Feeling anxiety, fear, sadness, anger, happiness? In extraordinary times you will experience all your emotions and more intense than usual.
How do you maintain your inner peace, if there is turmoil in your family, your relations, your company, the world? There are a lot of practical things you can do to reduce stress. And there is more you can do to regain inner peace.
Practical steps
If things change big time, like in a crisis, you can create more inner peace by focusing on practical actions. Maintain your daily routines, and if this is not possible: create new ones. Add structure, make a week- and day planning, and align your actions with the people close to you.
Another practical action is to limit the intake of (bad) news. In a crisis, you want the information to help you understand the situation and know how to act. However, a lot of information will have a negative impact on your emotions, is not actionable and outside your sphere of control.
One level deeper
Now, let’s go one level deeper. Doing things help to calm you down and can also be a pitfall. If you want to avoid feeling an emotion, being busy can be an excellent coping strategy. It is my favorite coping style: working hard, so I don’t have to feel. Being active, working hard, in order not to feel is ok for a while. If you keep ignoring your feelings, it will backfire. You know you are in the ‘danger zone’ if the emotion starts to scream harder for attention.
Feel your feelings
Time to change your approach. It is time to feel what wants to be felt.
Stop doing things, shut off distractions, find a quiet spot to sit, or take a walk. Preferably alone in nature. Invite your emotions. You don’t have to do anything, only be willing to accept whatever emotion presents herself to you.
Take a deep breath and connect with your feelings.
Feel them with love.
No judgments, no pushing your feelings away, just feel.
And afterwards, enjoy your… inner peace…
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