- When emotions arise, we usually meet them with resistance. We want to feel good, not grim and angst-ridden. So the last thing most of us feel like doing is actually welcoming situations that trigger uncomfortable feelings. That is why this is a radical recipe! And yet, welcoming the present moment whatever it may be, is a form of personal mastery that restores life’s flow. By breathing through and being with whatever is happening and whatever you are feeling, you can open up to inner peace and wisdom. Stressful events magically transform to simply being part of life’s intriguingly rich tapestry.
- Here are five steps you can take to deal with stress and feelings of tension:
1. Stop and breathe.
2. Feel the emotion and discomfort, noticing where it is in your body.
3. Resist the temptation to label the emotion as sadness, anger, or from any story you associate with the emotion such as “This is terrible. I’m fed up. I can never…”
4. Feel the emotion as pure sensation. It may feel sharp, heavy, soft, swirling. It may lessen and then return in waves. Stay observing the sensations. Be curious. Welcome the sensations as another experience of being alive. Notice the comments your mind churns out and let go of them. Breathe into the sensations.
5. Become aware of your own energy, presence and awareness that is like a still backdrop to the thoughts in your mind and the tensions in your body.
Depending on the intensity of the emotions, after completing these steps, you may feel drawn to go out for a brief walk to let go of the build up of tension, or to stretch or rest to regain your equilibrium.
- When you give stress and tension some space by resisting the temptation to get caught up in reactivity, you recognize that you are not limited to your first response to any stressful situation. Stress increases the more you dislike or resist your experience. Stress decreases the more you can bless and be with your experience. Once your inner wisdom, creativity and awareness are free to operate fully, then you are open to experience greater ease in the form of sudden ideas, enhanced communication, greater good-natured acceptance and a broader perspective.
Formerly a professional actress, Nicola Walker moved on to develop her own business first as a counselor and hypnotherapist, then as a life coach.
She has been teaching personal growth classes, seminars & workshops since 1988 in both England and the U.S., encouraging focus on human potential, integrating self-awareness, spiritual guidance & manifesting skills with the practicalities of achieving success in the world. She is based in the North Bay Area of San Francisco, CA.
Nicola also works with clients privately and offers a free exploratory coaching consultation over the telephone for people who want to deepen their self awareness and live with greater passion, ease, success and fulfillment, both personally and professionally. You can find out more about her work by visiting her website: http://www.clarityforlife.com
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