By Teri Thomas
We all go through periods in our lives when we feel like it isspinning out of control and we don’t know what to do about it.It may be because of an unexpected tragedy that rocks us to ourcore and causes us to re-evaluate what is most important to us.It could be because we are going through a more positive, yetstressful, experience by choice, like planning a wedding ormoving to a new and exciting place. Or it could just be becausewe have a hard time saying no and have too many commitments.Whatever the case may be, we can all relate to the experience offeeling out of control. But how do we get that control back? Thefollowing are three sure-fire strategies that you can applytoday to begin to get a sense of control and feel some peace ofmind.
Take a few minutes to just stop and breathe. This is perhaps themost powerful way of gaining control in the moment that you cando. I even suggest that you sandwich your day with thispractice. Before you get out of bed in the morning take justfive minutes to breathe. Just focus on your breath. Thistechnique is very calming. You are going to be tempted to startthinking about all you have to do that day or whatever worriesare on your mind, but go back to your breath. You can thinklater, but for now, just breathe. A calm mind will be much moreefficient than one that is hopping from thought to thought. Doit again before you go to sleep. Are you having troublesleeping? This can help you calm your mind so you can get somerest and be more efficient the next day. Use this techniquethroughout the day whenever you start to feel that “pumped up”feeling. You will immediately begin to feel more in control andat peace.
Prioritize. You can prioritize for the day, for the week, foryour life, or even for just the next moment. Sometimes that isall we can handle. Any level or depth of prioritizing will helpyou gain control. Prioritizing means choice. You choose what ismost important to you at any given time. You always have thepower to choose. Even when events happen to you that are out ofyour control, you can choose how you respond to them. In thatmoment you prioritize your thoughts and feelings. You may saythat you can’t control your feelings, and this is true to adegree. You may not be able to control your initial reaction,but you can choose how you will think about a situation, whichwill eventually lead to how you feel about it. As you begin tofeel as though you are gaining control, you can then begin toprioritize for the long term. The more you think about anddecide what is most important to you, the more you will operatefrom a place of conscious choice. As you do this, you will havemore feelings of control and peace.
Focus on doing one thing at a time. I know in this day and ageof multi-tasking we think we can’t get enough done if we are notdoing more than one thing at a time. But is this really true?Have you ever noticed that the things we do with only half ourattention, we often have to do over? Generally, when we give ourtasks the undivided attention they truly require, we can getmore done more efficiently. Just try this for a day and see whatyou can get accomplished.
What are you willing to begin today? Commit to at least onestrategy, notice the effects, and you will want to incorporateall three. Applying these strategies during stressful times willhelp you gain a sense of control in your life. If you also beginto practice them in your daily life any time, you will begin todiscover what it feels like to be at peace. Isn’t this what mostof us are ultimately striving for anyway? I guess the key is tostop striving and breathe, prioritize, and focus. I guaranteethat over time, the accumulated effects of these changes willdramatically change your quality of life and give you peace.
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