Some of us are still employed, some of us are engaged in volunteer activities, and some of us have ailing family members. Our days appear incredibly busy in every manner.

And everyone advises us to slow down, saying it would be better.

Or at the very least, we ought to schedule a period of time during the day when we slow down, diverting our attention from our anxieties and our bodies from all the activities we are involved in.

Meditation

Meditation or mindfulness seems to be the method for slowing down that is most frequently recommended. Over the past five years or so, these have become universally endorsed.

When a top hospital doctor advised me to practise meditation as a way to manage a challenging ache, this really hit home for me. He even suggested a specific app for my smartphone.

You can meditate on your own or with a guide. When you practise guided meditation, someone - a person or a podcast, for example - talks to you about your breathing and your thoughts. It aids concentration.

As an alternative, you work by yourself. Or even during a meditation session with others.

Some people really believe that meditation improves their daily lives and swear by it. I personally find it very difficult to accomplish, and I am sure I am not alone in this.

They advise you to stop thinking and empty your thoughts, but I find that to be impossible. I try to think of nothing while I'm lying there, but there is always something on my mind.

Then I give it another shot, but this time I find myself abruptly unsure of whether the washing machine cycle is complete or whether we have enough milk for the morning. Definitely NOT meditation, this.

I am aware that meditation requires time and effort, and while you might truly enjoy it, it's not really for me. I sometimes utilise guided meditations to help me fall asleep, however as a general rule, I am not really very good at it.

Other Means of Clearing the Mind

I then started to give it some serious thought. Years ago, meditation could have been the only easy option to relax and take your mind off of daily tasks. But fortunately, we have a lot of others.

Permit me to list a few. You may have more:

Yoga

Yoga is often thought of as a workout, and it does stretch all kinds of muscles while diverting your attention from your regular duties. But when done correctly, it can also be a way to cleanse the mind of all other concerns by focusing the mind on the task at hand.

Yoga literally translates to "yoke" in Sanskrit, and its meaning is meant to illustrate how the union of the body and mind leads to greater emancipation.

Although it frequently includes specific breathing techniques, the goal of yoga is to promote some level of mental serenity even without them.

Some might contend that conventional exercises like running have the same results. or by moving. They involve the body, of course, but do take the mind to another place.

Puzzles

Although I have never heard anyone equate solving puzzles with meditation, I believe this comparison is not entirely incorrect. In addition to distracting your mind from daily concerns, these hobbies also stop your body from moving around.

Jigsaw Puzzles

These might be vintage but challenging jigsaw puzzles (not the 100-piece ones made for kids), which gained enormous popularity during lockdown. You lay out all the pieces and focus so intently on selecting the ideal ones that you are unable to think of anything else. This is why it is incredibly calming.

Although I personally don't enjoy completing puzzles, I am aware that if I did, I would likely forget to get the milk and the washing machine. Body slept and mind was clear.

Other Number and Letter Puzzles Besides Sudoku

Paper and pencil puzzles come in a wide variety today and are getting more difficult. Crossword puzzles were the only thing available in the past. They all appear to be extremely well-liked among seniors.

Crossword puzzles have never really been my thing, despite the fact that I write with words all the time; nevertheless, I do enjoy codewords and, in particular, sudokus.

Solving any of these puzzles is quite fascinating. You are totally blind to everything else. There is no time to worry about the washer.

As part of my pre-sleep regimen, I usually play two or three sudokus, and I find that they always cause me to forget other things on my mind.

Whether it's explicit meditation or another activity, they all make you slower.