Stepping back from the edge

- Hi there, Daryl from Chill. An important part of managing our stress is stepping back from the edge of the experience. Stress happens quickly. Many think that stress management is about stopping stress from coming into our experience. The real management of stress is the replay that we do in our mind. Whether it's a text message, a phone call getting cut off in traffic, those moments of stress happen quickly. Oftentimes after it's happened, we continue to replay over and over and over again. That replaying in the mind is where chronic stress lives. The mind and the body doesn't know the difference between the actual stressor event and the replaying of it. So it responds as if stress is constantly there. To step back from the edge of that rumination, that replaying in your mind is a way to afford some space, some distance, and give yourself an opportunity to have some resiliency around the stress that is constantly present. So let's step back from the edge right now. Take a deep breath in through your nose. Open mouth exhale. (exhales) Another deep breath in. Slowly letting the air escape. One more full breath all the way down to the stomach. And with this exhale, welcoming the eyes to gently fall shut. Allow your breathing to return to whatever feels easy and normal for you today. Letting awareness come to the body, noticing if there's any lifting or squeezing, and welcoming muscles to lengthen, release, soften. The mind may be currently ruminating and thinking about a stressful thing in your life and that's okay. This practice is about concentration and focus on something here and now to step away from the edge of our stress. The first exercise today involves rubbing together the thumb and the index finger of one of your hands. Begin by making an okay symbol, touching the thumb and finger together and slowly begin rubbing your fingers in a circle. There's nothing to intellectually understand here rather let yourself feel the sensation of the fingers slowly and easily rubbing over one another. Feeling the slight friction. Noticing smoothness or roughness. Breathing in and out. And each time the mind wants to wander away to the past or to the future, come back to the sensation of the fingers rubbing right now. An easy slow breath in continuing to rub the fingers together. (inhaling) And as you exhale, relaxing the hand and the fingers back into your lap. Another practice of focusing your mind and awareness and attention on the present moment is simply to count the natural movement of your breath. Begin by blowing out or releasing as much air as you can. And breathing in one, breathing out one. Breathing in two, breathing out two. In three, out three. In four, out four. In five, out five. Continue all the way up to 10, the last five at your own pace. Turning your focus to the in-breath and the out breath for a few more counts. And with your next exhale, wherever you may be in your counting, letting go of the count. And for the last few moments, open your awareness from focusing on a sensation of the body or accounting of the breath to being open. Witnessing, noticing sounds, smells, feelings, sensations, and just watch, observe, and listen. A nice easy yet full breath in. (inhaling) And with this exhale letting the eyes soften, beginning to blink open and lift your attention back up into your day. Thank you for practicing stepping back from the edge of the stress present for you today. A key practice in managing stress in your life.