It has been said many times that it is not the “thing” but how we see them. But why do we always fall victim to the mind’s fearful stories that make us anxious? You might be surprised by the simplicity of the answers and practices that will create clarity and bring skillful discernment of things around us. It is enough quality sleep, balanced nutrition, human connection and movement.
Paul Check also simplified this approach with his four doctors you’ll ever need, Dr. Diet, Dr. Quiet, Dr. Happiness & Dr. movement. These are your foundation for having a balanced we’ll being and not fall into the trap of the ego. Imagine your days as a game you play. You need preparation and conditioning before showing up daily much like participating in a sporting match. Prepare by having proper sleep, eating healthy foods, having human connection and strenuous exercise. Having this done early in the morning, you are now able to apply these mind tools that will help you become more positive any time of the day you sense that you are being attacked by anxiety, fear or worry.
Recenter by saying: Now I am………
As you go about your day your mind might ruminate on a thing that is about to happen or a thing that it thinks should happen. When you sense that your world is getting limited, rigid and constraint bring yourself to center by saying “Now I am……. “ Followed by the thing you are doing at the moment. It might be brushing your teeth, walking down the street or washing dishes. This phrase powerfuly brings all of the attention to the present liberation you from the entangling complexities that the mind presents. We realize that now you are just a person being this, nothing more, nothing to be afraid of, nothing to fix, just this, folding the clothes, no more added opinions.
Make this an hourly habit, Now I am this….. Maybe just a human being at peace with all things. From this space we can redirect our attention to something positive. Just to experience life, the infinite intelligence happening as you. That is enough to be joyful of. Start here, and always make it a point to comeback here if you entangled yourself far from your center.
“I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened. ”
– Mark Twain
Slow down
Our brains run on an average of 2100 thoughts per second if we try to analyze, deal and tend to each one of them, this will be the cause of unnecessary stress and anxiety. Imagine our brains as receptors of signals, it is so majestic that it receives a variety of ideas and insights but our awareness need not to ride each train that passes by. It is just impossible. You can slow the pace of your thought receiving brain by simply observing and being non attached to them. The cycles of your brain will lower if you sit still and let things be, entertaining your thoughts produces more thoughts leading to never ending questions and complexity. Take a deep breath, watch the mind, observe, don’t react. This is how you slow down.
Here are the brain wave states. We mostly function on beta throughout the day, but we can slow things down and get to theta for balance & ease.
| Gamma (γ) | >35 Hz | Concentration |
| Beta (β) | 12–35 Hz | Anxiety dominant, active, external attention, relaxed |
| Alpha (α) | 8–12 Hz | Very relaxed, passive attention |
| Theta (θ) | 4–8 Hz | Deeply relaxed, inward focused |
| Delta (δ) | 0.5–4 Hz | Sleep |
Reduce distractions
Watch where you spend your time. We often get caught getting pulled in different directions. We are spread thin with multiple goals and impulses. Let go of the activities that don’t bring you closer to your goal. Lessen the time thinking of things that bother you. It is often our misguided opinions, judgements and criticisms that drains us of our precious energy. If a negative impulse or thought arises and is moose’s itself unto you, be bothered for 1 minute and let it go. Stay undistracted by internalizing your ideal self. Envision yourself being loving, tranquil, joyful and accepting. Deliberately choose to not be distracted. Be committed to where your aim is at. What ever you aim at, the world configures itself according to that specific aim. What you notice expands. Notice the good, meditate on your primary aim, be undistracted.
“We can cope with uncomfortable internal triggers by reflecting on, rather than reacting to, our discomfort. We can reimagine the task we’re trying to accomplish by looking for the fun in it and focusing on it more intensely. Finally, and most important, we can change the way we see ourselves to get rid of self-limiting beliefs.”
– Nir Eyal
See good in everything
There is always the other side of the story. We see things not for what they are but for what we are. It depends on through what lens we see the situation. In this practice we can totally let go of how you perceive a situation and see it from a place of equanimity. You might think you are being harmed or offended, but nothing can really harm but our own minds untrained to see other sides of the story. This skill of seeing things from the birds eye view will save you a lot of unnecessary pain. In seeing the good in everything, you draw in more good things to your hemisphere, your domain, your frequency. Remember that what you focus on expands? Make a choice of expanding what is good in your situation right now. Reach for the next best feeling thought and watch it grow and blossom to fruits of goodness that you and others will enjoy. If you can breathe right now, you doin pretty good.
“When you focus on being the best person you can be, you draw the best possible life, love, and opportunities to you.”
