Establish and diligently practice meditation or other beneficial routines during calm, non-crisis periods, as in a crisis, you will fall back on your existing training rather than your expectations.
Make Bodhichitta your main practice by consciously maintaining a tender heart and universal love for all beings, actively shifting away from self-centered habits to spread love and concern.
Practice ‘matriya’ (loving-kindness) by cultivating a tender heart and wishing all humanity to be happy and free from suffering, using your own longing for happiness as a reference to project this emotion to others.
Engage in ‘karuna’ practice by connecting with the suffering of others, feeling their pain and loss, and wishing for them to find relief and peace, using your own desire to be free from pain as a reference.
View patience not as passive endurance, but as actively engaging with what’s bothering you by being present with physical, mental, and emotional states, constructively responding rather than reacting blindly.
When faced with a problem, determine if you can remedy it; if so, apply skillful means to find a solution without losing temper. If not, relax, accept the situation, and engage in hobbies or deepen meditation.
When agitated, consciously acknowledge that the emotion will subside and you will work through it, rather than immediately reacting. This awareness softens the experience and makes it less compulsive.
In moments of agitation, use a breathing technique and take time off to create space to settle your mind and emotions, avoiding the urge to react immediately, which often worsens the situation.
When thoughts and emotions arise, avoid judging them, recognizing them as random and transitory. Allowing them to be without self-criticism prevents additional problematic challenges.
Progress beyond focused concentration to an expanded, panoramic awareness where thoughts and emotions arise and cease without enmeshment, leading to a lucid, present, and peaceful state of ’nature’.
To counteract the feeling of rushing or ‘karmic wind,’ practice stillness for 15-20 minutes to allow this energy to unwind. Hugging your knees with your palms can be a helpful posture to calm the nervous system.
During meditation, practice ‘simmering’ with physical pain by observing it without getting enmeshed, recognizing its transitory nature. If pain becomes too intense, it is advisable to change your posture.
Understand that factors like physical fatigue or lack of sleep can contribute to sensitivity and reactivity. Take time to sort out what’s truly going on to avoid misattributing the cause of your annoyance.
Approach eating with a deep sense of appreciation for the food and its nourishment, consciously creating a connection to the act of eating mindfully, transforming mealtime into a meditative practice.
Reflect on and consciously determine the appropriate amount of technology use in your life, distinguishing between productive and healthy engagement versus excessive use that consumes precious time unproductively.