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The principles of Zen are more than a thousand years old, and in our troubled world they are only becoming more relevant. A few fascinating exercises from the book How to Keep Zen Calm in a Troubled World by French psychologist and psychotherapist Eric Pigani will help you overcome stress, irritation and confusion, feel peace in your soul and gain clarity of thought.
1. Do the Rice Jar exercise
Have you ever counted grains of rice? This is one of the most famous Zen exercises for patience and calming the mind. It is recommended to repeat once a week.
Take two identical glasses. Fill one to the brim with rice and transfer the grains to another glass, counting them. When finished, write down the result. (Don’t grumble: in China, you would be asked to number each grain of rice by putting a number … on the grain itself!) Then put the grains back into the empty glass, counting them. Check the result: it should be the same.
2. Make a list of questions
Write down the questions you don’t know the answer to. They can touch on any topic: your childhood, family secrets, the afterlife, aliens, the steam engine, the meaning of life, the secret of production … The number is not limited.
Turn off your phone, mobile phone, TV, radio and Wi-Fi. Sit comfortably with a piece of paper in hand and begin. As you write down the questions, an amazing thing will happen: a real “cleansing” of the brain will begin.
By asking him to work on questions that remain unanswered, you force the brain to check millions of data, images, memories, events. This is a form of introspection that opens up a new inner breath and allows you to understand yourself.
What to do next with this list? Just add this question to your list…
3. Write down everything that comes to mind
Take a piece of paper and let the words go… To everyone without exception. And don’t try to put your thoughts in order. This is another great way to unload the brain and calm down.
4. Sing
Take a CD with your favorite song, put it on and sing along. It doesn’t matter if you have an ear for music or not: focus on the words of the song. Sing it again. You will immediately feel freer and lighter.
5. Walk
Find 20 minutes to walk around the block at a steady pace, neither too fast nor too slow. Focus on your breath. Breathe slowly and as deeply as possible, relaxing your diaphragm.
While walking, carefully consider the details around, as if seeing everything for the first time. Just do not turn your head, change only the direction of your gaze.
6. Pretend to be calm
The level of stress you’re under doesn’t matter – pretend you’re calm. Feel like an actor who plays the role of a calm person on stage: slow down your movements, just a little; breathe a little slower; smile at everyone, just a little bit. After a few minutes, you will really calm down.
This technique works well for two reasons.
The first is psychological: by feigning calm behavior, you make the subconscious mind believe that you are calm. And our subconscious loves to imagine and play roles so much. Therefore, it will affect our external state.
The second reason is physiological in nature: in 1994, a scientific study was conducted in the United States with the participation of actors. They were asked to play various emotions: joy, anger, fear, calmness, depression. Each time, physiological parameters (pulse, respiratory rate) were measured and a blood test was taken. The results were identical to those obtained with real emotions!
7. Be… Zen!
“Full awareness here and now” is not only an exclusively Zen state, but also the best cure for stress.
As soon as you feel the stress building up, mentally name everything you do.
As you walk, say to yourself, “I’m walking.”
As you prepare breakfast, say to yourself:
“I am making breakfast”.
When you put the plate back, say to yourself:
“I put the plate back.”
As you get into your car, say to yourself:
“I’m getting into my car”… and so on.
Too easy? Try it and see…