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Everyday Resilience: Stress Relief In Unexpected Places

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Are you looking for a surprising and simple way to reduce stress? In the article “Everyday Resilience: Stress Relief In Unexpected Places” by Samantha Boardman, the author discusses how doing routine tasks in a mindful manner can enhance our mental health. To prove this point, the author mentions a study that showed people who perform routine tasks, like washing dishes, think more creatively and feel less stressed. The same study showed that people who washed the dishes in a non-mindful state did not get anything from the task. The author concludes that mindfulness is a way of thinking in which the person is focused on what they’re doing, and they are able to discover more things around them. One idea that I found important in the article is that doing simple tasks in a mindful manner can lower stress. Individuals can decrease their stress levels by mindfully doing routine tasks. Boardman notes, “…people who washed dishes mindfully …. upped their feelings of inspiration by 25% and lowered their nervousness levels by 27%.” I think what the author means by “mindfully” is a highly focused state of mind that does not allow for thoughts not relating to the task that we are doing to clutter our mind. …show more content…

After I finish a stressful shift as a medical assistant, I like to go to the neighborhood basketball court and shoot free-throws. One of the things that I noticed about shooting free-throw is you need to be pretty focused (“mindful”) to consistently make the free-throws. This includes paying attention to one’s breathing; bending your knees slightly, and blocking out any potential noise from the environment. This is why I try to focus closely on all these things, and which helps me feel less stressed and fresh mentally. I feel that if I let my mind become cluttered with stress from work and home, then I don’t think I would enjoy the mental benefit from shooting

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