The baby’s crying, your toddler’s having a tantrum, the dog’s barking and your partner is shouting at you from the other room for you to come and help them with something. There’s so much noise that your stress levels are through the roof! You may even feel like you’re going crazy!

You’re not alone. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when there are so many things happening around you.

Spending a few minutes a day, throughout the day, in silence, is vital for managing stress levels - especially if your life is rather hectic. Don’t be surprised if at first your brain tries to compensate for the lack of noise and turns up the volume of your thoughts instead - that’s very normal! But that will begin to subside when you get used to the ramblings of your mind and practise responding differently.

While there may be many situations where it seems impossible to turn down the noise (i.e. a screaming toddler!), we’d love to offer some suggestions for turning down the noise in your environment and reducing stress levels overall.

How to turn down the noise in your environment?

Turn off the TV and Radio. Some people have a habit of having the TV or radio on as background noise. If you’re one of those people, then consider muting the sound or turning them off for a few minutes at a time. And we recommend, for your sanity’s sake, not to listen to too much of the news!

Put your phone on silent. We know, it can take some getting used to if you’re used to the regular sounds of your phone, but please believe us when we say, having your phone on silent will do wonders for your stress levels! And even better than putting your phone on silent (because it’s still tempting to check your phone), is putting your phone on aeroplane mode at certain times of the day so you can get some quiet time.

Stop talking. And ask your kids to do the same. Incorporating Quiet Time into your family routine is hugely valuable and helps everyone manage their stress levels on a regular basis. This is a good preventative measure for when times do get intense. You can ask for quiet car journeys, quiet breakfast mornings or any other moments of quiet.

Now that we’ve looked at a few ways you can turn down the noise in your environment to help reduce stress levels, let's explore a few ways you can stop rushing around and slow down. Rushing around is a common experience for parents, but it sends signals to our brain and nervous system that we need to be in ‘flight mode’, thus, becoming another way our stress levels can go through the roof.

Here are some ways to slow and calm down the nervous system.

Ways you can slow down

Notice when you’re rushing. What happens in your body when you rush? Does your chest seize up, do your thoughts run a million miles an hour, do you start flapping your arms in the air? That’s your cue - slow down! Stop what you’re doing and take a few moments to recentre yourself.

Slow down transitions. Transitions are usually times when parents rush the most - getting ready to leave the house and switching activities, for instance. Give extra attention during these times and slow down whenever you can.

Give more time than you need. It seems obvious, but it’s an important practice that’s easy to slip out of. Give yourself way more time than you think you’ll need – as you’ll know, it takes forever to get kids ready, so give them ten minutes to do what should usually take one minute. Think how much calmer you’ll feel arriving early for that appointment. You may even have time to grab a coffee!

Deal with chronic lateness. If you’re one of those families that’s always late, either do something to change it or accept it. But don’t rush! If you’re going to be late, rushing just causes unnecessary stress and tension. Accept you’re going to be late and enjoy the process!

How to turn down the noise, stop rushing and reduce stress levels

Unii shares how to chill out and calm down.