We certainly live in challenging times, and it is important to learn techniques to calm ourselves when the outer events become overwhelming. My favorite is a technique called ‘State of Ease’ developed by Doc Childre, founder of HeartMath.
After practicing, I find it easier to choose less stressful perceptions and to create more of a sense of ease and optimism. While it does not change what is happening outside, I find it creates the distance that helps me make more conscious choices.
Here is an abbreviated version of the Inner-Ease technique, for more information you can visit the HeartMath website.
- As soon as you notice that you are feeling stressed, acknowledge it by identifying and naming those feelings.
- Take a few minutes to do heart-focused breathing: breathe more slowly and deeply than usual, imagine you are breathing through your heart or chest.
- Imagine with each breath that you are drawing in a feeling of inner-ease and infusing yourself with balance and love from your heart.
- Observe when your stressful feelings have calmed down, feel the changes in your body and your mind and then slowly re-engage in your activities with this new perspective.
We all are faced with challenges beyond our control, however we can determine our responses.
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