Episode 64 - Ready to De-stess?

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Almost everyone wants to be less stressed and more peaceful. Even as our modern world ramps up the external stressors, we can learn to make ourselves calm and relaxed. The Buddha said, “there is no happiness higher than peace”. This episode guides us through a simple process to become more peaceful and to de-stress. </span></p> <p><strong>Mindfulness Practice to De-stress </strong></p> <ol> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Aspire to become a calm and peaceful person, even in challenging situations.</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Try to be mindful of whether you’re feeling calm. Notice when you start to feel tense.</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Calm yourself. When you start to feel tension or stress, turn toward calming yourself—rather than doing anything to affect the situation. This is vital.</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">When you notice tension and stress, start breathing deeply from the diaphragm, feeling your stomach expand. Or, if possible, close your eyes and begin a brief breathing meditation (see below). </span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Breathe deeply and say to yourself “calm” “relaxed”. Try to tune your body to these feelings...calm...relaxed. </span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Continue this Diaphragmatic breathing or a breathing meditation until you feel relaxed. This might take only a minute or it might take much longer.</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Remember the world is empty and dreamlike.</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Put a little smile on your face. Try to have fun and find joy in things.</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Keep trying this mindfulness practice and calming technique whenever you n