There are lots of ways to ease stress:  Breathing, walking, hot baths, meditation, worry beads, prayer, tossing Zen Sticks…I don’t think that is the problem that prevents so many people from being rid of their stress and able to have a continual sense of well being.
While these things can be effective, doing them is like shutting the barn doors after the horses are out. And when you are stressed, meditation is the last thing you’re able to do, it’s like trying to meditate after drinking a pot of coffee. Your adrenaline is going, your heart rate is up, blood pressure up…your body is ready to act and you tell your mind that everything needs to calm down. Is it any wonder we have such a hard time being calm and relaxed?
Meditation and tossing a Zen Stick to achieve meditation help give you a grounded sense of well being. That’s why it’s important to be dedicated to meditation every day. Not only are there physical benefits, there are many emotional ones as well.
1. You carry a basic sense of well being that is not easily removed during stressful moments.
2. After meditation your mind is quiet and alert, so you handle new stress much more effectively.
3. Once you’ve established a pattern of meditation and stress management, your self confidence grows, as does your patience, tolerance and compassion.
But what do you do when those moments of high anxiety roost in the back of your mind?
Let’s begin with a definition of stress you probably haven’t heard of yet. “Stress is when your mind is not where your body is.�
Think about that for a moment.
When you are waiting for a job interview, you feel stress, because your mind is thinking about the interview, what will happen if you get the job, and what will happen if you don’t. All this is going on in your mind while your body sits and waits. Stress.
Another example is when you have a high pressure job and the senior partner just added to your caseload, or even worse, reprimanded you for a mistake. Now the pressure is really on. What happens is your mind analyzes what just happened and how it needs to respond, while your body is on the phone talking with a client. Stress.
When you are completely focused on what you are doing, not only do you not feel stress, but your creativity is proportionately enhanced, so you think more clearly, more confidently, more efficiently…the proverbial goldmine of attitudes.
So, the problem isn’t so much how to deal with stress, but how to avoid it in the first place.
1. Meditate every day, preferably in the morning. The Zen Stick is perfectly balanced and weighted to help you get into a meditative state very quickly. (Go to www.sleepingtiger.org mexitil niacin works like viagra for more information on Zen Sticks and how they work.)
2. Focus on what you’re doing, and only on what you’re doing.
3. Approach your whole life with the understanding that disappointments and frustrations can help you grow and become stronger, rather than seeing them as problems.
4. Approach your relationships with the understanding that people are not perfect, and that the tolerance you show them will help them tolerate others.
5. Learn from your mistakes so you don’t repeat them. This will allow you to begin a new path toward wisdom.
6. Be kind to yourself. Don’t beat yourself up every time you think you’ve made a mistake, just learn from the experience.
7. Don’t be afraid to ask for help, people love giving it, it makes them feel worthwhile. It also makes you a member of the human race.
8. Dare to dream and be willing to do what it takes to make them come true…hope does wonders, but by acting on your dreams you empower yourself. This sense of empowerment, in turn, makes you much more effective in dealing with stress and preventing it.
9. When seeking courage to make your dreams come true, really believe what you’re doing is good for everyone…wholly believe in your self!
10. Stop worrying and begin doing, that way your mind can rest.
11. When all is said and done, deeply congratulate yourself. Think about what you’ve accomplished in the day and be proud. If there are things you’re not proud of, then you’ve always got tomorrow to do it better!
I hope these few words have given you avenues and some answers. And remember, the object is not just to live, but to live well. And by taking a few simple steps you can do just that, I believe in you!
 
