Peace for busy people

The world is how it is, but who are you in it?

It’s been an interesting week for me working full-time on top of an hour+ commute as I’m used to taking my time and doing what I want. And I am amazed at how easy it all feels and how much energy I have. Things are extremely hectic at the drug project due to short staff and we don’t even get a lunch break but I feel fine, and I know that it’s down to me meditating and learning to be in the moment because I never used to be like that! Any chance I get I focus on being in the moment, and calming my mind – sort of making sure I am in balance and relaxed. That is the state you are happiest, have most energy and achieve the most. And this week has given me practical experience of doing it whilst busy, so I feel more able to talk about it than when I had all the time in the world, lol

So here’s why it worked so well:

·     Because I have meditated for years my meditation muscle is strong enough that I can do it anywhere – on the train, in the midst of chaos etc.

·     Also because I’ve practised I can access that state very quickly, I have tried different techniques to calm my mind and know what works best for me.

·     Likewise I make sure I find time in a morning to do things that putting me in a calm state. I used to get up at 8.30 and now I have to leave the house at 7.30 so I get up at 6am to have time and not rush, I watch something inspirational whilst I have breakfast, or I listen to an inspirational talk on the train.

·     Over time I have gradually worked on healing my emotional wounds that caused me stress, I still have plenty but they tend to be smaller and cos I can calm my mind they go easily. The one time I got a headache I did a quick Evo-K session on myself and it went.

·     When I did feel very tired and my mind started getting grisly I simply reminded myself that I was tired and what was irritating me wasn’t the cause of how I felt, and then I’d let it go. (and also told myself that if it was a real issue I would be better dealing with it when I was more awake anyway – of course the next day it seemed silly).

·     On the way home I then again spend time meditating or listening to music to change my state and leave the day behind. I also reminded my self of what I have to be grateful for.

·     All of this stuff is done in minutes, we’re not talking about taking an hour out of your day, but just a few minutes of doing what works can transform the day.

My tips for you are:

• The more you practise calming your mind and relaxing the easier it becomes. Now I know that most people say they are too busy but really doing it will mean you can do more and therefore be less busy. Plus I’m sure if you had to get up 10mins earlier for work or the kids you would, so why not for yourself?

• When you are feeling negative practise the different techniques that will change how you feel and see which works best for you (I have lists of such things in my other articles on my website, or on my youtube video) You have to try them though, it’s no good doing nothing and then saying nothing works!

• Look at your day and where you waste time, either stressing or for me it used to be looking at ‘interesting’ web sites, lol. Get smart with your time, what will make you feel better – complaining/ gossiping, or taking time out? Is what you are doing really necessary? Write a list and prioritise, then just focus on what you have to do next, not the whole list. A few minutes preparing can save you a lot of time.

• Be aware that your mind will throw up excuses as to why you can’t do any of this – it’s not true, your mind is just scared to change or worried you will run out of time. There is no evidence to support this, in fact the evidence is the opposite so reassure your mind and give it a go.

• I was reminded of 2 things at group on Saturday – one is that scientists have an open mind when they experiment with an idea and look for new discoveries, so do this as an experiment. Dismissing it before trying is not reality.

• The second is that when Elizabeth Gilbert (Eat, Pray, Love) was criticized for being self-indulgent as she took a year off to go sort herself out she replied ‘it’s actually more self-indulgent to subject the world to my stressed and neurotic self’. Worth considering, the world will benefit more from you finding peace and coping better.

 Out of that I have come up with a plan that takes 10 mins a day

1. In the morning do a few minutes of deep breathing (see my meditation article) where you forget about everything else and just be still. Remember your mind is like a muscle so start small and build up. A few seconds can make a lot of difference, like a pause button.

2. Do this throughout the day when you remember, again just a few seconds pause can change how you feel.

3. At the end of the day do more deep breathing and then do a gratitude list – 7 things you are grateful for that day. Recent studies have shown that doing this can have the same, or better, effect on your mind than anti-depressants. Simple, but it does retrain your brain to view things differently. If you are used to only seeing what needs to change you forget what is good, and are out of balance. Peace is not found in looking at what is ‘wrong’ all the time. The reality is we all have a lot to be grateful for.

Of course if you take more than 10 mins it will work quicker, but 10 minutes is enough to start shifting your thinking. As I said – start small and work up.

Give it a go, and let me know how you get on.