It seems to always be something and we’re often trying to find a quick fix to decrease stress and overcome anxiety.  You certainly do indeed have total control over the situation by continually strengthening your self-improvement skills.

The fact is that you can create your own personal growth plan for managing stress.

To decrease stress and overcome anxiety means to begin taking control of your emotions to thoughts, and on to how you handle problems. To decrease stress there are a few things you can do to calm the tension and anxiety and take charge of your lifestyle.

Personal Growth Plan

Wherever you are right now, stop everything (this is very important).

• Take just a moment and sit back in your seat and begin to decrease stress and overcome anxiety.
• Now, put your hands on your abdomen with your fingertips hardly touching.
• On your next inhale separate your fingertips by breathing deeply and gradually into your belly, permitting your breath to push them apart.
• Then breathe out slowly so that your fingertips come back together. Attempt it again when you’ve ended up.

There. That’s it!

THIS IS crucial to opening the portal to your own growth and self-improvement, to handling and really lowering the tension and overcome anxiety in your life, and to setting in motion a resounding, but small ripple in the healing of the world.

The answer lies not in the biological functioning of the breath, however in its ability to focus attention, to decrease stress by settling the mind, body and spirit into a feeling of complete wholeness or oneness, and freeing your inner self of regrets and guilt of the past and worrying and fearing the future.

And when this occurs time and space is created for deepening self-knowledge and inner awareness, which in turn leads to more purposeful, engaged and influenced living.

(Here’s a related article about negative thinking patterns being overcome by the power of presence. What is presence?) 

Self-Development Skills

In today’s lightning fast world, it’s typical to feel scattered—for the mind to be believing about one thing while the heart reaches towards another, and the body hangs out in the space-time continuum.

And the most basic, easiest and best place to begin to decrease stress is the breath.

The capability to focus on your own inner experience and to end up being totally present will begin to stream into every aspect of your life, into your words and actions and ideas, into healing relationships and career or work and personal undertakings like perhaps weight-loss through yoga.

You will wake and understand that you are, perhaps for the first time, in fact experiencing the moments of your existence.

However, you may ask, how does that transfer to bringing about a better world?

Peace, and all the paths that result in it and from it, start with the person.

Successful, peaceful people create serene houses, develop serene communities, create tranquil countries, and certainly create a tranquil world.

Mind, Body, Spirit

To genuinely decrease stress and anxiety and to bring about personal transformation and development in your world, and to make the utmost effect possible on the healing of the world, begin with yourself.

Discover the art of mindfulness meditation.

Devote simply a few quiet minutes a day to practicing existence. Take time every day to see yourself as completely whole. Learn more about yourself. Produce your very own personal practice for inner peace through mindfulness meditation.

It can consist of anything that stills and quiets the mind, silences the heart, relaxing the spirit, influencing the soul, breathing, meditation, strolling, prayer, dance, art, journaling and writing perhaps a blog.  

By the way, have you ever thought about creating your own blog, if not, it’s something you should highly consider, and for free. So much of the world thinks just like you do, and would love to hear what you have to say.

I mention that, because the purpose is to take some time to be in this world of doing, to bring peace to yourself so that when you venture into the world you carry it with you like a huge mindful ray of light you extend to others.

The Course of Miracles states, “Within the darkness see the savior from the dark, and understand your brother as his Father’s Mind shows him to you.”

Healing the World

So take another moment, another breath.

• This time, breathe like you suggest it. It is the key to your own development, and simply might be the key to the healing of the world.

And when this happens time and space is developed for deepening self-knowledge and awareness, which in turn leads to more purposeful, motivated and engaged living.

Produce your own unique, individual practice. There is no right or wrong way to design a mindfulness meditation technique.

You owe it not only to yourself, but to the world you have scripted in your mind and made it a reality.

Course of Miracles further states, “And in this seeing is the vision shared that looks on Christ instead of seeing death.”

It is essential to your own self-improvement skills and personal growth plan, and just might be the secret to the healing of the world.

(Please note, if you are feeling even a bit of an urge for more information it’s a sign of healing. In that case I suggest this related article on staying focused on your goals by listening to your inner voice.)

And remember, when we individually heal and transform, so will the world follow.

To personal transformation,

James Nussbaumer

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