As I gear up to create monthly offerings, I find myself wondering: what stresses me out? And what helps me deal with that stress? I find that sometimes I focus too much on what relaxes me (yoga, a hot bath, a walk) and then I lament that I don’t have as much time for those things that I wish I did. So I thought I’d flip the question and address the problem head-on. Sometimes the things that help me deal with stress are not traditional yoga practices, but my coping mechanisms can often be guided by my yoga practice:)
So, what stresses you out? And how do you cope with that stress? Are you satisfied with your coping mechanisms, or do you wish you had different ones?
I try to be aware of my body sensations. A big stress out trigger for me is when I am worried I am running late and others are not moving at a pace that shows that they care about time. One thing I do to cope with a stress response is to practice Tara Brach’s R.A.I.N. exercise. Do you know what this is?
Lovely, thank you! I did find a post about it on her site, too. I'm so into stuff like this! I've been doing an online training on Restorative Yoga and it touches upon similar types of practices. Also, I love Tara Brach's voice (I've done some of her guided meditations on Insight Timer). Thanks for sharing!
I often get stressed out by new things - trying something new, or even driving to a new location. I currently cope by planning in detail, working out all the scenarios, and creating back-up plans for if things go wrong. But I am working on building my intuition and knowing, and allowing my breath and inner resources to inform my decisions and help me cope instead.
This sounds great! I myself am such a terrible planner, ha! I tend to fly by the seat of my pants (which is sometimes exhilarating, sometimes stressful). Glad you mentioned the distinction between inner and outer resources, though. I try to offer a mixture of those in some of my posts:)
I try to be aware of my body sensations. A big stress out trigger for me is when I am worried I am running late and others are not moving at a pace that shows that they care about time. One thing I do to cope with a stress response is to practice Tara Brach’s R.A.I.N. exercise. Do you know what this is?
I hear you. I get tired of going at the pace of little ones sometimes. I haven't heard of Tara Brach's R.A.I.N. exercise. I'll have to look it up!
https://www.tarabrach.com/rain-practice-radical-compassion/
Here is a link if you are interested. I find that when I can care for the hard feelings that arise, I can care more for myself and others.
Lovely, thank you! I did find a post about it on her site, too. I'm so into stuff like this! I've been doing an online training on Restorative Yoga and it touches upon similar types of practices. Also, I love Tara Brach's voice (I've done some of her guided meditations on Insight Timer). Thanks for sharing!
I often get stressed out by new things - trying something new, or even driving to a new location. I currently cope by planning in detail, working out all the scenarios, and creating back-up plans for if things go wrong. But I am working on building my intuition and knowing, and allowing my breath and inner resources to inform my decisions and help me cope instead.
This sounds great! I myself am such a terrible planner, ha! I tend to fly by the seat of my pants (which is sometimes exhilarating, sometimes stressful). Glad you mentioned the distinction between inner and outer resources, though. I try to offer a mixture of those in some of my posts:)