I liked these excerpts from a recent Chopra post on finding peace, thought you might, as well.

When we are stressed, just knowing there is another way to respond in the moment can be comforting. If your go-to response is frustration, panic, rumination, read on. (Even if those feelings and actions are not your go-to response, life can send us down stressful roads at times, this option can help.)

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“The definition of worrying is ‘praying for what you don’t want’, which is why worrying is one of the most destructive things we do to ourselves.

Think back to this time last year, what were you worried about then. Did it happen? Even if it did, I assume you survived.

As the philosopher Michel de Montaigne said, ‘My life has been full of terrible misfortunes — most of which have never happened.’

…. Our breath is probably our most under utilized tool. It’s always with us, always available. Worrying and negative expectations take us into the future, your breath is always in the present. Whenever those worrying thoughts arise, move your awareness to your breath.

Take a few deep breaths and just observe it for a couple of minutes. Allow the breath to center and ground you. Worrying also depletes our energy, whereas the breath is energizing.

Make friends with your breath, it will serve you well.”

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Sounds too simple to be true, but try it. Whenever you start to worry – pause, take a deep breath and exhale a bit slower than you inhaled. Take at least 3 deep breaths and then just pay attention to your breath as you breathe through the moments. Repeat as necessary.

If we paid as much attention to our breathing as we spend time worrying, our lives would be much more peaceful and our internal chaos would be dramatically reduced.

I know worrying seems like we are “doing something” about a problem, but the reality is we are only priming our brains to worry more. We are creating direct pathways in our brains linking stress to worry. That’s not a good thing!

Conscious breathing allows our brains to broaden and build positive connections that help us relax and develop creative solutions.

You may feel guilty about not worrying, which is normal, but unfortunately not helpful. Don’t let feeling guilty stop you from creating a new stress response, it’s a much more rewarding way to go.

You can do it. Conscious breathing in times of stress or worry will help.

Wishful Thinking Works!

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