![]() ![]() “You're allowing it to be there long enough to work with it.” “You’re not resisting it, or trying to numb it and run away from it,” she says. “Label the emotion, because simply naming it calms down your over-arousal,” says Potiker.Īllow your situation to be there. She often recommends the RAIN technique, an acronym first coined by meditation teacher Michele McDonald. “I tell my students that what you resist persists and they need to feel it to heal it,” Potiker says. Examining the source of your turmoil can make it feel smaller in size. ![]() If you find yourself spiraling over a perceived disappointment, frustration, or panic-inducing thought, try stepping back to assess whether what your brain is telling you is true. “Then, try to really get all the details in your mind’s eye-the smells, the sounds, the textures, the touch.” Accessing these vivid memories will cue your body to start feeling like you’re actually there, which will relax you, she says. “You might want to picture the ocean, or your bedroom under your covers, a lake view, playing with your pet, being with someone you love, or maybe a favorite vacation,” Davis suggests. It's okay if it takes you a while to conjure up what that go-to happy place is. This is another micro-practice that becomes easier the more you do it, and the stronger your visualization, the more effective it is. “Let the truth of that warm your heart.” Visualize your happy place. “Think about the people you care about, and the people who care about you,” Potiker suggests, saying that focusing on that can lower your panic response. And hopefully, you’re physically protected,” says Julie Potiker, mindful self-compassion teacher and author of Life Falls Apart, But You Don't Have To: Mindful Methods for Staying Calm in the Midst of Chaos. “Make sure to breathe really low, to fill your belly with air.”įeel the truth that you’re safe and loved. ![]() “The long exhale helps stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, which is basically initiating a relaxation response in your body,” Davis says. Hold onto that breath as you count to seven, and then exhale through your mouth for the count of eight. Davis likes to recommend practicing the 4-7-8 breath, which is based on a time-tested yoga technique, because you can do it anywhere at any time.Ĭlose your mouth and inhale through your nose as you count to four. Your breath is always with you, and both yoga and meditation practices harness the power of breath control to help shift your state of mind. You could be on a New York city subway, surrounded by people and noise, and close your eyes to go into this space where your calmness resides.” Breathe in, breathe out. But, in fact, there are people who have panic attacks while they’re on a massage table. “There's this assumption that if you're in a quiet place, it will be more conducive to accessing this spot within. “But again, this deep, calm, awareness is actually within each person.”ĭavis maintains that you don't need to shut out all the noise to find inner peace. “The problem is most of us live sort of on the surface of the waves, where there's a lot of turbulence and wildness,” says Davis. Have you ever been scuba diving, or even just watched a good deep-sea documentary? The ocean’s tide brings the drama when it crashes against the shore, but venture a few meters down and you’ll find a tranquil world of creatures moving at their own pace, wholly unfazed by the action up above. Play icon The triangle icon that indicates to play Peace of mind doesn’t require peace and quiet. With the help of what Bush calls “micro-practices,” you can get better at accessing your inner calm-even if it's been in hiding for awhile. ![]() What we have to learn to do is tap into it.” It’s as if we have a deep reservoir of peacefulness and serenity inside us. “In fact, this calm, compassionate, deep awareness is actually within each person. “I think often people look for circumstances to help achieve a sense of inner peace,” says Ashley Davis Bush, psychotherapist and author of The Little Book of Inner Peace: Simple Practices for Less Angst, More Calm. Carving out time to relax is wonderful, but it’s amid the frantic pace of everyday life when we need serenity the most: That moment when you’re stuck in the pharmacy line and the contents of your bag spill on the floor just as your phone starts ringing? That’ s when you need to find inner peace within yourself, right as you’re suppressing the urge to unleash a stream of four-letter words. Inner peace is possible, and you don’t need to meditate on a mountaintop or break the bank for a wellness retreat in order to find it. ![]()
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