Instead of self-medicating or running from difficult feelings, allow yourself to feel them completely, let them pass, and then make a sane decision, responding rather than reacting. This counterintuitive approach is a recipe for becoming happier.
Actively work to prevent losing your personal power and agency, especially in chaotic times, as reconnecting with your own strength and body is crucial.
Confront unpleasant feelings directly, recognizing them as transient sensations that will change and eventually end, rather than allowing fear to magnify them in your mind.
When you find yourself repeating old patterns, observe the entire process and its repercussions to understand if it leads to freedom or further entanglement, motivating a change in behavior.
Cultivate “chanda,” a positive desire or zeal to transform old patterns and get out of difficult situations, like an elephant hauling itself out of mud.
When caught in anger, take a deliberate pause for a moment to prevent acting impulsively and creating further harm or chaos.
When anxiety arises, find centering in your body and the present moment, such as feeling your feet on the ground and acknowledging your breath, to create a context for the uncomfortable feeling.
Spend time in nature, such as standing barefoot on the earth or looking at the sky, to reconnect with your true nature and experience a positive shift.
To counter stress and anxiety, take conscious, deep breaths by placing a hand on your belly and breathing down into it, softening the diaphragm and promoting a sense of connection.
When feeling anxious or ungrounded, bring your awareness down into your feet, feeling their contact with the ground to find presence and stability.
Instead of avoiding situations that trigger difficult feelings like panic, consciously choose to face them, allowing the feelings to arise and pass, thereby empowering yourself.
Practice pausing to feel a feeling and recognize a thought as merely a thought, without immediately following or acting upon it, to avoid negative consequences.
Reflect on the outcomes of your habitual patterns in life to discern if they lead to freedom or entanglement, using this insight to motivate change.
Acknowledge when you are “stuck in the mud” of old patterns or suffering, as this recognition can serve as a powerful incentive for “chanda” (zeal) to arise and motivate change.
Engage in the “tedious and dirty work” of clearing out mental and emotional clutter, such as regrets or unaddressed issues, to create useful inner space.
To understand suffering (dukkha), allow yourself to fully experience it, “stand under it,” and be “drenched by it,” rather than trying to escape.
Utilize centering in your body and the present moment as an anchor, providing a stable place from which to experience and observe whatever is happening.
Actively cultivate compassion for yourself and others, striving to understand the inherent struggles of being a human being, even for those who are difficult.
Actively repair damaged relationships by acknowledging faults and apologizing, either directly to individuals or in your heart for those you cannot contact, to clear remorse and inner burdens.
Embrace the truth that your body and personality will eventually die, befriending this reality to diminish fear and find liberation.
Cultivate an acceptance of death, as befriending this ultimate truth can lead to a state of fearlessness.
Experience relief by letting go of the isolated “person story” and recognizing your interconnectedness with “the allness of everything,” moving beyond individual struggle.
By letting go of the “little person story” and identifying with your true nature, you allow qualities like presence, clarity, compassion, and wisdom to manifest more fully through you.
Step out of human-made environments to look at the night sky and contemplate the vastness of the cosmos, using this perspective to reframe personal concerns and gain a sense of equanimity.
Adopt a broader, detached perspective, like viewing “earthbound madness through the lens of Venus,” to gain distance and clarity on overwhelming situations.
For grounding, hold your left thumb with your right hand, wrap your right hand around your left, place them on your dantian (below the navel), and connect your breath to this spot. Practice this daily for 5-20 minutes to build centeredness.
To improve the radical skill of pausing and responding instead of reacting, utilize guided meditations specifically tailored to this practice, available at danharris.com.