STRESS AND ANXIETY

The first mindfulness course was the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction by Jon Kabat Zinn aimed at reducing stress and suffering. We all have stress in our lives. We all need tools to cope with them in a healthy and sustainable way. Poorly managed stress leads to anxiety. Anxiety is an alarm system that brings our attention to what is wrong or a potential threat. It is a survival mechanism but can become harmful if the alarm is left blaring full on, round the clock. We need to make conscious efforts to protect our minds and bodies from the stress and anxiety that is an unavoidable by-product of our lives.

Doing mindful meditation, mindful walking and mindful movement can help calm the mind and body even when facing challenging circumstances. Some stress and anxiety are inevitable parts of human life. How we take care of ourselves through it all is what we have control over. Slowing down and taking things one day at a time, one task at a time, when they feel overwhelming is a simple but most effective way to avoid feeling drowned. We have to slow down to cultivate calmness and clarity to see a solution out of any crisis. We may feel bored in the small mundane chores of life, but that is where using mindfulness we can find the tranquillity we need to cope with the stress of our lives.

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