There's a reason Buddhist monks spend all day meditating and practicing mindfulness. We, humans, are very easily distracted. If we want to work on ourselves and become better people, we have to be on top of it every day.
Of course, we all get sidetracked by daily events, problems, tasks and so on. It's perfectly normal. But that is the time when we should sit down and reset ourselves a little.
It's easy to just float with life without dealing with ourselves, but it's the most rewarding experience to work on who we are. The bliss that flows through us when we practice becoming better people is something I cannot compare to anything--it's one of the best feelings we can experience as humans, I think. Maybe it's what the old wise men called enlightenment.
We not only feel great and at Peace, we are great company for others as well.
I gathered 7 tips that I use when I adjust my eyes, my being to enter this Blissful mode:
1. Chase your fears
Fear can be crippling if we obey it. But going against it sure is fun!
I think the biggest self-improvement lies in disobeying our fears.
I, for one, refuse to be enslaved by irrational fears. We moved recently from the city center to the mountains, where the forest starts in our backyard. One thing that was not present in the city, but it sure is here is spiders--there are a lot of them. When I was a child, I used to be so afraid of spiders that I refused to even sit on a sofa in our summer home. Going outside after dark was, of course, completely out of the question.
I knew when we started planning to move that this will be a wonderful opportunity to transcend this irrational fear. Oh, I should probably add that I live in Europe, where the spider species probably can't even pierce through human skin, poor things.
I spend time admiring them now. I grew to realize that they are quite the magnificent creatures. When they come in the house, I let the small ones crawl on my hand. My plan is that one day, I will not mind even the biggest spider crawling across me.
It was the same when I had anxiety. Fears were telling me not to go outside, not to get on a bus, run out of stores etc. When I started talking back and doing what I wanted, they slowly learned who's boss.
If you have a fear, don't obey it. Do what you want. Be who you want to be. You are free to do so. Besides, it's a lot of fun--kind of like being a disobedient teenager.
2. Take in the moment
We always have such beauty around us, wherever we are. Even in the city, I always appreciated the tall buildings that so many people's hard work built, those couple of trees that helped cleanse the dirty air, the little flowers that grew in the cracks of the concrete...
Wonders are all around us, we just have to adjust our eyes to see.
We often rush through our day, not even noticing anything--our minds are so full that it's no surprise. Emptying the mind and appreciating what is around us is a truly blissful experience. Let yourself stop and see. You can take a few deep breaths as well while you're at it. Did you take a moment today to notice how good it feels to breathe? Try it. Magnificent, isn't it?
3. Listen to understand
When we talk to people, we often Listen to reply--so we can tell them our views, our opinions, our thoughts.
We will not leave a conversation as smarter people if we only chant our own thoughts. But if we listen, and only then, we might learn something new.
Our judgments are just thoughts, not facts. By truly listening when someone talks to us, we can understand them a little more. Everybody can be understood if we are willing to listen.
4. Be who you want to be
This was one of the main tips I gave myself when I was recovering from anxiety. I wrote in my little notebook that I wanted to acquire three things: peace, acceptance and kindness. No matter how horrible I was feeling, I reacted to my own feelings with peace, acceptance and kindness. Every day was a new opportunity to try out the "new me." You can imagine how hard it was, but I managed to look at it with excitement.
I found that knowing what I want to be like, these three words, helped me a lot. I advise you to write down your own word or words as well. It's easy to remember, always, so you can just bring these words to mind as much as you'd like. You can practice reacting to life with them, and eventually, these reactions will become second nature to you. This is a great way to train your mind.
Always aim to react as the person you want to be.
5. Exhale love
We are all part of one big human family. It fills me with so much joy to be kind to everyone I meet, to wish the cashier at the grocery store a nice day, to Smile at everyone. It brings out the best in people--and people can really be amazing.
Also, spread love to other living beings as well, like animals and plants. We all inhabit this Earth together, and it's quite magical how peacefully we are capable of living next to each other, sharing the planet. Stop a little to see that, your heart will thank you.
There's so much love everywhere, including inside all of us, allow yourself to let it out.
6. Have perspective
The universe is endless. The galaxy we are located in is small compared to that. Our planet is even smaller. It's a small speck, if even that. And you and me, we are even smaller on that speck.
Our problems seem so big when they fill up our entire world. But if we widen our perspective, we can see how small we really are, together with our problems. It's quite freeing, really.
Nothing is that serious in the grand scheme of things, so we can allow ourselves to smile and laugh.
7. Worry is useless
One of the most useless things we can spend our time doing. Like they say, worry is like a rocking chair: it gives you something to do, but it doesn't get you anywhere.
If we are faced with a problem, it will not add to it if we start freaking out. We might feel that it's a needed response, but it's not.
We can deal with anything peacefully, with a smile even. Anything. Try it, I promise it's one of the best things you'll experience.
I hope these couple of tips helped you in some way, and you can also experience this blissful state that is such joy to be in.
“The present moment is filled with joy and happiness. If you are attentive, you will see it.” - Thích Nhất Hạnh
This post first appeared on The Miracle Forest: The Zen Smile Of Mindfulness, please read the originial post: here
