For most of North American society, our very lives are this assassin's favourite weapon-long, busy days crammed with too much stimulation and little time for winding down and quietly enjoying all the goodness. For many of us, this could end our life prematurely while sapping the health and vitality from what years we have left. But just how can a person increase the peace to less the stress?
I'll let the doctors advise you about diet and exercise; what I want to discuss is peaceful practices. The following tips come from my personal arsenal of stress-busters, and they really work.
The symptoms of stress are amazingly varied, but a desire for more peace in your life is a good indicator that something must change. Honour that desire, because small changes today could save your life tomorrow. A good place to start your peaceful practice is cultivating a positive attitude about life.
If you are getting seriously aggravated at least once in each day, ask yourself: why take it all so hard? Musician Bobby McFerrin helps remind me that the best way to handle my life is: Don't worry, be happy. (If you don't know what I'm talking about, listen to his song on www.youtube.com). So I've made a commitment to remaining peacefully serene, every day, as much as I am able to.
I discovered an important fact for rebalancing my perspective: that my troubles really aren't unique enough to justify having a 'pity party' about them. I realized that I will always be worse off, and also better off, than someone else. I'll bet this applies to you, too! Stuff happens, and life doesn't always go the way I would wish it to, so how I react is very important as a peaceful practice.
Yeah, sometimes life sucks. But when I stop fretting and start appreciating what's good in my world - including the roof over my head, the food in my mouth and so many other blessings ─ I can put those hassles into a healthier perspective. I stop focusing on what's going wrong and instead concentrate on what's going right. It helps me to feel much calmer about the things that are bothering me. This kind of
'attitude of gratitude' is the best way I know to create more peace in your everyday.
Now, I'm only human and frustration sometimes wins me over. But I've learned that this is a good time to honour my feelings. I need to express the annoyance and get rid of it like yesterday's garbage. This is a far more peaceful practice than eating/drinking/drugging/gaming/whatevering it back down inside.
Being a bit too 'girly' to own a punching bag, I learned years ago about the blessings of whacking a child's baseball bat onto my bed. A dear friend introduced me to this strategy. The hollow bat makes a very satisfying 'thwack!' sound when it hits the bed. After I got over feeling a bit silly the first couple of times, I learned to expel my anger at someone/something by beating it out until I was panting for breath, often with a few tears on my face. The result was that I felt a lot less angry. My 14-year-old daughter now uses it, too.
Try it, or perhaps do some vigorous exercise. But don't let that rage just simmer inside. It'll eat you up - literally. Most of us are ignoring the health effects of having the stress-time-bomb ticking away in our lives. But I'm not, because I want to live well instead of suffering the heart attacks, ulcers, obesity and other health effects of letting stress rule my life.
Another peaceful practice concerns your nightlife. What are you spending your evening hours doing, and does it enhance your peacefulness?
I took a candid look and realized how much time I devote to watching the tube or using my computer. Market research firm IDC reported in 2008 that Internet users spent 32.7 hours per week online and about half as much time watching television (16.4 hours). Talk about time wasters! My research showed me how these two innocent activities can mess up my ability to sleep well. When I am sleep deprived I get very cranky, which isn't good for my peacefulness (or my family's!).
Being well rested is important for my ability to meet each day with serenity. So if I am truly committed to peaceful practices, I must limit my time at these two 'screens'. They are usually much too stimulating, which is a stressor. Instead, I can put on some music and do my chores, go for a walk, or indulge myself in creative pursuits such as writing or painting. Also, because of my research, I'm committed to spending my last waking hour every night in dimmed lighting because lower light enhances the ability to drift off to sleep.
Once you've committed yourself to more peaceful practices, you'll find the benefits extending throughout your life, from your health to the quality of your relationships. Today, I am much calmer, more contented with my world and I find life far less aggravating. The rewards have fueled my desire to create even more peace and serenity in my life.
|
Biography