– Germany Kent
Bless your blessings
Make gratitude your default attitude. Bless your triumphs, your adversities and setbacks. Acknowledge the person you became up to this point in time. Make use of the gifts and inspirations that you embody. Know that you have all that you ever need to take that next step in your journey. You are blessed with all of the things you’ll ever need. You can read, you can breathe, you can move your limbs, you can light someone up, you can put things together. Through openness and a little courage, we open ourselves up to more blessings. Honor the higher power, the intelligence greater than you, the one true source of all, surrender all of your fears and questions and watch your blessings grow. In priming our minds with gratitude, the brain acts as if it already has, as a result the subconscious directs more of the things you are blessed with your way.
“This is a wonderful day. I have never seen this one before.”
– Maya Angelou
Prioritize calmness
We often take for granted the importance of calmness. Let go of the addiction to thinking and busyness. The real deal in life reveal themselves after the storms of the mind have settled. In prioritizing calmness, we establish space from anything that can throw you off balance. Build your foundation of calm first before engaging in any outward activity. Making a commitment to calmness despite changes. When we are in a sustained calm state, we are open to see more beauty around us.
Start by having a quiet time alone, often times we start the day rushing to do things. This is voluntarily running towards imbalance. Establish your calm first, maybe some affirmations like “I’m eternal, immortal, universal & infinite” or “This is my day, I accept complete responsibility for my life for I know that I am power” or “Out of this day only good will come, All is well & I am safe”. Carry on these feelings as you go through each task of the day making calm your priority and the center of your being.
“Silence is the element in which great things fashion themselves together.”
– Thomas Carlyle
You are not your story
Create your ideal self by regularly shedding bits and pieces of yourself that don’t help you get to the future self you desire. Your story keeps on changing as you change and learn daily. You are not your story means there is no need to attach to or repeat habits and actions you did yesterday. Reflect each morning on where you want to go within the short term & long term. Study your actions and keep other people’s input from a distance. Create your story daily, open to new things and course correcting. You are not your story, thoughts and actions. Know truth by sitting still and observing. Know the bigness of your being, you are all things, in this knowingness you return to balance and ease. Let go of stories, narratives and expectation remember; nothing is what it seems. Give it space….. then let it be.
“People often say that this or that person has not yet found himself. But the self is not something one finds. It is something one creates.”
– Thomas Szasz
Question everything
If something bothersome arises, be quick in noticing so you can nip it in the bud. Awareness is key, through questioning; pausing before reacting, we create space where in we get to fully understand before imposing any action that may worsen the scenario. Reflect on what things that I do everyday that are making things worse? Change the simple daily things you do to always redirect your movement towards your ideal.
Sometimes just stopping and accepting returns our emotions back to balance and ease. See as the bird would, from above. See the whole picture with many participants and preferences involved. Remember that we are functioning most of our days on the intellectual part of the brain which is very limited. It just keeps on dissecting, cutting, asking, avoiding and imposing. Peace and balance is found when we do not engage in these characteristics of the intellect. Just know that the mind is naturally hard wired this way and there is no need for you to act on it and fix it immediately.
Ask; is it true? Is it absolutely true? Who would I be without this thought?
“Life is simple. Everything happens for you, not to you. Everything happens at exactly the right moment, neither too soon nor too late. You don’t have to like it… it’s just easier if you do.”
– Byron Katie
Go back to your why
Whenever feeling lost in the complexities of your day. Go back to your why. What is the bigger purpose of why you are engaged in your present task. An example would be, “Im in the grocery store and this is such an annoying task”. If you go back to the bigger “why” of the reason behind you are there is “Im in the grocery store because I’m taking charge of the nourishment of my family and myself”. This thought will immediately bring you to center and will get the job done with purpose. Doing things backed with an honorable mission is easier than going through a task hurriedly and gruntingly.
Another thing I like doing is appreciating the transitions, from the grocery to the car, loading and unloading the items, our lives are made up of these moments that are not any different from special events we look forward to like an extravagant vacation or a holiday.
Keep your mission vision intact and close to heart and mind. Your work is important and needed in the world although it may not appear so.
Going back to your why reveals to you a big vision resulting to more energy to accomplish.
“The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
Notice Nature
Make time to look up to the sky. Let yourself be absorbed by the vastness of it. Notice the patterns on the rocks, the sidewalk, the graffiti. Notice the unnoticeable, the spaces between the leaves, the dirt beneath you, the orb like sparkles on the water. Nature is our greatest teacher. We are of it. Feel this connection through grounding and maybe surrender your questions to the trees. Shinrin yoku is the Japanese term for forest bathing. Take a walk along the trail and breathe in clean fresh rejuvenating air. This is guaranteed to bring you back to center and balance.
“The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.”
– Alexandra Domelle
Conclusion
Balance and ease can be achieved anytime of day. It is best to prime ourselves in the morning. Make calmness a priority, make our dedication to our highest good unwavering. Notice nature to remind us that all is well and there is infinite well of good from within. How will you be handling your day to day?