Are everyday anxieties fraying your nerves? If so, take time out to seriously pursue peace of mind.
The first place to look is establishing a sense of physical well-being: sound body, equally sound mind. When our nerves are shattered, muscles tighten resulting in being physically and mentally out of sync.
One example for alleviating tightness is to take a ball, place it on your upper back and gently roll up and down and side to side. Exercises like this aim at releasing tense muscles. It is also recommended to let your body sense relaxation. Mind over matter is a wonderful power for releasing tensions and encouraging muscles to unwind.
Deep breathing is imperative to our health. I have run many marathons successfully thanks to good breathing habits that absorb more oxygen, increase circulation and energize. Although breathing is normal, we do not always breath correctly. When learned correctly, you can climb mountains breathlessly.
Today’s news is a tension-creator making us feel we are not our real selves. To counter this, a regular routine needs to be developed that aims at achieving tranquility. Deep breathing and physical exercise are winners, but being a winner takes endurance and determination.
One of Napoleon Bonaparte’s achievements was compartmentalizing his thinking. In preparation for a battle, he would shut his mind to all other business. When he retired to bed, he would close all its drawers. This is a gift but with willpower it can be achieved.
Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Concentration is the secret of strength.” One of Napoleon’s strengths was the ability to totally concentrate on his troops’ needs, which incidentally, created extraordinary esprit de corps.
Seldom mentioned for keeping anxiety under control is ascetism. Discipline is needed if we are to control angst. True ascetism does not lie in a struggle to overcome undesirable urges, but in the necessity of bringing them into proper order. It is the resolve to live as true “well-beings.”
No doubt many are practicing the above suggestions. I wonder, however, how many have God at their side. Those suggestions work best when God’s wisdom accompanies them.