Expert Insight

It will definitely take some practice in order to quiet your mind in this way, but with time, you will find it is a great way to relax and refocus...

Feeling Overwhelmed? Here are Four Ways to Get Back to Center...

It may seem rather commonplace right now to feel overwhelmed and out of sorts. Here are four ways for you to get back to your center.

One of the very best ways to get back to center is through meditation. It’s not as hard as you may think, as there are a number of methods you can use to achieve a newly-centered state. You do not even have to devote a lot of time to the practice to benefit from its centering properties.

What is known as Breathing Meditation can be used alone to center yourself or as a stepping-stone to more involved meditation practices. The first step is to remove all distractions: that means the radio, the phone, the TV, the computer and so on, so plan ahead and do this when you can ensure you will not be interrupted. The second step is to make sure you are comfortable. You can sit on the floor cross-legged as is traditionally recommended. However, if this is not a comfortable position for you, try something else. Now sit and breathe comfortably and quietly and focus on your breathing. Do not let your mind wander, as you will be tempted to do. Instead, bring yourself back to focusing on breathing. Notice how the air goes in and out of your body. It will definitely take some practice in order to quiet your mind in this way, but with time, you will find it is a great way to relax and refocus.

You can also find your center on a walk. This means a walk without the iPod or cell phone. They are simply outside things that will distract you from your true purpose of leaving the overwhelming feelings behind and centering yourself. The best part about a walk is even if you live in the city, you should be able to find somewhere that is quiet and away from distractions.

Find a park, or go to the zoo during their slow period. Take the day off and drive somewhere where you know you can get close to nature. Depending on what season it is, concentrate on the beauty of the colors of the leaves or flowers. Bring binoculars and watch for birds. Sit by a lake and watch the ducks or geese fly in and out. Concentrate on the beauty of nature.

Music is another way to stop and find your center. As with the other methods, you need to focus on the music to the exclusion of all else. Headphones are an excellent way to do this, but remember you do not want visual distraction either. This too will require practice, but as you learn to focus on the sounds, rhythms and melody, you should find that all the other “noise” in your mind is canceled out.

Yoga has been practiced by many to find their center. One of the benefits of yoga is that it focuses not just on peace of mind, but also peace of body. The specific form of hatha yoga is often recommended for stress management. Another benefit to yoga is that even pure beginners can feel its positive effects. The ultimate goal is to use awareness of breathing and poses to focus the mind on one thing and not the variety of worries that tend to overwhelm us.

You’ll notice that most of the methods of centering come back to one goal, and that is zeroing out all other distractions to key in on yourself. This clearly will take practice and will not just happen in a day. However, as with other good things in life, if it does not come easy it is that much more valuable.

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