Sitting still and quiet is really hard for me to do. So I’ve been looking around for other activities that can have the benefits of meditation but that I can accomplish more easily. Most people now recognize the benefits of meditation. Studies have shown it can: reduce depression improve creativity increase immune function reduce anxiety increase…
I usually manage thirty seconds of meditating, before something ‘vitally important that must be attended to this minute’ pops into my brain. On the lookout for alternatives to meditation, I took a yoga session at my local Buddhist centre. It was a great class with friendly people, a relaxing atmosphere, and an encouraging teacher. I…
To understand the mind it helps to remember that the way you think affects the way you feel, which affects the way you act and the outcomes you experience. So, changing the way your mind works can be the biggest factor in changing your life. Before moving on to more practical activities to reduce stress…
Anxiety can be a negative cycle. These seven tips can help you change your mindset – fast – and move into a more positive frame of mind.
Sometimes, we treat our precious bodies as if they were merely vehicles to carry our brains around. The busy ‘monkey’ mind cares little if the body is tired and unwell or is being stressed too far. It presses the body to carry on regardless, often resulting in exhaustion and depletion. It gives little attention to…
Stress and anxiety can hit us at the most inconvenient times. But even if you only have six seconds to spare you can implement one of these five techniques and feel calmer. 1. Chew gum. When we are afraid our bodies move into fight or flight mode and we are flooded with adrenaline, which can…
The Monkey Mind There’s a voice in your head — call it the ego, the mind, the editor, resistance, the left brain, monkey mind — whatever you like. It’s constantly chattering away telling you all the things that are wrong with your life and all the things that could go wrong in the future. But…
To be unafraid we need to examine where our fears come from. Nearly all of our fears can be divided into two categories Fear of not having enough Fear of not being enough These fears are often socially constructed by those who want us to behave in certain ways. For example, the fear of being not…
When you are feeling overwhelmed and panicky, everything you ever learnt about relaxing, being calm and finding peace disappears from your mind as fast as a bubble bursting. In situations like this it can be helpful to use these quick tricks to calm down the mind.
Everyone has a voice in their heads. They are all different, but generally they are critical of ourselves, others, or both. The voice in our head can cause us unhappiness – but it doesn’t have to. We can break this cycle with a few simple techniques. When we listen to the voice in our head…