Stress. Ugh. We all experience it.
We have an argument with a loved one, are having financial problems, or simply working our 40 hours per week while keeping the family going. Stuck in the same patterns- the mind racing at night full of worry, the body tense with discomfort and headaches, and the spirit feeling defeated and uninspired. What do we do? What do we do!?
Stress. Ugh. How well do you know it?
Getting to know your unique stress response can be life changing. You begin to catch the early signs of stress (maybe its shallow breathing, a kink in your neck, or an upset stomach). The key here is mindfulness. I will outline the practice below, but what it does is keep you present so you actually have a chance to respond with skill, instead of reacting with less healthy patterns (cigarette, piece of chocolate, etc.). No offense to chocolate, especially dark chocolate.
The fact remains that many of us bounce around like ping pong balls throughout the day from task to task and emotion to emotion. Have you ever stepped back and watched yourself do this? Here’s how you practice, and you can do it anywhere, anytime:
Mindfulness Practice
You can practice for 30 minutes or 5 minutes, one day or 7 days a week. The more you practice, the more benefits you will notice. Relationships will start running more smoothly, you’ll get angry less often, and feel more energetic
Close your eyes and get comfy in a chair if possible (this eliminates visual distraction and creates an inward focus).
Notice your breath. Is it fast, slow, shallow, deep? Notice this and follow your in and out breaths by focusing your mind where you notice the breath (usually your belly expanding and deflating, or the air moving through your nostrils) Paying attention will naturally slow down your breathing and make it regular without trying to make it do so.
Check in with your body. Focus your attention on your face for a few moments and notice any tension in the eyes, forehead or jaw. If there is, let it relax. Then move on to your neck, shoulders, arms, stomach, legs, and toes. Spend 10 seconds or up to a minute on each body part. Relax or self-massage where there is tension.
Bring a focus back to your breath, follow it in and out and you may begin to be feel focused and relaxed. Thoughts will always arise (it may be about the work you have to do, or a memory, or just what you want for lunch) and this may seem distracting to your mindfulness meditation practice. Many think the goal is to clear your mind in meditation. This is not so, in fact it would seem quite an impossible task! The key is to continually re-focus your attention back on your breath when you notice a thought has taken your attention. It may seem too boring or simple, but give it a try- it can become quite engrossing, interesting and relaxing to watch how your mind and body works.
Mindfulness Works
Mindfulness is a practice. This means that you have to do it on a consistent basis to receive the benefits. The good thing is that it will work. Hundreds and thousands of scientific articles are published showing the beneficial effects of mindfulness and people all over the world for centuries have been reaping the stress-reducing benefits. Stress does not disappear, but a new relationship can be created, where stress is allowed to run its course under the mindful practitioner’s mind’s eye. Once we have this tool to cope with stress, we can then move on to lifestyle choices that promote relaxed, inspired, well-balanced lives.
Mindfulness builds awareness of yourself and how you react to events. With this new pool of knowledge about yourself, you are free to choose how you respond, rather than automatically react. This gives you choice and it slows things down. Stress hormones like cortisol have time to dissipate, without using something less healthy like a burger or a beer to cover up the stress. Mindfulness is a prevention tool used to decrease the occurrence of stress and it gives you a way to handle its level of intensity when it does arise.
I’d love to hear from You
I know it can be difficult to start healthy practices and make life changes on our own, so working together: I will help you to get clear on stressors in your life, find the stress management techniques that work specifically for you, and set goals that are most important to you on your way to establishing “what works” for your healthy work/life balance and relationships. From wherever you happen to be, we will work towards implementing a plan of action, maneuver through obstacles, and move into the life and lifestyle that you want. It is most helpful to have a teacher or group of fellow mindfulness meditators to learn from each other and keep us practicing, so if you have an interest- please contact me and tell me a bit about yourself and what you’re looking for!
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