How Can I Find Relief from Stress?
There is a simple answer to the title’s question. It requires creating space in for peace. That answer leads us to many more questions. Allow us to focus on only one. How do I create peace in my life?
Some Ways to Create Peace
Here are some quick suggestions to create space for peace. Scroll through other blogs on this website to find how to use these tools more specifically:
- Breathe Deeply – Take ten deep breaths, three times a day. Breathe in deeply for 11 seconds. Hold the breath for 2-3 seconds. Breathe out for 11 seconds, while relaxing the tense areas of your body.
- 10 Minute Guided Body Scans – There are plenty of free and good videos on YouTube. Google and try one of these a day.
- Limit Your Time on Screens – Artificial light heats up your brain, creating stress and anxiety in your body. Your brain tries to tell you this by expressing the anxious feelings and thoughts. Limit time on screens. Use softer, dim lighting.
- Yawning – Yes, yawning can help to cool your brain. Try three minutes of yawning each day.
Those are some quick and simple ways to create space for peace in your life. However, if you really want to move to the head of the class, try this more challenging exercise…Love well.
Love – The Only Way to Peace
Dr. Martin Luther King said, “We must discover the power of love, the redemptive power of love, and when we do that we will make of this old world a new world. For love is the only way to peace.”
Fear, hate, and stress dissolve the peace in our lives. Love overpowers fear. Love dismisses hate. Love eases anxiety and stress. What might happen if you approached the people on social media, neighbors, family and the like with love? Love instead of fear. Love instead of anger. Love instead of hate.
In his charge at the royal wedding, Rev. Michael Bruce Curry said this about love, “French Jesuit Pierre Teilhard de Chardin said that fire was one of the greatest discoveries in all of human history. If humanity every harnesses the energy of fire again, if humanity ever captures the energy of love, it will be the second time in history that we have discovered fire. Dr. King was right, we must discover love. The redemptive power of love. And when we do that, we will make of this old world a new world.”
Loving can be hard sometimes. So begin with kindness and see where that leads. May you begin to find peace and pass that peace on to others and maybe we can survive this time of political tension and stress and fear caused by the worldwide pandemic.
Photo by Radu Florin on Unsplash
