What a frog can teach you about Stress Management
I have a confession to make, I don't watch TV as much as I used
to.
Want to know why?
You see, years ago I was probably just like you, I need to get
my daily fix from the goggle box.
What do you suppose the media is reporting over the news
nowadays?
It's all doom and gloom. The media of today, in their fight for
ratings and viewrship, has sad to say, at many times resorted to
sensationalizing news.
Whose fault is it?
It is partly our fault.
You see, people like to be entertained, and normal or boring
news just don't make the cut.
Our penchant for interesting news has set the media in its
current direction of trying to outdo each other to bring to us
the most sensational and interesting news angle they can come up
with.
As the saying goes 'Garbage in, garbage out'. Being fed with all
the negative images and sound bites does have an effect on our
thinking.
While I do think that it's good to know what's going on in the
world around us, focusing too much into it can be destructive.
What we focus on too much, does tend to become reality for us.
Up till now, you must be thinking, where does the 'frog' fit in?
Let me explain - the Chinese has this saying, when describing
someone who is not in touch with what's happening around them,
and has shut themselves into their own world, they are known as
being a 'frog in a well'.
Although I'm not advocating that you turn yourself into this
frog, what I do mean is that we can be like the frog to a
certain extent. You could limit yourself to the media's
exposure, cut down on your TV time.
Another thing is, if you happen to see something that is likely
to affect you, you must learn to let go, as described about in
my previous article 'Stress Management - the Modern Day Dr.
Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde' (see my site address at the end of this
article and go to Articles).
Learn to be a mentally strong person and you would not be that
easily influenced by the negativity that is perpetuated by the
media, be it words, images or events.
Dwelling on negativity is a waste of time and energy.
Remember, you are the sole author of your life, and you must
learn to be independent of the views and opinions of others.
How do you do that?
One way is to learn to listen to yourself by practicing
meditation.
Meditation has the effect of calming your mind, and clearing
your thoughts. With practice, you will be a much assured and
calm person who is not easily shaken and influenced by all that
is happening around you.
To start you off, I will show you a simple yet powerful
meditation exercise that helps to keep your mind 'still' and
would be excellent for stress management.
Find a comfortable position, e.g sitting on a chair or lying on
bed.
Shut out distractions (close your eyes, off the lights, or close
the door if there are noises).
Start your Abdominal breathing.
Initially, you will find thoughts floating around in your mind.
Do not try to suppress them - just 'observe'.
What you are observing is your mind chatter, or your inner voice.
Learn to 'step back' and assume the position of an observer, do
not participate in the thoughts.
To help keep your mind still, concentrate on the point where
your inhale ends and before your exhale. This point of total
silence is the 'Gap'.
Focus your mind on the 'Gap' and soon, your mind chatter will
die off.
Enjoy the peacefulness and silence for as long as you desire.
This could be anything from 5 minutes to 30 minutes.
I find it best to do this meditation before bedtime, as it has
the effect of calming the mind and helping you unwind after a
day of hurried activities. You will find that you are able to
sleep better after that.
That's it, practice this simple exercise regularly and you will
be able to still your mind at will.
I'll talk to you soon.