So many demands on our soul these days, sometimes it seems that the tone of our interactions are growing more harsh, confrontational and even combative at times.
With that environment pervasive in the workplace and other social interactions, it isn’t surprising to discover a whole lot of us are seriously stressed-out and suffering from anxiety.
Unfortunately and unintentionally we often beat ourselves up for feeling overwhelmed or under it and we may struggle to find our calmer center. This is especially true for those of us who have perfectionist tendencies and set the bar of daily accomplishments extremely high.
Falling prey to the apocalyptic outbreak of the walking dread you may have tried to inoculate yourself by practicing daily meditation with the help of apps like Calm, Headspace or Happier. While these can be very helpful tools, finding your inner sanctuary while simultaneously grappling with a racing, judgmental mind may make you feel like you aren’t doing it right. You aren’t alone. This is totally normal.
The key to destressing your mind and letting go of internal anxiety is to be a non-judgmental observer of your own thoughts and feelings from a non-reactive place you create in your mind.
Try this:
Relax and center yourself by focusing on your breath. As you deepen and increase the duration of your inhale and exhale – imagine yourself in a hot air balloon rising above all the turmoil below or flying in the eye of a hurricane. From this safe vantage point you can simply observe your thoughts and your emotions.
You are now practicing awareness without judgment. You are just an observer, looking, listening and sensing and while you may take mental note of a racing heart or a nervous stomach, it is just another data point of interest – not to be labeled “bad” or “good.”
Now in that mindset, extend loving kindness to yourself as you would to your best friend. Breathe deeply. Imagine calm. Envision tranquility. Embrace serenity. Let go of expectations of tomorrow or regret about yesterday and live fully in the moment. #practiceawareness #lovingkindness
The Zen Den
Hello and welcome to The Zen Den. My name is Alison and while I am passionate about many things, my most inspiring driving force is human connection. Blogger, content writer, orthopedic exercise specialist, motivational speaker, international yoga pro, published songwriter, avid poker player, mom and wife are just a few of my titles. But when I do my job at NASA, I am known simply as “The Fairy Zenmother” a role I deeply love because people invite me into their space to help them find their center, relax and stretch their muscles and destress their mind. Here in the blogosphere version of The Zen Den, I invite you into my world where I will explore ideas for creating a better tomorrow and a kinder today. And hopefully, with insight, authenticity and humor; my words, observations and experiences will help you feel calm, centered, intellectually challenged and spiritually enlightened. Alternatively, if you have something you would like to see covered in The Zen Den, just let me know. Your feedback is welcome and valuable to the success of this blog. Finally, my heart is filled with gratitude to have this opportunity to share with all of you.
