Staying Calm and Centered in a Turbulent World

Hello again, I haven’t been here in quite some time. I want to talk about something I struggle with in my life quite often. I bet I am not alone in this. Despite the best intentions, there are so many things that can throw us off track and cause stress in our lives. The cliche is quite true in this instance – that we cannot change or usually prevent the stress, we can only manage our response to it. So, what does that mean exactly?

For me it means that it’s always something. There is always something happening that can cause me to feel unbalanced or angry or anxious. Those feelings are often triggered by events, or people in our lives – and sometimes by things going on in the world. These days the external triggers are almost non-stop! There is so much negativity around us and so many catastrophic events. Personal issues in relationships, jobs, finances, and such in our everyday lives can cause us to feel “stressed-out”. We most likely have very little, if any, control over the factors causing this stress, whether external or internal.

So what can we do when we are in this stressed-out state, or to prevent getting there in the first place. Although we have little ability to prevent them, we do have many resources to manage our reactions to those stressors. Let’s have a look at some of the ways we can cope with everyday stresses, in particular, some that have worked for me.

First I cannot stress enough the power of the breath. There are a couple of breathing techniques that are my top ways to cope with anxiety, anger and feeling very “stressed-out”.

• Deep Belly Breathing: This is the basis of all of the breathwork that I use daily. Relax and sit comfortably to practice this technique. Place one hand over your belly button. Inhale slowly, through your nose, allowing your lungs to fill by directing the breath to your belly, as opposed to puffing up your chest. This allows your diaphragm to work properly. You should feel your hand rise gently. Exhale slowly allowing the belly the sink. Just doing this simple breathing technique will aid in relaxation and centering.

• 4-3-7 Breathing: This is by far my favorite of the breathing techniques that I practice daily. I use this method to relax after a long day and also for immediate, in the moment, stress and anxiety relief. To practice this technique, sit comfortably and begin deep belly breathing. Do 2 or 3 deep belly breaths. Then as you inhale slowly and deeply, count 1-2-3-4. Hold that breath as you count 1-2-3. Then inhale slowly as you count 1-2-3-4-5-6-7. It is that simple. Do this pattern for two or three repetitions. Take stock of how you feel.

These breathing techniques can be used anywhere-anytime which is really beneficial in many situations.

Other things I use to keep my balance on a daily basis and enable me to manage my stress and any anxious thoughts include meditation, exercise and journaling. I have separate blog posts regarding meditation and journaling that you can read and think about. Exercise is very beneficial in so many ways, but this post speaks specifically about the stress management aspect.

In particular, I do practice a simple, gentle yoga flow. I love the effect this has on me on so many levels. I view my yoga practice as a “moving meditation”. I also do a daily outside walk, inside on the treadmill if the weather is awful. getting out in the fresh air is crucial for me to feel good.

All of these things are forms of self-care that I feel are very important to my well-being. I consider them non-negotiable things I have to work into my daily routine. I hope that somewhere in this message you will find something that you can use in your own self-care routine to help you to manage your stress and anxiety and stay centered.

Get out there and SHINE !!!