Posts tagged with “stress”
How to Cope and Keep Going When Times Get Tough
“If you’re going through hell, keep going.” ~Winston Churchill
The day started out beautifully. My friends Shaun, Tina, and I decided to take advantage of a sunny Saturday afternoon with a hike along Ontario’s Bruce Trail. We parked our cars at the trail access, laced up our boots, and headed out for a day of wandering through sun-dappled fields and forests.
A couple hours later, we agreed we had probably gone far enough and turned around to head back.
That’s when the weather changed. Fast. Ominous clouds rolled in, blotting out the blue skies we had been enjoying. The trees …
Let Go of Your Unhelpful Story: Accept, Surrender, and Move On
“The primary cause of unhappiness is never the situation but your thoughts about it.” ~Eckhart Tolle
I recently discovered just how powerful our thoughts can be. I learned that it doesn’t take time for us to accept our current situation; it simply takes a shift in our perceptions and a change in the stories we tell ourselves.
The catalyst for this realization was sent to me, in a small envelope placed under the windscreen wipers of my car. Yes, it came in the form of a parking ticket.
At first I was shocked and quite disappointed in myself for getting …
How to Stay Calm in Frustrating Situations (Even if You Have Zero Patience)
“Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.” ~Buddha
Uh-oh, you did it again.
You fell into the same trap as last week.
Perhaps someone was driving in front of you going 20 in a 55 mph zone, or maybe you received terrible customer service and couldn’t get your refund.
So you snapped and lost your temper.
Whatever the reason for your explosive reaction, you haven’t yet found a way to keep control and remain calm.
Becoming impatient and losing your temper…
Get Mindful in May and Pause for a Great Cause
When your mind is scattered, your head full of worries, and your heart full of fears and doubts, the world is a stressful, sometimes terrifying place.
When you take time to clear your mental space, suddenly everything feels easier. Without the heavy burden of anxiety and rumination, you’re free to simply be—and to see.
It’s like cleaning a dirty window; all of a sudden, the light comes in, light you didn’t even realize was there.
What provides this cleaning, clarifying magic? Meditation, and even just ten minutes a day.
My whole life transformed when I learned that I could free …
Release Stress Through Mindfulness: 4 Steps to Emotional Freedom
“The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.” ~William James
I’ve been meditating for many years, but there are still days when I feel like it’s something I need to tick off my to-do list.
On some days, particularly when I’m in the middle of a big project, it can feel hard to put even ten minutes aside for meditating. The driven voice in my head tries to convince me that this practice of pausing and connecting with presence is a waste of time.
It’s a compelling voice, particularly on days when it feels …
Freeing Yourself from Fear: 4 Lessons from Anxiety
“The only journey is the one within.” ~Rainer Maria Rilke
Out of nowhere, my heart starts to speed up. I can’t get a deep breath; it feels like I’m slowly suffocating.
My throat and chest start to hurt, I suddenly feel weak, and my thoughts race through my mind. A desperate feeling comes over me. I lose control, can’t think straight, and can’t stop shaking. I feel restless and don’t know what to do to feel better. And suddenly, this feeling fades away.
Afterward, I feel a little depressed, confused, and tired. Sometimes I cry; sometimes I just sit on …
Stop Feeling Frazzled: A Powerful Guide to Reducing Stress (and a Giveaway!)
Update – The winners for this giveaway have been chosen:
In my high school yearbook’s class prophecy, it was predicted that I would one day write and star in a one-woman show about my life called “Stress.”
I was chronically frazzled—in a constant state of panic about everything I had to do and had already done but may not have done well enough.
I overextended myself, took very little time to nurture my emotional and mental well-being, and frequently felt like I was about to snap.
In fact, I even broke a stress ball once from excessive …
Stop Pushing Yourself: 10 Crucial Steps to Avoid Burnout
“I actually think burnout is the wrong description of it. I think it’s ‘burn up.’ Physiologically, that is what you are doing because of the chronic stress being placed on your body.” ~Richard Boyatzis
Some years ago, when my mother told me that a friend of hers had experienced burnout, I didn’t really listen. Actually, I didn’t want to hear about it. I even felt irritated because she felt sorry for people who got burned out.
My opinion was that they were just being ridiculous and exaggerating.
It was an excuse, supported by a medical certificate from some doctor they …
3 Things I Did to Relax When I Was Stressing About Reaching My Goals
“Every day brings a choice: to practice stress or to practice peace.” ~Joan Borysenko
Stress and my own expectations were killing me. I was taking care of my physical health with exercise four to five days a week, eating right with lots of plants and vegetables, and sleeping enough, but my health was getting bad.
I had IBS that was getting worse, and I wasn’t sleeping well (even though I spent enough hours in bed). In other words, I was doing everything right, or rather, all the external physical stuff right.
