5 minutes to relieve stress
If you feel stressed, take a short meditation break to express your sympathy.
One of the advantages of meditation is that we can practice it almost anytime and anywhere. This one is designed to help relieve stress and is part of the Way to Happiness program at the University of Berkeley’s Center for More Good. It would be ideal to be able to meditate every time you feel stressed and take this “pause to empathize with yourself,” as the center’s experts describe it. But for starters, your goal may be to practice this meditation once a week and gradually increase the frequency to once a day.
Once you adopt it, you will always have a tool at your disposal with which you will be able to release stress quickly.
1. Think about a situation in your life that is difficult for you and causes you stress. (It's better to choose something of medium difficulty, especially if you're just starting to meditate.)
2. Recall that situation in your mind to get in touch with what happened or what you think happened.
3. Now say to yourself, "This is a moment of suffering." This awareness and acknowledgment of the situation is a form of mindfulness - noticing what is happening to you on an emotional level in the present moment, without judging whether it is good or bad. You can also say "this hurts" or "this is stressful" - or any other statement that comes to you at that moment as the most natural.
4. Then say to yourself: "Suffering is a part of life" or "Other people feel this way too" or "I'm not alone" or "We all have temptations in life" ... This recognizes that it is something completely human, common to all people, that all people go through temptations - and that such experiences are something you have in common with other people, not something that makes you abnormal.
5. Finally, put your hands on your heart, feel the warmth of your palms and a gentle touch, and say: "Be gentle to yourself" or something more specific, according to the situation, for example, "I give myself the compassion I need", "I accept myself as I am ", " I am learning to accept myself as I am "," I forgive myself "," I am patient "," I am strong "...
By: Amber V. - Gossip Whispers
