Shiatsu and Acupuncture Clinic
Managing Stress Naturally
There are many kinds of stress. Some of which we have no control over at all. Others, the more general kinds of stress involving our interaction with other people, we do have the capacity to control how we choose to interact, and respond if necessary, to the source of the stress. Managing stress naturally requires an awareness of being in the present moment. This means that if we are able to focus our attention firstly on our breathing, finding its natural rhythm, then on the nature of the stress, we are then in a position which has created “space” for us to deal with the source of the stress in a controlled way. This means we dont have to react to this outside source of the stress and give control of the situation to someone else. That is what we do when we react in any situation. We allow someone else to control us. So then we become trapped. We have been caught in the net. Our emotions have been stirred and we have allowed someone to take control of us. Quite often these patterns continue to happen with the same individuals who continue to push our buttons, and we habitually allow our buttons to be pushed. So we lose control of the situation and are playing the same game everytime. When we let someone control our emotions, our mind is then easily manipulated and so we lose clarity in the situation.
So how is it possible to make a change in how we react to or respond to a situation? The first thing to realise is that we make a choice, every time we interact with someone. We also make a choice in the people we interact with. Sometimes it is unavoidable to mix with people we dont feel comfortable being around. But how we deal with those people is our choice. So the next time you are in a situation, which in the past has had that repetitive rhythm to it of you allowing someone to stir your feathers, stop. Look at the situation. Slow things down. Feel your breathing. Feel your feet on the earth. Feel connected to the earth. Feel the top part of your head being lifted up, straightening your spine. Feel empowered by this connection and awareness of body and breath. Now you are in control to make the choice of how you choose to respond to the person or the situation. You are able to make the choice because you have given yourself space to feel, not just to think. So this is a strategy you can employ in any situation, whether it is potentially confrontational or just a spontaneous encounter. We develop an awareness, we create a presence, we feel who we are and in this mindset we are whole. Being alive in the present moment, there is no past to take control over us, no old patterns to influence us and no future to worry about, no consequences to be concerned with. Because if we make decisions from that aware space we will do what is right for us at that point in time. We in essence become free to be.
Posted by Warren
Shiatsu and Acupuncture Clinic