This morning, as I was contemplating the Sacred Moment seminar approaching this weekend, in a way similar to contemplating an oncoming train. An oncoming train in a dark tunnel. With no escape.
I was feeling a little stress.
Stress? Why would I feel stress? One of the biggest reasons is that I was spending a lot of time in my head, wanting to overdeliver as usual.
How did I destress myself this morning. Three ways:
1. Prayer practice, including chanting out loud.
Many people are used to doing prayers silently, or perhaps softly spoken. And yet there is nothing like a chant, in a sacred language, repeated out loud, in a melody, for taking you out of your head, and into your body.
That’s what 30 minutes of chanting did for me. Brought me into my body, got me breathing deeply, had my whole chest and head resonating with sacred sounds and prayers. And afterwards I had the rosy glow of spaciousness, peace, and restfulness filling my physical and emotional being.
2. Get Unstuck and Get Going.
Michael Bungay Stanier, whom I’m proud to count as a colleague and new friend, has created a remarkable tool for self-coaching. I wrote about this a long time ago when it first came out, and yet I rarely pull it off the shelf.
I pulled it off this morning, and it really worked.
Part of why GU&GG worked is not just the content- it’s the aesthetics. Orange. Thick card-stocky paper, flip pages, beautifully designed. Again… it brought me into my body just handling it and using it.
3. The Life Organizer.
Jennifer Louden, a former client, and now a buddy and colleague just published her newest book, The Life Organizer. It’s for women, but I used it, and if you don’t tell, I won’t either.
I flipped it open to Week Five. Similar to GU&GG above, the aesthetics of this book helped me become grounded into my body.
Notice a theme? Overwhelm is in your head, and yet it creates pollution downstream in your body. YOu can try to attack overwhelm in your head, and that can work.
But you can also just bring yourself into your body, and become present.
I’ve recommended chanting, and playing with beautiful objects that engage your senses.
What are some ways you can imagine getting out of your overwhelmed head, and into your body- especially as a critical business deadline approaches?
