Picture this: it’s 2AM and you have a 5AM call to wake up for in the morning, but can’t seem to shut your brain off to get to sleep. By now, the mounting pressure to fall asleep is making it virtually impossible to do so, on top of the stress that was keeping you up in the first place. Sound familiar? Don’t worry- we’ve all been there. A racing mind can be super overwhelming and if the underlying causes go unaddressed, can lead to more severe mental health conditions. Thus, in today’s blog, we’re divulging some of our favorite - and most effective - relaxation techniques accessible anytime, anywhere, to help you destress and regain control.
Racing mind at night: what does it mean?
A racing mind is a symptom of a dysregulated nervous system. Whether it’s a situational circumstance taking hold of your thoughts or ongoing stress, it’s essential to get to the root of your anxiety. Addressing dysregulation to the nervous system requires you to somatically move through your anxiety. However, this is easier said than done. Oftentimes, instead of dealing with the root cause and tending to the nervous system, you may instinctively compartmentalize it, telling yourself you’ll deal with it later. While this may get you through the task in front of you, suppressing this dysregulation will only make it grow underneath the surface.
Relaxation techniques for anxiety
Box breathing
Box breathing is a wonderful relaxation technique you can access anytime. In general, breath work is highly effective at managing oncoming stress and anxiety, and can even help you work through a sudden mental breakdown.
How to do it:
- Sit up straight with your feet flat on the floor.
- Close your eyes if it feels comfortable for you. Otherwise, choose a low focal point to center your gaze on.
- Counting slowly, breathe in for four seconds. Hold the breath in for four seconds. Exhale for four seconds. Hold the breath out for four seconds.
- Repeat as many times necessary until you start to feel your nervous system calm down.
Yoga & stretching
In addition to breath work, a low intensity exercise, such as yoga or stretching, can help bring you into emotional presence and get in touch with your somatic responses. We love this 30 minute restorative yoga and chakra meditation tutorial you can do in the comfort of your own living room.
Guided meditation
Meditation is a psychological challenge that requires practice in order to harness. For this reason, we love a good guided meditation app to help with focus, presence, concentration, and consistency. Here are a few of our favorites:
If a guided meditation app isn’t for you, you can DIY it instead. A simple way is to sit with a straight spine and your feet flat on the floor and imagine a gold string of light entering into the top of your head, working it’s way down your body through each limb until it finally exits through your toes. Pay special attention to how each area of your body connects with what’s touching it. For example, your clothes, the chair you’re sitting in, and the ground underneath your feet.
Sleep music or white noise
When your mind is racing at night, static audio can create just enough of a distraction to bring you back into your body. In this case, another quick YouTube search will do the trick. We love this rainy day bedroom vibe that offers both audio and visuals that facilitate instant relaxation. Not into the visuals? Type in “sounds for sleeping” in the YouTube search bar and choose one that has a plain black screen, or consider investing in a white noise machine instead.
Dietary supplements
One of the best ways to put that racing mind to bed is by leaning on a natural supplement, such as Ladykind’s women’s wellness tinctures. Ladykind products blend the most powerful, organic, sustainably sourced ingredients from ancient medicinal practices with popular ingredients in modern alternative medicine to create holistic sleep solutions that are as pure as they are potent. The Wind Down Nightly Mind Relaxing Tincture will help you untangle your thoughts to unwind from the day and drift you off into the best sleep you’ve ever had.
Leaning on one, or all, of these accessible relaxation techniques is guaranteed to help you harness the fallout effects of situational and ongoing stress. Remember, chronic stress can create long term health impacts, such as stubborn conditions like depression and insomnia. What’s more, stress gone untended to can also pave the way for a weakened immune system and higher risk of cardiovascular disease. Be proactive about managing stress and enjoy 20% off your purchase of the Wind Down Nightly Mind Relaxing Tincture using discount code WINDDOWN20 at checkout.
