Reduce Stress & Win Your Life Back
I’m sorry to be the one to tell you, but stress is a part of life. It is part of the human condition. It kept us alive when we first climbed out of the trees, and is so ingrained in us; it will continue to be a part of how we live well into the future. Just because it is a part of who we are, doesn’t mean it has to ruin your life. With the proper techniques, you can learn how to manage your stress so that you can win your life back and live the life you love. The way to do this is quite simple actually.
First, understand that stress is part of your natural programming. Deep inside your brain is a tiny
organ called the amygdala. Its sole job is to pump out hormones to keep you alive. If it gets a signal that you might be in danger, it sends your body into fight or flight mode [i.e., stress]. This was an extremely useful tool 40,000 years ago when we were in a constant state of danger. But in today’s world it just sends you reeling out of control; usually at just the wrong moment. Like when your boss calls you into their office or when you’re heading out on a new date.
To break this cycle, you need to learn how to hit the pause button before your amygdala and your
40,000 year old programming sends your blood pressure soaring and puts you into a full bore panic that is just not necessary. So the next time you feel your blood pressure jump or your brain starts to spin out of control, hit the pause button, slow the world down, and have it start spinning at your pace.
Here are some easy exercises that can be done anywhere to help you do just that.
Breathe 8-2-8. I cannot stress enough how beneficial proper breathing is. If you feel your
heart start to race, take three deep breaths into your stomach as you focus you attention on your
belly expanding and contracting. Feel it move against your clothing as you slowly count to eight
on each inhale, let your breath settle for a count of two, and then exhale for a count of eight,
again letting your breath settle for two before inhaling again. It will center you and help you
regain your mental footing.
Ground yourself in your setting. Rather than trying to escape, close your eyes and listen to
the world around you. Listen to the hum of the lights, hear the sounds of the people and
equipment wherever you are. Embrace your environment as a reality, but not your reality.
Know that you are separate from it, that the fear and angst it breeds is not something that you
need to be a part of. Relax in the knowledge that when you open your eyes it will all be there,
but that it will only touch you if you let it. You, and only you, have control over how you
respond to the world around you.
Learn Your Triggers. Identify and monitor the triggers that cause you stress. The next time
you feel your stress growing, think about what happened to cause it. Turn your mind inward
and review the emotions that were set off when that trigger was activated. Try to remember
another time in your life when you had the same emotional response. Remember, the way an
event affected you is as much a part of your past as it is your present. Use that insight to help
you separate the present event from past associations to reduce the way you escalate a small
event into greater stress.
Own your stress. Don’t try to pretend it doesn’t exist. Admit to it and embrace it. Then let it
go with a great big inhale. Running from a problem only makes it worse, and only prolongs the
stress it brings.
Stress is part of life. But it does not have to ruin your life. Let it out. Release it. Fill the empty space it leaves with the kind of positive energy that will help you live the life you love living.
About Jeff
Jeff Cannon is a certified Meditation Instructor, the author of The Simple Truth: Meditation for the Modern World and the founder of the Simple Truth Project. He has been called an innovator, a man with one foot in the humanities and the other in the sciences, and a man who is bringing meditation to the modern world. Jeff brings a unique ability to refine traditional meditation practices to fit the realities of the 21st Century world we all live in. His work helps clients reduce stress, manage the daily distractions that can sidetrack their lives, and provide the insight they need to transform their lives into the one they want.
Webste: www.jeff-cannon.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/asimpletruth
