As the culmination of covid, the state of the world, and the political state of my own country, I have been thinking about stress management a lot these days. I have personally felt the strain even though I strive to feel otherwise. However, I’m not about to play the blame game because where the stress originated is not as important as what action I can take to control it:
1. You want to become a more even-tempered person? Meditate. This single action is the most important thing you can do regularly in your life. Meditation is all about breathing and when we take the time to slowly breathe, we are taking the time that is just for us. The time that will open us to regrouping in our minds and hearts what is nourishing to us and what is not. Some people feed themselves with borderline rage, which is reacting with emotion to situations. That simple act of slowly breathing in meditation allows us the moments we need to respond with reason to the same situation we previously approached with anger.
2. Start a Gratitude Journal and write each day/night at least 5 things you are grateful for. Writing gratitude takes you up to a whole new level of positive energy because it etches your gratitude in stone. The more we are grateful, the more positive occurrences can happen can in daily life as a result of this daily action.
3. This last suggestion is one I ascribe to because I have a little Maltese. I include him in my meditations through the walks we take together. We walk and we “talk,” or communicate. This interaction is quality time for us as a couple, and each separately. It’s “our” special time and I’ve increased that by inspiring him through the calming conversations I have with him while on these walks. Yes, I talk to him, and yes, he looks up at me and acknowledges what I’m saying. And I keep to the walking/talking routine as closely as possible.
Try the above out and see what works for you. Give it at least a week, and keep a journal of what you are feeling and experiencing so you can ascertain how these things may be helping your stress level.
Published in Medium.com on October 5, 2022