple cleansing meditation and an overview of the chakra locations that I recorded you can grab it here, and I’ll email it to you.
Snooze – Sleep is restorative for the body, mind, and spirit. In times of stress or increased demand on the body or mind, it’s vital to honor the need for sleep.
Often during these times, we do the opposite – stay up late, sacrifice sleep for other activities, or lay awake worrying. Making sleep a priority is more important than ever during stressful times. If you’re having trouble sleeping, try listening to a guided meditation or a bedtime story using an app like Calm. If staying up too late, try setting a timer an hour or so before you want to go to bed to signal it’s time to wrap up what you’re doing and get to bed.
Getting sick is never fun. These are some of my favorite ways to keep myself in good health. Do you have wellness tools that you swear by?