When in doubt, pause. When angry, pause. When tired, pause. When stressed, pause. And when you pause, keep calm. 

 Strong Afflictive Emotions: Hate, Greed, Jealousy, Pride and Ignorance (5 poisons) can all lead to aggression, disturbing our physical and mental peace, and causing suffering. Big Strong emotions grow overtime from deep root sources of cause and conditions. Most of us on the spiritual path, have adopted and are striving for a more virtuous way of life. We are human beings with feelings and at times, very strong emotions. The challenge is to be mindful in the moment.

How do I reduce the effects of stress coming from both the environment and our own thoughts?

IN THE MOMENT, PRACTICE THE PAUSE. When emotions are strong and the situation is accelerating, remove yourself and your opinion. Take 3 deep breaths and do your best to direct the mind. Breathe and use calm reason to decrease the intensity of the emotion before you act. The Power of Now is in the Pause.

Refrain and restrain (not suppression) is an intentional choice to not respond.

ACTIVE SELF OBSERVATION: Turn your life into a moving meditation by practicing active self-observation. Anchor in body  when you feel like you are anxious or stressed. Say to yourself, “what am I doing”: I am washing dishes, I am driving the car, I am walking up the steps, I am breathing, I feel anxious, etc.  Name it, acknowledge it, call it out.  Notice how your body feels once you acknowledge what you are doing in the moment. You will begin to close the anxiety gap.

Bonus: Don’t wait for a stressful moment. Through-out your day, just Pause, take 3 deep cleansing breaths (in thru the nose and blow out from the mouth) this clears lingering stress, builds gratitude and tolerance and resets your mind back to the present moment.

ANXIETY GAP - when you are HERE and your mind is somewhere else. 

Observing and directing the mind. Allows you to change your thoughts. You choose the response instead of letting your mind whip you around and still your peace.