Reducing Stress & Staying Balanced – Attitude
Many of us have old attitudes and perceptions that we want to change for the better. We recognize these attitudes include being judgemental, getting edgy with others, being impatient, and often unforgiving and self-critical about others and ourselves.
If we replace these undesirable attitudes with more positive ones, it will minimize the accumulation of stress.
This week, I would like to introduce you to the “ATTITUDE BREATHINGTM” technique.
Once again, we can reach into our HEART to alert us to all those unpleasant old habits and patterns that don’t support our personal well-being. Use this technique when your heart intuition alerts you with uneasiness.
Practise this exercise:
- Recognize the feelings or attitude you want to change and identify a positive replacement attitude. Example: If you are over-reactive and easily frustrated with people, the replacement might be increased patience and kindness.
- Focus your attention in the area of your heart. Now, imagine your breath is flowing in and out of your heart or chest area, breathing a little slower and deeper than usual. Find a rhythm that you are comfortable with.
- As you continue this heart-focused breathing, practice increasing the feeling of your new replacement attitude. If you can’t find a replacement attitude, just breathe a feeling of calm, neutral, or the beauty of nature through your heart or chest area. This accumulates the feelings that lift our attitudes and perceptions.
- Practise maintaining your new feelings and perceptions as you move through your day-to-day interactions to strengthen them.
Use this “Attitude Breathing” as often as needed to integrate your new feelings so that they become your new attitude. In enhancing it further, use “Attitude Breathing” to inject positive feelings whenever you experience uplifting feelings such as kindness, gratitude, compassion, etc., as the practices will make them return more often.
With a little practice of “Attitude Breathing”, you will surprise yourself with increased inspiration and heart power to remove many unwanted feelings, emotions, and mindset, and ensure you enhance your energy, resilience, and your ability to feel good.