Often we start to notice ourselves falling into anger,
depression, self-pity or other responses to a work or home
situation. Here are a few ideas to implement when in a
situation where a knee-jerk reaction starts to arise.
Remember it is much easier to nip something in the bud than
to deal with stress after it flowers into physical symptoms
or a bad mood. If you get into a funk sometimes it can last
for days and it's often hard to break free of it. When you
can "catch" the negative moment beginning you have a great
shot at stopping it from taking you down. I've found these
helpful for myself as well as my clients:
Breaking out of moods:
1) If you feel a certain "mood" beginning (i.e. depression,
anger, discouragement) try to do something physical such as
go running, swim, or even clean. It's good to do something
that will tune up your nervous and glandular system. We
need to break the incarnations that set into our bodies.
It is similar to stopping smoking after one cigarette
rather than 20 years of smoking. Sometimes if you have
a shoe and it is worn out on one side you'll see that if
you put your foot in it, it leans in that direction. The
mind follows the grooves it previously was tracing out.
We have the power to "change the channel" and watch a
different movie.
2) There are two breathing exercises from yoga that are
very helpful to cultivate a neutral mind. One is called
"Alternate nostril breathing" and the other is called
"Breath of Fire". These are explained in detail in the
booklet I wrote. You can also learn these from a yoga
class or video or write: mailto:yogabreathing@sendfree.com
3) Identify and write down the mental tape loops that you
finding yourself repeating. By knowing what these are you
can watch it instead of take it as your own identity. The
more you "see" the dramas the less you react from within
them. We all fall into our own melodramas and soap operas
and taking a bird's eye view can give us another perspective.
It helps us to not "buy into" our own story. Our inner story
is something we repeat to ourselves and others and gives us
our identity. It's good to step back and see which parts of
it are beneficial and which are messages from the past,
other people or our old identities. Just as a computer
needs to have files deleted in order to operate more
efficiently, so our minds need to have the extra "files"
emptied out so we have room for new stories, dreams and
aspirations.
4) Keep a notebook of inspiring anectdotes, quotes and tips.
This helps to boost one's spirit and also to feel connected
with others that have dealt with similar feelings. Put some
reminders on your refrigerator, desk at work, car dash
board and other places so you can catch you mind and
re-direct it in a positive direction.
Inspirational Samples
If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not
due to the thing itself but to your own estimate of it; and
this you have the power to revoke at any moment.
~ Marcus Aurelius ~
A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is braver
five minutes longer.
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~
About the Author
Debra Cohen, LCSW is a Licensed Social Worker in Florida. These
tips are taken from her booklet "How to Stay Balanced During
Stressful Situations" which sells for $4.95. Please send an
e-mail for purchasing information to:
mailto:quietmind2000@yahoo.com