Finding inner serenity in today’s world can be a challenge. And in the face of real-life stressors, it may even seem unattainable.

In early 2020, the World Health Organization declared Covid-19 a pandemic. Even as vaccinations raise the prospects of taming the pandemic, the deadly virus will continue to impact our lives for a long time, and has likely permanently changed our way of life.

Teleworking, childcare, the lack of social activities, altered daily routines, and unemployment have all contributed to the rise in physical and mental issues.

The heightened mental strain has been even more challenging for many Black Americans who on a daily basis have to cope with the trauma that stems from racism, racial attacks, and discrimination.

More than 400 years after the end of the slavery, Black Americans are witnessing a return of Jim Crow’s America. Countless police murders of innocent Black men and women have intensified that trauma, anger, and frustration.

Asian Americans also have historically been victims of verbal and physical abuse and attacks in the US. Those attacks have risen since the pandemic began.

The invite

With all these pressing issues at the forefront, focusing on mental health may seem trivial and unimportant.. But taking time to recover is not only important, it’s imperative. Unchecked chronic stress can affect your health in a variety of ways, and even shorten your life.

Inviting serenity into your life does not requiring overhauling your life and daily routine. There are several practices you can incorporate into your life that only take a few minutes a day:

1) Moving your body

When people think of exercise, they are usually associating it to the physical benefits: weight loss or muscle gain. What often gets neglected are the mental benefits. Taking a few minutes to walk, bike, or run can have positive effects on stress levels. Setting small goals each day can help you track your progress over time and be a fun incentive.

If the weather is too cold to get outside, indoor exercises like yoga or strength training can have the same effect. Many local studios have moved their classes online in response to the pandemic, making it easier to access them from home. Plenty of free videos are also available online.

2) Meditation

If you have never meditated before, it can seem intimidating. Heavy practitioners might spend hours a day meditating. But new studies have been coming out in recent years that show that mindful meditation for five or ten minutes each day can help alleviate stress.

Mindful meditation is all about redirecting your thoughts. Our minds often wander to memories from the past or worries about the future, The idea behind mindfulness is to corral your thoughts to the present.

Technology is making meditation even easier. Mobile apps like Headspace, Calm, Shine and Ten Percent Happier have short clips that guide you as you meditate. There are also free resources online that focus on breath work, even tackling certain topics like grief.

3) Keeping a journal

For some people, getting things down on paper can be a stress reducer. Writing things down can be helpful in processing events or feelings.

You can write about your emotions or focus on a specific event. The assignments are open-ended, but the key is to write non-stop.

Even writing a simple list of things you feel grateful for, like loved ones, is beneficial. How gratitude affects cognition is still being studied, but research suggests that this focus on positive thoughts improves mental well-being.

4) Technology breaks

The internet has made information more readily available than ever before. In some ways, this is a positive; however, in other ways, information overload invites more stress into your life.

Whether you are working from home and find yourself saturated with technology, or you are simply spending more time on your phone, taking breaks from technology reduces stress by removing the triggers that can inundate feeds.

A day-long cleanse from technology may not be possible for most people, but even small actions can help. This might be setting aside a few hours a day without a phone or creating screen limits for certain mobile apps.