Hope you’re doing great.
Focused & taking consistent action on what you’ve set out to do.
Hope you’re really enjoying life…
Hope you’re leveraging pain into creativity & wisdom.
I really believe you can use everything in your life as fuel for your growth.
So, today we’ll talk about the storms in life and what to do about them.
THE STORMS OF LIFE
We all experience some turbulence every now and then… these experiences that push us into a corner. We feel powerless & don’t really know what to do…
We all experience these uncomfortable times in life, for shorter periods or longer, with more or less intensity… It’s all relative…
The moments Im talking about is when your heart starts to pound strong and fast, you feel powerless and find it difficult to think clearly…
Or it can also be simply a messy environment… Really anything that is effecting you to become more stressed, your heart rate to race (even if you’re not moving)
This is the physiological state of fight or flight. It’s designed for the very purpose of getting us to do something about the situation, but we often find ourselves doing nothing.
So, this state is not healthy for us, and that’s why we have to be watchful of our hearts, aware of how we’re functioning.
WHY WE SHOULD CARE
So this stress response, the feeling of your heart racing, is all good and necessary, but the more we live our lives in this stress zone, we’re not going to be healthy.
This doesn’t mean that you should seek to avoid these stressful situations and environments at all cost. These situations makes us stronger, more prepared to handle difficulties later in life, if you choose to use the little moments as practice.
So, this stress system consumes a lot of our energy… Stress hormones like Cortisol & Adrenalin is released which takes energy & nutrients to create. It inhibits growth, rational thinking and immune function.
WHAT’S STOPPING US FROM BEING STRESS RESILIENT
I think that we have simply accepted the fact that we will be stressed, that it’s unavoidable and there’s nothing we can do about it… To bad… So we let it drain us and later when we see our loved ones, we have a perfect explanation why we are grumpy, tired, disengaged and low on energy…
But, when we realise that there’s actually many things we can do about it… the what?
What happens with our great explanation? We will have nothing to excuse our bad temper and low energy… perhaps we can find something bad to prove as a good reason why we don’t feel good…
HOW TO STAY FOCUSED, CREATIVE & PEACEFUL IN THE STORM
So, there’s many things we can do… Through studying people who are dealing with extreme conditions, we can see our situation with clearer eyes and also learn the strategies they use to cope with great calm, control & integrity.
I will share 3 (I use them together) of the ones I use everyday to cope with situations that evokes my stress response:
1. USE YOUR BREATH
I breathe deeply. From the abdomen. Breathing in five slow breaths through my nose, holding for two seconds. And breathing out seven breaths though my nose – then holding for two seconds again. Then repeat whenever you notice your heart racing.
IN 5 – HOLD 2 – OUT 7 – HOLD 2.
IN 5 – HOLD 2 – OUT 7 – HOLD 2.
IN 5 – HOLD 2 – OUT 7 – HOLD 2.
This can feel a bit strange in the beginning, but try it out and you’ll feel the results for yourself.
2. USE A FOCUSING QUESTION
Whenever I feel like there’s too much going on, a lot of things happening around me and I’m not really sure what to do, I ask myself a focusing question. These are some I’m using now, to bring intention to the stressful situations:
a) What’s most important right now? (this question brings genuine values to the surface, for you to act upon)
b) What’s the right thing to do? (this will bring you out of fearfulness and into your nobler self)
c) What’s really happening? (this brings awareness to the objectivity of the situation, what really is taking place, so you can see it more clearly)
It’s far more likely that you’ll ask these focusing questions if you first do the breath training.
3. ACT
This third stage is essential… 1+2 is the groundwork which you will be able to build something good upon, something intentional, some good action…
So, this is the part where you take action. Do something… Say something…
And the thing is, when you’ve done 1+2 before, calmed your heart rate, gotten out of your fearful, reactive state of fight and flight, better things will come out you, in terms of words and actions…
Trust me, you’ll know what to do…
***
Remember that excitement has similar effects on you… your heart rate rises and you don’t have the same levels of control, so be aware and use the tools to cope, get your heart at peace, and your most noble self in control again…
You will operate from a much deeper and greater place…
“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”
– Proverb 4:23
And know that this takes practice, so practice in every situation that brings up your heart rate even a little. And as challenges grow and you keep on practicing, you will eventually be a master when the real difficult stuff comes, and trust me, it will.
“It wasn’t raining when Noah build the ark.” – Howard Ruff
See far… be a visionary…
Start now… take disciplined action…
Be ready… it’s always better…
“Fix your course on a star, and you’ll navigate any storm.”
– Leonardo Da Vinci
***
With love & respect,
Daniel
DANIEL GALOVAN 