Did you know that some 20 years ago, my personal growth goal was to become calm? Nowadays, I don't seek it as much, because I am. Again, this also was possible through a change of perspective. Instead of trying to become something, such as calm, I needed to decrease stress. Without stress, we're naturally calm. So, what you first need to do, is to examine which kind of stress you live under and what you can do to remove or change these stressors. Make sure you have everything you need, such as food, medicine and clean clothes. A really simple thing, that does wonders, is to be very diligent to only do one thing at the time. You can even say it out loud what you are, such as "I'm now doing the dishes". This gives you a sense of presence. Then you need to look into your scheduling and remember to add time for preparation as well as conclusion and transport. But the real need to lessen stress is often an emotion, that has its roots in trying to do more than we can at the same time, as well as being scared of not doing enough. But how do you then transform the actual feeling of being stressed such as going into a meeting, or having an appointment at the dentist?
To transform stress into calm, let go of the present moment, let go of your own pressure to achieve and think of something completely different. Imagine, fantasize, remember and dream! If you think about it, most meditation practices and life coaching hacks are about increasing our presence. If you can find trust and really be present with the moment, even if it's a scary procedure to be undertaken, do so. But if your body is like mine, reacting to stress also physically, it's your instincts that we have to survive. They can never be overridden but a little distracted. Close your eyes and dream instead. Think of the lazy days by the beach you had somewhere, think of someone you love that you're going to meet with later, or dream about what you would like to do when this stressful moment is over, whether right away or further down the road. Use your imagination to not create horrifying scary possible outcomes but transform them to pretty pictures in your mind instead by focusing on the opposite. Soon your heart will follow.
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