Stress is Blocked Energy – How to Get Your Energy and Thoughts in Flow

Stress got the best of you?

April is Stress Awareness month, so I wanted to acknowledge this crucial topic that determines how productive, creative and loving we are.

Stress is resistance in the nervous system and the mind. If you’re having negative thoughts, experiencing tightness in your shoulders, or feeling a pit in your stomach, these are signs that your system is under stress. What are you doing in the moment to relieve it? How are you creating a habit of an on-the-spot de-stressing practice? What actions do you take when the person with you is under stress, or there is conflict or a negative interaction?

With all the change happening not only in our world, but also in our work environments, it is crucial that we put attention on habits that support us in being more stable from the inside out. This builds inner security and serves as an anchor internally that can hold a position of being calm and collected in the heat of any storm.

When we hold this way of being, it impacts our presence so that even if we show up to a stressful situation, it actually helps others calm down. Your presence matters.

Stress is blocked energy; what gets your energy and thoughts in flow?

A few ideas:

• Listening to Music – shift the focus off the stress and on to something that relaxes you.
• Moving the Body – walking, exercise, even just a few stretches in the heat of the moment.
• Taking long, deep breaths.
• Extended Breathing – inhale 4 counts and exhale 8 counts – this moves you into the frontal lobe of the brain where your executive thinking resides.
• Any mantra or word that you can repeat in your mind that calms you and stops negative thinking.
• Meditation Practices: training yourself to allow flow and to be open.
• Allowing the mind to wander while training to stay focused on your breathing or a positive mantra.

If you want a sustained experience of inner stability and staying calm in the heat of the moment, it is key to have a consistent practice as this is the way you retrain your mind and nervous system. You’ll want to find a tool that you can access with ease, which supports you in feeling calm that you can start making a habit of using for building inner security and generating a sense of calm. There will always be times when we will get knocked off our calm demeanor, but creating a habit and practice will help you recover much more quickly. This also supports us in being more likely to hold a neutral disposition, calm presence and positive thoughts when things get tough. This is what is being required of us during this time of such change. It is up to you to make a conscious choice to choose calm over stress.

What will you choose? Here is something to get you started:

I teach a Meditation Class every Tuesday from Noon – 1PM MST on a donation basis. Please feel free to join any time – beginners are welcome. Put some ease and openness into your day and join us in the movement of producing more calm in ourselves and our world.