Don’t get rid of stress, embrace it. THIS is how to do it.
Cultivating a new healthier & positive relationship with stress using mindfulness
NINE months later...
And here we are...still living the pandemic life.
The new normal some may call it..
But this new “norm” is not really so normal...
As a lot of us are really struggling out here in one way or another.
With all this uncertainty around not knowing where the COVID is hiding, then having to wear masks everywhere, waiting to hear about a vaccine (that you may or may not even take), the whole President thing, and now I’m hearing talk of aliens? 😂 Life in 2020 is for sure stressful AF. Would you agree?
I feel like life overall can be just one big stress b̥ͦu̥ͦb̥ͦb̥ͦl̥ͦe̥ͦ anyway. But this year just hits different. And if you don’t have the tools or “the knowing” of different & healthier ways to cope through stressful times, you can really be doing your mind & body a lot of damage.
And I don’t want that for you.
So in this email—>
I’m sharing a perspective that gives you 3 ways on how you can turn your stress into a positive thing.
And I recorded a short guided practice for you that will transition you from concentration meditation to insight meditation to further benefit you in stressful times.
Love you & hope this brings you what you need for the week. ❤️
3 ways to turn stress into a positive ting —
First, you want to acknowledge the issue.
So this is noticing when you are feeling stressed. Tuning into your body and feeling what it feel like in the moment.
Questioning things like —what happened right before the stress appeared?
Get to know what triggers your stress, so that you don’t have to be so impacted by it the next time you experience it.
Acknowledge what’s happening, because it is so important. That’s why mindfulness practice is key here. It brings you to the present moment to notice & observe, which prepares you to better respond. 🤙🏽
Welcome stress.
Reaffirm that these sensations are a positive response to a situation that you care about.
Because not all stress is bad stress. And even ‘bad’ stress has potential to become good stress. It’s all in how you perceive it. Shift your mindset from thinking you’re in a threatening situation to a challenging one instead and your experience may change along with it.
Use the energy from the stress instead of spending time trying to manage it.
A few consequences of trying to manage stress versus trying to manage your energy instead can leave you constantly feeling increasingly frustrated, angry, fatigued, burnt out, overwhelmed, & apathetic.
But when you plan ways to manage your energy, you create a positive self serving experience for yourself.
So for example, if you have a busy list of things to get done in a day, you can manage your energy by creating a list of what needs to get done, from most important to least important. Then you can also create windows or blocks of time to break & breathe, to allow yourself space to conserve and revitalize your energy.
If you know you’re going to have a jam packed day that can lead to stress, prepare ahead.
Stay hydrated through the day;
get a good night sleep the night before;
eat foods that won’t take up too much of your energy;
stay away from toxic ppl or places (including social media if that’s a trigger of stress for you).
The goal is to live smarter, not harder...right?
Try these— A few more tips to help you start to welcome stress more readily:
See every obstacle as an opportunity.
Find resources. Therapy? Supportive communities? Meditation? Yoga?
Notice your body’s response. Tune in. Get to know yourself a little deeper.
Do something. Stress can spike when we feel like we have no control over a situation. Rather than panic, think about one thing that you CAN do to be proactive.
Be open to feedback.
Let’s Meditate.
Before you can make any changes you have to learn how to incorporate Mindfulness into your bodily experiences.
You have to be willing to open your body to new physical sensations with compassion and curiosity.
Are you willing to examine each experience mindfully?
Any touch, sound, smell, sight or taste is open for exploration.
In this short 10 minute meditation, I start off by guiding you along a simple breathing exercise to acquaint you to the breathe & then we will lead inward, attuning to the body, noticing any & all physical sensations that arise.
We are going to be broadening your field of awareness surrounding the physical sensations you could experience at any given time.
We are replacing the stories in your head to experience life in real time, this moment in time.
This exercise will transition you from concentration meditation to insight meditation.
Here’s a full breakdown to what you will experience:
1) Do some Mindfulness Breathing. Just breathe and feel each breath.
2) If you are experiencing physical sensations hold on to them without judging or
trying to push them away. Ask “What is this?” Be curious. Allow the sensation to reveal itself.
3) Allow the physical sensation to open and let it be. If you find that you are struggling with the sensation, return your attention to the breathing.
4) Maintain your mindfulness attention on the physical sensation of when it entered and then when it passes.
5) Meet them with Mindfulness and then see what happens to them. This step could help you to see more clearly how little permanency the sensation has on your body.
6) Continue practicing this over and over again until the time you have allotted for this exercise is complete.
7) Take a few minutes to reflect on what just happened.
8) At this point, you should be able to tell the difference between the mind’s reaction to the sensation and the physical sensation.
Continue practicing this exercise until the issues become clearer for you.
Thank you for meditating with me. If you enjoyed this practice, please subscribe to the channel so you know when I upload another guided practice.
Also, please consider sharing this meditation with someone else who may benefit from it.
Thank you.
Namaste.
I’m Victor.
Or the mindfulness guy.
I aim to find calm & balance in my life through inspirations between alternative Eastern traditional Buddhism styles of meditation & mindfulness, as well as modern secular styles too.
I believe that we ALL have the capacity to create greatness for ourselves & I’m willing to show you how.
you can find me hanging out on:
Instagram —@2whomitmayconcrn_
Facebook — @iamzenrn
TikTok — @iamzenrn
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https://www.iamzenrn.com
~I’m here to hold space for you because you deserve it.~
Victor Padilla
Cool topic!