The Pathway to Inner Peace

Hello and Welcome!

I look forward to sharing tips, tools, and techniques quarterly to assist you in illuminating your Pathway to Inner Peace! Let me begin by asking you a few questions…

Are you being asked to do too much? Do you find yourself being pulled in multiple directions, putting out one fire after another at home and work? Do you feel caught up in the rat race or a jack of all trades master of none? Does this feeling leave you overwhelmed, exhausted, and depleted, with no energy left for anything else? It’s like you’re a zombie in The Walking Dead going through the motions of day-to-day life with no zest or fulfillment.

First off, you’re not alone! A survey conducted by The American Psychological Association showed that threequarters of adults say their stress levels have increased over the past year.

In addition, a Harris Poll conducted a stress level survey in March 2022. It concluded that 87% of adults feel emotionally overwhelmed and exhausted by the constant stream of crises without a break over the last two years. (American Psychological Association, 2022)

Furthermore, a similar report from Indeed found that employee burnout is rising: 52% of all workers feel burned out. Millennials and Gen Z report 59% and 58%, respectively. (Kelly, 2021)

I have been coaching/mentoring business professionals, corporate executives, and leaders for over 18 years; the continued barrage of emotional, mental, and physical challenges that the global pandemic brought to an already existing society struggling with balance and sanity was catastrophic.

Since the pandemic, I have seen a rise in successful professionals sharing that they are experiencing more anxious and worrisome thoughts now more than ever. These thoughts are consuming more bandwidth and making it difficult to be productive at work and balance all the hats they must wear, personally and professionally. Thus, leading to a feeling of overwhelm and the perception of “not enough time in the day.”

Can you relate?

Here are a couple of tools that are simple and easy to use to help reduce stress levels that lead to feelings of anxiousness and overwhelm:

Begin by learning to live in the present moment. Dr. Jon Kabat Zinn said on the first day of our Mindful Based Stress Reduction certification training, that cultivating moment-to-moment nonjudgmental awareness is the best gift we can give ourselves. This moment lays the foundation for all other emotions, thoughts, and perceptions. By developing a practice of living in the here and now, you can better recognize when you are getting stressed and take action to reduce your stress.

One of my favorite exercises to become mindful of the present moment is the 54321 exercise (Norman, 2017) (Goldstein, 2013). This technique has become widely used because it helps build focus and awareness. You begin by quietly telling yourself five things you can see, four things you can touch, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste.

This exercise helps you focus on precisely what is happening in the present, keeping your mind engaged and paying attention to what you are currently experiencing. According to neuroscientists, we spend 50% of our waking hours mind wandering. Recognize this is how you are innately wired, so be patient and gentle with yourself. Being aware that your mind has wandered is a moment of being mindful and considered a small victory in releasing feelings of being overwhelmed.

Like anything that is practiced, you get better at it!

Observing through your senses is a great way to fully immerse yourself in the present moment. Fostering present-moment awareness is the fundamental tool in reducing stress and overwhelming feelings. Another fabulous tool to use when experiencing a feeling of “not enough time in the day” or being pulled in multiple directions is the STOP technique (Goldstein, 2013).

This acronym is a quick check-in:

S- Stop what is occurring and pause.

T- Take a breath. Bring your attention to the flow of your breath. Feel the inhale and exhale. Many variations of breathing techniques can be applied here, but I encourage just taking a minute to breathe your natural rhythm and be aware of breathing in and out of your nose. I like to quietly say, “I am aware I’m breathing in, “then breathe in. “I’m aware I’m breathing out and breath out.

O- Observe with curiosity and non-judgment, like viewing a movie or as a spectator at a sporting event. Observe your thoughts, your feelings, and your body sensations.

P-Purposefully proceed with awareness. Ask yourself questions like, how do I want to respond to this present moment? What’s most important right now and needs my attention?

You are just taking a moment to be with what is occurring. You’re not trying to analyze or fix anything.

When you take this moment to STOP, you assist yourself in letting go of the entanglement or attachment. When you take that mindful pause, you can better prioritize what needs your attention. You release the strong inner critical voice of what should be done, and you can focus on what needs to get done.

You are training your mind all the time. Why not teach it to be aware and tune in to your thoughts, emotions, and bodily sensations? Research has repeatedly shown that you can build new circuitry and neural pathways to support healthier choices to respond to life experiences instead of reacting. The bottom line is that you can change how you think and see a situation or experience!

In conclusion, the key is living in awareness. I always say to my client’s awareness is power!! Notice when you feel scattered or overwhelmed. In those moments, pause and try one or both techniques above. You will find even more benefit if you can also incorporate a stretch, a short walk, or a break to have a cup of tea or coffee!

When we give our bodies a moment to relax and reset, we change our nervous system from sympathetic (fight or flight), which invokes stress, to parasympathetic, which gives way to the relaxation response. It doesn’t have to be more than a few minutes, but the benefits are exponential.

We cannot control our outer world, but we can claim our pathway to inner peace!

If you would like assistance personally or would like to bring my services to your company organization please contact me at Nancy@AwakenWithLight.com

Visit my website for more information: www.awakenwithlight.com

References

American Pyschological Association. (2022). Stress In America. Washington DC: American Pyschological Association. Goldstein, E. (2013, May 29). Mindful. Stressing Out? S.T.O.P. Kelly, J. (2021, April 5). Forbes. Indeed Study Shows That Worker Burnout Is At Frighteningly High Levels: Here Is What You Need To Do Now. Norman, R. (2017). Mindfulness for Beginners. Middletown DE.

For 35 years, Nancy has helped Business Owners and Corporations peak perform and create exponential success. Whether setting up safety programs in the transportation industry or creating multi-million-dollar independent insurance agencies, one of which was her own, Nancy has been assisting business professionals and organizations in creating eight-figure success. Most recently, for the last 18 plus years, Nancy found her true passion and purpose in coaching company leaders and employees to manage high levels of stress and navigate the unprecedented challenges facing today’s organizations.

She uniquely blends her entrepreneurial business knowledge with her training in mindset skills such as Mindful Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and University of Chicago and Naropa University’s Mindful Leadership Training Certifications. Nancy teaches business professionals to be creative, innovative, and resilient during challenges to create a life of design, not one of default. Furthermore, she assists organizations in increasing morale, profitability and reducing workman’s comp claims and absenteeism by implementing programs that support employee engagement by improving mental and emotional mindset.