Handle stress mindfully
Stress has unfortunately become a daily reality for many of us. From the moment we wake up in the morning to the point when we go to sleep at night, we are faced with several minor and major triggers for stress.
Job worries, relationships, health concerns, financial issues are usually the major causes for stress, to which can be added a host of other minor triggers that carpet-bomb our day. Basically anything that does not follow our script for ourselves can trigger a stress reaction.
It is widely known that stress leads to the release of “stress hormones” in our bodies, which are needed to activate a “fight or flight” reaction. Though it is a natural mechanism inbuilt in us, chronic stress over long periods of time can play havoc with the body, leading to a plethora of diseases. Simply saying, “I will not worry” is not enough. De-stressing requires a focused, thoughtout approach.
First, we must know our stress triggers and be able to recognise them. Anything that causes the heart to race and feel uneasy, anxious or fearful is a trigger.
Whenever a stress response is triggered, we must recognise it and stop whatever we are doing for a few minutes, if not longer. If possible, eyes can be closed. We must gather our entire attention away from whatever is happening at the moment, and bring it to the breath. If it feels agitated, we must allow it to calm down. If attention wanders, we need to bring it back to the breath.
Vietnamese Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh suggests that at such times, we find a positive emotion that will work as an antidote to the negative emotion that might feel overwhelming. In an “email meditation”, which he advises for those who feel stressed by the pressure of emails, he uses gratitude as an antidote. Gratitude is effective because it takes us out of our habituated response of ruing what is happening and reminds us of all that is going well for us. For instance, stuck in a traffic jam, instead of stewing and cursing our lot, we can watch our breath and say, “I am grateful for this car, which ferries me in such comfort.”
Other antidotal positive emotions that can be called upon at times of stress include trust, as in “I trust my body to respond well to this medication and heal well”, and calmness, as in “I am calm no matter what”, and loving-kindness, as in “I understand why s/he needed to do this.” When we feel helpless, cultivating acceptance can transform stress into equanimity. We can do this by saying, “I accept this situation as it is.”
Through these mindfulness practices, we might not be able to alter our circumstances, but what we do alter are our responses to them, in a way that cuts out stress.
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