Nothing irritates me more than when someone tells me to calm down, and I’m not the one that needs to calm down! Moreover, telling someone to calm down is condescending because we all have moments of emotional distress. Life can be turbulent; how to cultivate calm in your life is a post on navigating the crests and troughs to stay afloat.
I would say that I am not a calm person by nature, and I don’t believe I am alone. I have experienced enough faceplants and moments of disgrace to know I am not calm.
We are Victims of our Emotions; how to cultivate calm
Human beings are victims of their emotions; by that, I mean that our emotions control us rather than us controlling our emotions. Furthermore, this pattern starts early in life, and we learn from our parents and the environment where we grew up.
Suppressing our Emotions is not Control.
Suppressing our emotions can lead to anxiety and stress. Instead, we must become aware of the connection between our thoughts and emotions. What I mean is that every emotional reaction first starts with a thought. We don’t experience emotion first. We experience the thought that triggers the emotional reaction. Therefore to control our emotions, we must first become aware of our thoughts.
Practice Stillness and Cultivate Calm in your Life
How Stillness Cultivates Calm
Our minds are always talking to us, and many of our thoughts are on an automatic repeat. This constant repetition of the same thoughts eventually morphs into our personality. Therefore, awareness of our thoughts is a critical element in cultivating calm. Like many people on this planet, I was unaware of how my thoughts had created certain behaviors that had become my personality. My thoughts were on an auto-redial every morning.
How to Cultivate Calm In Your Life
Practice Thought Awareness
Developing a practice of stillness and meditation is vital in training the mind to be self-aware. I believe the mind is the most malleable at the start of each day, and consistency is essential. Select a space and time for your stillness practice where you can sit comfortably undisturbed Start with 5 to 10 minutes of stillness and increase the amount of time as you become more comfortable. Eventually, you will come to look forward to your time in stillness:-)
The Breath Controls the Mind, and the Mind Controls the Body!
You have already heard the advice “breath it out.” If you are unaware of your thoughts, you can’t possibly “breath it out.” However, once you become self-aware of the thoughts that trigger your emotions, the breath becomes a powerful tool.
“Your thoughts are incredibly powerful. Choose yours wisely.”
― Joe Dispenza, You Are the Placebo: Making Your Mind Matter
Create a Mantra and Practice It Daily
I used to cultivate a lot of anxiety and worry for myself; now focus on cultivating calm in my life. My life turned for the better when I tapped my toe into yoga and meditation seven years ago. My moments of anxiety and worry or few and far between, and my physical ailments have decreased.
Create a mantra for yourself that expresses who you want to be and practice. It is what you do that count!
Practice Being Who you Want to Be
Change takes time, determination, and a willingness to shine a light on your darkest corners!
-Beth Ives, MyPetiteStyle
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Related Posts:
- How Yoga Changed My Life
- Why You Need a Meditation Practice Now
- How to Get Back Up from a Faceplant
- Strength, Flexibility, Balance; Why they are Important
- How to Develop and Live a Personally Authentic Life
Namaste, Beth, MyPetiteStyle
