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The Middle Way of Stress

silversilver In the beginning there was nothing, and then it exploded.USA, Left coast. Veteran
edited August 2016 in General Banter

I haven't been able to fall asleep yet tonight (it's 3:25 a.m.) due to various stresses, and I'd been reading this article earlier. The following is an excerpt:

"Training the Mind and Heart

What I like about Buddhism is that it is so practical and hopeful. You may be the type of person who gets stressed out at the slightest little thing or you may be more hard skinned, even oblivious. But either way, you are not doomed to be under the control of the stresses you encounter because you were just “born that way.” No matter where on the spectrum you start out, you can begin to change your relationship to stress for the better. This is not accomplished by wishful thinking or pretending to be other than you are, but by training your mind and opening your heart.

A primary mind-training tool is mindfulness practice, through which you learn to settle your mind and to tame its wildness. As you repeatedly bring your attention back to the breath, you are becoming more familiar with your own mind and it is getting stronger. It is as though your mind has more weight, so it is not easily blown about by every little breeze. It is reassuring to discover that, amidst all the mental commotion and ups and downs, there is something steady and reliable about your mind at the core. When things get tough and you feel stress beginning to take you over, you can draw on that inner strength.

Along with mindfulness comes the tool of training the heart to be more open and compassionate. Compassion practices draw you out of yourself and remind you to think of others. When you feel the force of stress narrowing you down and drawing you into yourself, you can resist the tendency to close down. You can look around you and through compassion get a larger perspective.

Stress is exaggerated when your mind is flighty and unbalanced, and it is also heightened when you are weighed down with self-concerns and preoccupied with yourself. The practices of mindfulness and compassion give you a way to work with both of these problems. It is unrealistic to expect your life to be free of stress, but there is a real possibility that you could transform the way you deal with it. Stress brings to light harmful habits of mind and heart. So instead of viewing it as an enemy, you could regard stress as a teacher, and be grateful for it."

I got a lot out of this article - even though I haven't read the whole thing yet - kinda skipped around 'cuz it's kinda long, but my heart goes out to anybody who suffers stress and can't sleep - those are the worst. It helps me see some of the changes I ought to make, even if it's too late for tonight...or should I say this morning.

Here's the link: (I don't know why it's so humongous): http://www.lionsroar.com/the-middle-way-of-stress-september-2012/?utm_source=Lion's+Roar+Newsletter&utm_campaign=0a660309bf-LR_Weekend_Read_August_26_20168_26_2016&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1988ee44b2-0a660309bf-22007145&goal=0_1988ee44b2-0a660309bf-22007145&mc_cid=0a660309bf&mc_eid=2f3386c398

DavidBunks

Comments

  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator

    Sometimes - they just are. :)

  • silversilver In the beginning there was nothing, and then it exploded. USA, Left coast. Veteran

    Well, with a little help from that article (I got about 2-1/2 to 3 hrs sleep this morning), I may not be terribly rested, but I don't feel nearly as bad as usual when this happens. I got creative - by thinking that I 'had a night of it', like being at the computer when unable to sleep is my way of partying. Losing sleep is a good thing...sometimes.

    Bunks
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator

    Thanks @silver that article is brilliant! 2 minutes into reading and I was asleep like a baby! (I'm kidding!) It is long, but probably very worth reading bit by bit, piece by piece to absorb each 'snippet'....

    silverBunks
  • lobsterlobster Crusty Veteran
    edited August 2016

    This is the shortened version of your link @silver everything after the question mark is about where you were browsing ... a bit of computer geek knowledge for ya ...
    http://www.lionsroar.com/the-middle-way-of-stress-september-2012/

    In my opinion most of us have too much stress, starting when we are born if not before and getting slapped.
    One of the reasons I don't meditate at night is because it puts me into too much calm and Z z z zzz ... ensues.

    I find in yoga class, yoga nidra puts me to sleep. However what about the busy mind? What happens if we are exhausted, stressed and stillness is just not happening?
    Tried all the usual stuff?
    http://opcoa.st/0R2s2

    I personally would do Medicine Buddha practice. <3

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