I was doing something that virtually everyone agreed was …
6 Tips to Stay in the Now During Busy Times
“If we are not fully ourselves, truly in the present moment, we miss everything.” ~Thich Nhat Hanh
Have you ever had one of those days where you catch yourself rushing and not paying attention to the present moment?
I had one of those days a few years ago.
I had just ordered some coffee at a drive-thru and was waiting for the clerk to open the window.
While I waited, I began plotting my plan of attack for running several personal errands. My to-do list was long, and I knew I was going to need to be efficient if I …
Connecting with Your Peaceful Self to Overcome Fears and Worries
“Fear: False Evidence Appearing Real.” ~Unknown
It was an ordinary school morning in a busy European city. I seem to recall it was spring, as my memories store the feeling of awakening after a long winter.
I was seventeen and getting ready to go to school. Following my standard morning routine, which included eating my meticulously assembled breakfast, I walked to the tram station.
The city I lived in at the time was situated in a beautiful valley, and the tram ride offered a trip to the hub of the city. My high school was downtown in the historical part …
How to Listen to Your Body (and Become Happy Again)
“Keeping your body healthy is an expression of gratitude to the whole cosmos—the trees, the clouds, everything.” ~Thich Nhat Hanh
It’s embarrassing, isn’t it?
You don’t want to make a fuss about tiny health annoyances.
But you feel lethargic for no apparent reason. You get constipated, especially when you travel. You have difficulty sleeping. And your hormones are all over the place. You hold onto that niggly five or ten pounds like your life depends on it.
Sound familiar? I’ve been there too.
I was working at a dream job and living on the French Riveria. I was paid …
How to Stop Feeling Inadequate and Let Go of Heavy Expectations
“No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.” ~Charles Dickens
When I was seven years old, my parents had me take an IQ test for an application to a private school near our new home.
I vaguely remember sitting with the proctor, answering question after question about vocabulary and spatial recognition. To seven-year-old me, the test was nothing more than a fun logic puzzle, and I delighted at each question I knew the answer to, bright eyed and enthusiastic.
While I don’t recall my exact score, the numbers were unusually high—in fact, so high that …
One Mind Live: Free Holiday Week of Peace & Customized Meditation Giveaway
You’ve likely read about the benefits of meditation, and you’ve maybe even experienced them for yourself.
Meditation can help you:
- Reduce your stress
- Increase your focus
- Enhance your creativity
- Deepen your sleep
- Heighten your sense of presence
- Improve your mood and overall well-being
And yet knowing all these things, you may find it difficult to maintain a consistent practice. Even if you have the time, it be challenging to shut out distractions, shut off your brain, and simply be. I know I’ve struggled with this.
It can be even more difficult because it’s usually a solitary pursuit—but it doesn’t have …
Rekindle Your Joy by Harnessing the Power of Play
“It is a happy talent to know how to play.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
It was one of those weeks that felt like I was dragging my feet through mud. Everything seemed like an effort and nothing seemed to be flowing.
I was caught up in conflicts from the past—a miscommunication with my boyfriend, which resulted in hurt feelings on both sides, and a professional crisis that plunged me into fear and self-doubt.
In an attempt to calm my mind and become more present, I meditated and chanted mantras, but the tape of negative self-talk continued to play in my head. …
How to KISS Your Way to A Less Stressful, Overwhelming Life
“Simplicity is about subtracting the obvious and adding the meaningful.” ~John Maeda
The past few months of my life were a myriad of things, to say the least: busy, chaotic, overwhelming, exhausting, frustrating, and stressful. I felt like my fuel tank was on zero, but I had to get up and do it all over again the next day.
I wasn’t stopping to take it all in and check in with myself to see how I was doing. It took catching up with a friend in town on a whirlwind trip to give me a big, smack-bang wake-up call. I …
Letting Go of Expectations and Letting Joy Find You
“The best things in life are unexpected, because there were no expectations.” ~Eli Khamarov
Are there situations in your life where letting go of a desired outcome could potentially improve the outcome?
I’d been invited to the Stern Grove festival, the free summer concert series, to see Andrew Bird. A friend of mine texted me the night before, letting me know he was setting up a picnic for it.
I was feeling agitated that evening after spending more than I’d wanted to at a birthday dinner (which I was happy to attend, notwithstanding), and I anticipated wanting to recharge …
Why Uncertainty Isn’t So Bad and How to Embrace It
“Trust the wait. Embrace the uncertainty. Enjoy the beauty of becoming. When nothing is certain, anything is possible.” ~Mandy Hale
Sitting in the auditorium during orientation, I listened to various deans, distinguished alumni, and student leaders drone on about the rigors of earning a law degree.
There were obligatory mentions of not everyone making it to graduation (or even the end of the first week) and of the intense strain on personal relationships.
But the message I remembered most clearly was about uncertainty.
“You better get comfortable with gray areas. And fast. Because the legal field is not a place …
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