I told someone recently that I was born with a prozac generator in my brain.
Which is just another way to say that I’m kind of laid back. Mellow.
It comes naturally.
But what would you expect from a Dudeist priest?
There is definitely an art to it and although I haven’t completely mastered it, I’ve got some ideas.
Keep reading and I will tell you 5 ways to being less stressed.
1. Keep it simple
Don’t overcomplicate things.
If your life is full of worry and stress, try to pick one small thing and release all your anxiety about it.
It doesn’t have to be spectacular. Anything will do.
Sounds easy right?
You start with something small so that later, the bigger stuff won’t seem so daunting.
An example could be: wear the same thing to work every day. And then there’s one less thing to worry about.
I have a basic uniform for work: blue jeans, boots, button down shirt. My shirt is either black, gray, or navy. I follow this 90% of the time.
And since this is my uniform, all I have to do is figure out what’s clean. I grab it, put it on, and go.
Easy.
Once you have one thing small thing that you no longer worry about, pick one other small thing.
Rinse and repeat.
2. Your story
What’s your story? What’s the story you tell yourself? What’s the story you want told?
By thinking of your story, you will be more motivated to do something and less motivated to live in fear.
Break your story down. What’s the dialogue like? What’s the conflict? What’s the solution? Are you the hero? The villain? The love interest?
Now go and live that story. Create the character and live it.
When you know you’re following your purpose….What’s there to worry about?
3. Reverse meditation
Sit down in a place without distractions.
Get comfortable.
Close your eyes.
Breathe.
Don’t try and meditate.
Don’t attempt to push all thoughts aside. Instead, let the thoughts come. Let them circle through your head. But remember to breathe.
Breathe in and out through your nostrils. Feel the cool air come in and the warm air go out.
As you do this, you’ll notice a lightness to your thoughts. A calmness surrounding your dread. Picture a warm light enveloping your body. This light protects you. It prevents your thoughts from attacking you.
With each breath, let anxiety come and go. Breathe deeper if necessary and let the external world around you fade.
Let this present moment exist without expectations. (Which is a fancy way of saying…Let it be.)
Practice this every day. Work up to 10, 20, 30 minutes.
You might say….”but Doc, I don’t have time.” Well, just do less of something else and more of this.
4. Imagination
Imagine what it would be like to be happy every day.
To be able to get all the things done in a day that you felt were necessary and to still have time for yourself.
What would it feel like to live a life less stressed? What would your day be like?
Now, take the time to imagine a situation that you handled poorly. Maybe you freaked out more than you should have. Maybe your temper got the best of you. Whatever it was, take the time to visualize a different scenario…..one where you made the right choices.
Accept forgiveness for your previous mistakes and now visualize yourself improving. Every day a step closer to being the person you need to be.
Visualization and affirmations work by hypnotizing your subconscious.
Your lizard brain will try to make things a reality. (I’m just kidding of course…you don’t have a lizard brain. But what you do have is a beautiful electro-chemical machine that can do almost anything. Embrace your potential for healing.)
5. The Long View
If you are anything like me….you will feel overwhelmed at times. Sometimes all you can do is one small thing. But that small thing will snowball into larger things. It will pay dividends. Don’t be afraid of the small stuff.
By taking the long view, you look for any small thing you can do now that will get you closer to your larger goals/dreams.
But I know what you’re thinking…..”Doc, that sounds a lot like #1 above.”
And you’re right. It does.
Because life is a circle my friends.
p.s.
I’ve got a bonus for you
This is from Psalm 139
You know me inside and out,
you know every bone in my body;
You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit,
how I was sculpted from nothing into something.
If this is true, then what does that say about our lives?
I think it says that we can TRUST.
And that my friends…..
is the antidote for worry.
p.p.s.
What was that you asked?
Where can you find a copy of my book?
Oh….
As always…
thanks for reading.
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