Feeling stressed and anxious? Here are 4 practices to help you regain balance, clarity and inner peace.
1. Tend to your thoughts.
Many of our thoughts are simply conflicting opinions and internal arguments which serve no useful purpose. However, these thoughts ultimately determine our life experience and our happiness or unhappiness. Therefore, if a thought causes you suffering, change it to the opposite as soon as possible — before it becomes saturated with negative emotions.
2. Slow down reactions with conscious breathing.
Thought initiates speech and action, and of course, these will not be peaceful if our thoughts are not peaceful. So, to support the process of thought tending described above, it is essential to create a pause or space between thought and the resulting speech or action. The key to this step is learning to breathe intentionally. Begin by simply deepening your natural breath. Take in your full lung capacity of oxygen and let it out twice as slow as you normally would. Even a few of these conscious deep breaths will move you in the direction of peace.
3. Release tension.
The next way to shift away from distress and towards a peaceful balance is by employing a simple tension release exercise. Stress accumulates in certain areas of the body, and if we do not take notice until it reaches a chronic level, it becomes more injurious and difficult to remedy. To prevent this, perform a mental body scan periodically throughout the day, especially when stressed. This can be done anywhere, and it only takes a moment. Simply notice where in the body you are holding tension. Inhale deeply and squeeze the muscles in that area as tight as you possibly can. Then exhale and release all the tension and stress completely. Repeat several more times until you feel the muscles letting go.
4. Turn your focus from outside to inside.
Our 5 senses continuously stimulate us, sometimes creating restlessness in the mind and body that can trigger happiness or unhappiness, depending on what they experience. However, when we draw our attention inward, away from the senses, just momentarily, we can experience a deeper state of peace within. After pausing sensory input for a few moments, focus deeply on one thing that inspires awe or reverence, as a bridge to a state of meditation. Facilitate this sensory restraint and inner concentration by shutting off technology and any other potential distractions, setting a timer for 5-10 minutes, and committing to the process of single-pointed concentration. Choose something beautiful or sacred on which to focus, and then breathe deeply, as you feel the peace wash through you.
Practice these steps regularly and they will become easier and quicker, with more prolonged results. When we are centered with inner peace, we remain fully available to any relationship or task at hand. Inner peace makes us feel resilient, strong, healthy, happy and free. It allows us to be more empathetic with others, and able to give naturally from a place of well-being and wisdom. Stress happens — but we can manage it by transforming our internal response.