Hi all, For a long time, I have felt that I have been struggling to keep my mind relaxed. I felt stressed all the time. Even when I go on a trip or for a dinner I was not in the right mood. I did all of those outings to get relaxed but it made things worse. I could not focus on a single thing. I felt I was spending too much on a particular task. So I decided to dive deep into the cause of this issue because if we can solve the root cause we can solve the problem. ![1509535868282_oak_meditation_will_guide_you_to_more_mindful,_relaxed_living.jpeg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmfNKB6CFKeW8cCipSerf2A3h23cC65ciRRqDUnPPgDMBW/1509535868282_oak_meditation_will_guide_you_to_more_mindful,_relaxed_living.jpeg) [source](https://appadvice.com/post/oak-meditation-will-guide-you-to-more-mindful-relaxed-living/1210209691/347910693) I watched a lot of videos on relaxing the mind, productivity, focusing, being positive, etc. but nothing was directed to solve the root cause or at least say what the problem is. But I was fortunate to have watched a TED Talk video by Chris Bailey on How to Get Your Brain to Focus. You can watch the video through this [link](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hu4Yvq-g7_Y). Here he explains that the cause of our mind not being relaxed or focused is that it is overstimulated. There are a lot of things going on in your mind at a given time. Pause for a moment and think about what comes to your mind. A lot right? Well, our mind is continuously pumping information to us or is in search of things. So if we can make stimulations settle a bit or in a sense get the thoughts that are circulating to a stop we can focus on the thing we are working on and at the same time feel relaxed. ![maxresdefault12.jpeg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmbQDxjLHJ2oohfQMyzwS4dcsuXAfCCgjMt9MnKxCsRvBr/maxresdefault12.jpeg) [source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hu4Yvq-g7_Y) I have given below five practical things that I did that made my mind more relaxed and focused although there is a long way to go for me as well. Take these as challenges and do for them for a week and let me know the results.

1. Reduce screen time with phone to 1 hour

I was amazed at how much time I spent on the phone after checking the statistics. I was averaging close to 4 hours per day and that's nearly 120 hours per month. Although there are a lot of disadvantages to using a phone for that long, the point I want you to know is that all that information from social media is creating new thoughts in our mind which makes our mind overstimulated. We see problems in our country, memes, gossips, parties celebrated by people, trips people have gone, political news and memes, etc. Even though they may bring a smile to your face it makes your mind a place with all unnecessary details. So the challenge is to **limit the phone usage to 1 hour per day.** ![ios12-screen-time_06042018_big.jpg.large_2x.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/400x0/https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmNUidFnmZf72psFkXD33aLJCHPX7FEbMwQepec2KMu3vM/ios12-screen-time_06042018_big.jpg.large_2x.jpg) [source](https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2018/06/ios-12-introduces-new-features-to-reduce-interruptions-and-manage-screen-time/)

2. Medidate for 15 mins

This might sound like regular advice for someone or I am talking religion here. But believe me, it has a lot of advantages that I'm also still discovering. We can start with a simple meditation like focusing on breathing. You need to concentrate only on breathing and nothing else. No thoughts should come other than breathing. If they come you need to think again about breathing. Keep a timer to make you aware of the timing. ![meditation-1-fb.jpeg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmTedC7NiTZztQ87zJacs5uj9ctts1dE8qW6ENw1AbGxyo/meditation-1-fb.jpeg) [source](https://indianexpress.com/article/technology/tech-news-technology/free-meditation-apps-reduce-lockdown-stress-6368406/)

3. Read books for 1 hour per day

Reading a book would make you focus on a thing. It is a good habit to read before bed. Make sure the book is a positive one or a productive one. ![41Y-Bk-ZpbL.jpeg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmQ5VYGiVaJMvXcfnvbBb9VsNHCuMyoNePEhGgZVew4FPT/41Y-Bk-ZpbL.jpeg) [source](https://www.amazon.fr/Hyperfocus-More-Productive-World-Distraction-ebook/dp/B077LWZC6Q)

4. Follow a regular sleep cycle

Sleeping is important to keep your mind fresh and energetic. It is said that at least 7 hours of sleep is necessary. I sleep a bit late at around 12pm but I try to stick to that time so the body adjusts to it. Irregular sleep cycles make you feel exhausted throughout the day. ![ios14-iphone11-pro-health-browse-sleep-schedule-next-wake.jpeg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmWFPv8EA6CVeR4HVajmCRwNfWFByuDBxsDEYQpcvmezVV/ios14-iphone11-pro-health-browse-sleep-schedule-next-wake.jpeg) [source](https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT211685)

5. Exercise for 30 mins

It is hard to go outside in a COVID situation but you can do simple exercises like pushups, leg raises, squats, etc. to keep the body and muscles moving and to burn the extra fat. ![push-ups.jpeg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmQ21GMxzyLZCoVvJ8ijVGGnRV5eLqWfaGGpqfHjc8QjTy/push-ups.jpeg) [source](https://www.timesnownews.com/health/article/exercise-for-fitness-how-many-push-ups-should-you-do-every-day-to-stay-fit-without-getting-an-injury/605259) So I hope you are motivated to take up the challenge. The final output of all these activities is lowering the stimulations in your mind hence achieving a relaxed state. You can achieve a lot of things in life if you are relaxed and focused enough!