In these challenging times, fatigue, sleepless nights due to constant shelling, and negative news can seriously impact mental health. This often leads to irritability, anger, sadness, and other negative emotions. It’s essential to know simple self-help techniques that can help you calm down and improve your mood quickly. The “Pendulum of Calm” technique is one such effective method that takes only 5 minutes.
When to Use the “Pendulum of Calm”?
This exercise is ideal when you feel intense tension or irritation. Practicing the “Pendulum of Calm” will help you shift focus, relax your body, and lower stress levels.
How to Perform the Exercise:
- Take a comfortable position and close your eyes. This allows you to focus on the sensations in your body.
- Scan your body to find the area of greatest tension, where your stress or fatigue “resides.” For example, this could be your neck.
- Locate the most relaxed part of your body, where there is no tension at all. For example, the little toe on your left foot.
- Switch your attention between these areas. Focus on your neck for 5 seconds, then shift your attention to your little toe for 10 seconds. Imagine the calmness spreading from your toe, gradually relaxing your entire foot.
- Repeat this pendulum-like switching of attention. Each time, increase the duration of your focus on the relaxed area and imagine the calmness spreading further through your body: from your foot to your calf, from your calf to your thigh, and so on. Over time, you’ll feel your entire body relax as the tension slowly dissipates.
- Fix this state of relaxation. Breathe slowly to maintain the feeling of calm.
Important Detail: Watch Your Jaw
One sign of accumulated irritation is a clenched jaw. This is a natural response to danger, which can increase aggression. Be mindful to keep your jaw relaxed — this helps reduce stress and aggression levels.
Why Does This Work?
The “Pendulum of Calm” helps you redirect focus away from negative emotions and promotes relaxation. Shifting attention between tense and relaxed areas of the body activates self-soothing mechanisms and reduces stress levels.
The “Pendulum of Calm” is a simple yet effective exercise for relieving tension and improving mental well-being. Make it a part of your daily routine to maintain emotional balance even in difficult times.
