“All the suffering, stress, and addiction comes from not realizing you already are what you are looking for.”–American emeritus professor and stress reduction teacher, Jon Kabat-Zinn

Oversleeping usually triggers my stress. Intellectually, I know it should not. I no longer work in the conventional world of business and I have few appointments and deadlines. Instead of trying to eliminate or deny stress, I embrace it and try to focus it into a creative project. To enhance the creative channeling, deep breathing and a short mindfulness meditation come into play.

It seems that doing something constructive is one of the best ways to use the mental energy that otherwise makes me feel anxious. Physical activity causes release and unwinding. I like to picture a mainspring in a mechanical watch. We wind the watch to increase stress in the metal spring. The unloading process of the spring’s energy causes wheels and gears to rotate. The balance wheel and pallet regulate the escape wheel to enable measured use of tension. These parts are the escape mechanism.

I mentally visualize a watch’s escape mechanism as a way to engage the mind into constructive creativity. The mind’s eye sees the metering process and externalizes it into physical power. The ticking mental escape mechanism motivates physical exercise or some form of creative expression. You might have a different technique to channel your stress. It’s a good idea to make a habit of using it towards your benefit. Doing this transforms passive coping into active creativity.

Popular stress reduction thinking often reframes stress as a catalyst of renewal. This tells us that problems are signals for personal growth. Wisdom traditions teach that we become stronger through adversity. If you are someone who sees difficulties this way, you discover opportunity in the heart of difficulty. We understand that stress accelerates us either forward or backwards–we choose the direction to take. This is not to romanticize pain and suffering–it’s more about adaptation and cultivating resilience.

Resiliance not avoidance is the best way to cope with adversity and uncomfortable change. I like to think of avoidance as a type of procrastination. Putting a problem on the back burner is a sure way to increase worry. Dealing with difficulties head-on is courage. To exercise courage develops our resiliance. This might also indicate that support from a licensed professional clinical or social worker would be helpful.

In my experience as someone who has suffered anxiety disorder, I figured out that tension is a habit and so is releasing tension. Habits like cigarette smoking can be overcome. Good habits like meditation are cultivated or formed. Stessful times will not go away but how we deal with them make a difference. What has helped me, is to consult the literature about stress and anxiety. Also, I try to eat the right foods, get enough sleep, and do something physical each day.

We are living in trying times. There are many techniques to help us cope with this crazy world. Try some solutions on for size and do what works for you but don’t pressure yourself to achieve progress. There are times when the best thing to do is to go with the flow. If nothing else works, reaching out for professional support is the wise thing to do.

Namaste

The Blue Jay of Happiness quotes 20th century Hungarian-Canadian endocrinologist, Hans Selye. “People should not try to avoid stress any more than they should shun food, love, or exercise.”