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Try this meditation:
Start by sitting quietly
with your eyes closed
and allow your mind to
dwell on the problem.
What it is, why it
happened, what might
happen next. Then, for
5 minutes, go through
the following steps.✱ Acknowledge
your sufering by
saying to yourself,
“This is really hard
right now”, or “I’m
really struggling ”.✱ Remind yourself
that sufering is a
part of life by saying,
“Many people are
going through similar
situations,” or “It’s not
abnormal to feel
this way.”✱ Ofer yourself the
kindness you’d give a
friend by placing your
hands over your heart
and saying something
like “I’m here for you,
It will be okay”, or I
care about you”. Use
any words that express
your wish to be happy,
well and worry-free.Break free
from worry
If you ind
yourself caught
in an exhausting
cycle of worry
and rumination,
practising self-
compassion is an
efective way to pull
yourself free, says
Dr Kristin Nef, who
has researched
the beneits of
self-compassion.Some emotions such as happiness and
love lift us up, while others like sadness
and worry create apathy and sap our
strength, says psychologist Thomas Britt.
With a few of the following strategies,
you can tip the balance toward
positive feelings so you can tap
into their exhilarating power
throughout the day.SURROUND YOURSELF WITH
positivity
The heart-pounding, do-something-now feeling of stress can be beneficial in
true emergencies. Every day? Not so much. “When your sympathetic nervous
system is revved up and churning out cortisol, you burn more energy than
when you’re calm,” says psychiatrist Dr Patricia Gerbarg. Stress can also make
you irritable, which means you are more likely to see events in a negative light.
This can then lead to friction with loved ones, and may leave you worn out.
Try this stress reducer: Close your eyes, slow your breath and imagine the
feeling of love you have for someone close to you. Revel in the sensation
for 30 to 60 seconds. (It might take some practise as when you’re stressed,
30 seconds can seem a long time!)WHY STRESS ZAPS YOUR ZEST
EMOTIONAL ENERGY