Posted by Jeannie Cambre on May 25, 2001 at 15:26:33:
Few would disagree that, in today's world, life is complex, busy and, at times stressful.
However, depending on how YOU choose to START your day, you can GREATLY reduce your feelings of stress--almost regardless of what your circumstances may be.
Compare these two scenarios:
Scenario One...You jump out of bed, pound down a cup of coffee and launch into your "to do" list. You fill your head with plans, concerns, and worries. You mentally review all that you have to do. You think about yesterday's arguments, disappointments, and conflicts. You anticipate the upcoming problems of today. In a matter of minutes, you've reinforced the stress you were already feeling.
You rush around, picking up and preparing for the day. If you have kids, you start the endless process. You find yourself hurried, agitated and a bit short-tempered. The first half hour of your morning is seen as "preparation". However, what you've done, in reality, is prepare yourself for yet another stressful day.
Scenario Two...You get out of bed a bit earlier than usual, and begin your day with a genuine smile. You sit on the floor and do some gentle stretching. As your body warms up and begins to feel good, you close your eyes and spend a few minutes in quiet meditation. Your breathing is deep and calm. Your mind is clear. After a few deep breaths, you think about two or three things that you have to be grateful for. You don't make a big deal out of it, but simply remind yourself what a gift it is to be alive.
~~~~~
As dramatically different as these two modes of living are, we have the absolute power most of the time to choose one over the other. And while scenario one, the frantic choice, is by far the most popular and seductive, scenario two is much more peaceful.
The argument, against the more peaceful option, as you'd expect, "lack of time." But when you really think about it, that's a pretty lame excuse. Even if I had to drag myself out of bed twenty minutes earlier, I'd much rather begin my day in a peaceful, non-rushed manner as opposed to getting off to such a stressful start. The payoff is simply too big to ignore.
The problem is, if you get off to a hectic, "charge and go" beginning, this mentality will remain with you throughout the entire day. Once you're in a stressful mind frame, it's very difficult to get out of it. Luckily, however, the reverse is also true. If you get off to a more peaceful start, you'll tend to carry that sense of peace with you.
I hope you'll explore this idea, as I'm confident it will make an enormous difference in your experience of daily living. I can only imagine what this world would be like if all women started their days in a more peaceful manner.
We certainly deserve it!
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