Stress is one of the leading causes of both mental and physical ailments. We know that, but what happens when we are in a stressful situation or just reacting to our chaotic world, is that we freeze. We become immobilized, as if we are in shock. It’s tough to turn that around in the moment, unless we have some tried and true methods to change our focus. That’s why planning for the stress that is inevitable is necessary to deal with it in the moment it arises.
Today I would like to share some techniques that may be helpful.
Simple Meditation
- Find a place to be alone, with as few distractions as possible, turning off your phone or leaving it in another location for the time being.
- Release the tightness in your body — in particular the neck and shoulders – by stretching.
- Sit in a comfortable position that will enhance your ability to relax without making you drowsy. Now close your eyes.
- Begin to notice your breath, by focusing either on the actual breath coming in and out, or the movement in your chest and abdomen that occurs with breathing in and out. Slow down your exhalation as soon as you can comfortably, counting to three on the in-breath and counting to six on the out- breath.
- You will begin noticing sounds around you — some fairly loud (like traffic) and some more subtle (like the air coming from a register). Choose to pay attention to the more subtle sounds, drowning out the louder ones, while still noticing the in-and-out sensations of your breath. Continue doing this for several minutes.
- Notice again any tightness in your body and focus on each spot one-by-one. As you do that for at least 3 breaths in and out, imagine sending love to that area of your body and picture it glowing with a golden light. If your mind wanders, don’t resist the thoughts. Just gently let the thoughts go and come back to the area that is tense.
- Move from one area to the next until you feel the tension ease.
- Stay in the bliss of that relaxation for a few minutes and consider making an affirmation (along or silently) that reinforces your ability to stay centered in the midst of chaos.
- Repeat as necessary!
For a guided version of this meditation, click on this link: A Simple Meditation
Tapping
Tapping is a method for reducing stress by first identifying the feelings you have about the situation you are in and then interrupting that strong emotion with positive affirmations. It’s somewhat involved in comparison with the simple meditation above, so I have included here a video documentary of the process, recently produced by Jon Gabriel and Carol Look.
The Gabriel Method
This video is only available for a free viewing for about a week, so be sure to tune in as soon as possible.
Losing weight is a goal of this program, but they acknowledge that being overweight is often a symptom of an underlying trauma that is creating stress.
Writing in a Journal
One of my favorite ways of reducing stress and coming to grips over something upsetting is to write about it — not to another person, but to a higher power within me. Sometimes I even give that higher power a name! I keep the journal someplace safe, away from curious eyes, and will someday probably scan and download them to a disk that is password protected. In the meantime, I choose to have the actual physical journal accessible to me. I go back to them every now and then to get a perspective on where I was at that point in time, possibly to reinforce my efforts in the current moment.