4 Simple Steps to Silence Stress Now

Stress can rob us of the very life we are living. It can drive us to depression, anxiety, and relationship problems. Here is a simple formula based on Mindfulness Meditation that can soothe the stress you are feeling and open your experience to the power of the present.

1. Follow the Breath– What’s breathing got to do with it? The breath is our most immediate source of life. It is also a powerful mechanism to modulate our emotions and stress-response. Of course, sometimes taking a deep breath is exactly what we need to de-stress. However, I simply want you to pay attention to your breath as it comes in and out of your body: to notice the sensation of the air as it comes in and out of your nostrils, of your stomach/chest area as it goes up and down, of your desire sometimes to control it. Simply, notice. One of the best side-effects of paying attention to the breath is that our mind can only think of one thing at a time. If you are paying attention to something else, your mind, that has to be thinking something, is directed to something fairly innocuous, rather than the stressful automatic thoughts we are usually thinking, but may not even notice.
2. Feel the Sensations– Paying attention to your senses has a similar side-effect of directing your thoughts elsewhere. I find paying attention to the sensations in my feet particularly helpful. I notice the feeling of them on the floor, inside my shoes, etc. I find it literally “grounding” as it pulls my thoughts from the past or future into my experience of the present. Next, I pay attention to my legs, my backside sitting on my chair, hands in my lap, all while coming back to my breath.
3. Name the Thoughts– The brain is an active organ, continually firing, even as we sleep. You will notice that your brain will quickly start interjecting thoughts into your present attention on your breath and sensations. It might start to think about what you will be doing next. It might think of something that produces stress or feelings of sadness or anger. At this point, simply name the thought: “There is a thought about the past,” “There is a thought about my boss who made me angry”. Naming our thoughts puts some distance between us and them. So often, we identify with one thought to such an extent we think it is reality, rather than just a thought.
4. Repeat– Here is where the real magic happens. Repeat these steps whenever you can throughout your day. Finding a trigger to help you remember can be helpful, such as setting an alarm on your watch or smart phone to go off on the hour. Perhaps, you can try the low-tech method of wearing a string on your wrist as a reminder. Let go of the idea that you “should” be in this state for long periods of time. Our minds eventually take us away from the present. I have seen many lives changed by simply coming back to the breath 1 minute at a time.

Now, go ahead….breathe, feel, name and repeat.