• Do you wake up in the morning feeling tired and worried?
• Do you find it hard to focus with the endless mental chatter?
• Are you feeling emotionally drained and like you are constantly just getting through life rather than living life to the fullest with abundant energy and happiness?
Then you are not alone. When I first saw the statistics about stress my jaw nearly dropped to the floor! I couldn’t believe how many people around the world are affected by this increasing problem.
Some years ago I was exactly where you are. Stressed out and suffering from a very painful stress related illness called ulcerative colitis. Quite early on I set about trying to discover the secret of becoming happy, calm & stress free.
I didn’t want to waste another second on being stressed out. Why would I when all it had brought me was unhappiness, illness and pain.
What I found was life changing.
For my whole life I had been focusing on the external ‘stuff’. My happiness was attached to the things on the outside such as relationships; material things such as money, cars, where I was living, the job I was doing, that kind of thing. But these are generally transient, they don’t last forever or they go through changes.
Either way if we base our happiness on what goes on in our outside world then we give up our power for lasting happiness to something or someone else. This is not a recipe for success
If however we cultivate our happiness and contentment from the ‘inside’ or our ‘inner world’ then we can be sure that this is a super strong foundation for true lasting happiness.
These 7 tips have proven to be priceless.
Make sure you scroll down to the end of the post to download your free ebook on “How to say goodbye to stress and hello to the new happy, calm & focused You!” that will go into more depth on this subject)
Here are the top 7 tips for becoming Stress Free & Living a Happy, Calm & Focused Life.
#1. Listen to your self-talk
The key to any good relationship is the ability to listen. To transform our own lives we need to develop a better relationship with ourselves. We need to better understand what’s going on in our inner world of emotions, feelings and beliefs in order to manifest change.
We do this by listening to our self talk. This can lead to extremely powerful transformation. By acknowledging our inner talk we can discover where we are blocked, where we have limiting beliefs and start to change them into much more positive and empowering thoughts which support you in your life.
#2. Awareness of the emotions.
Much of the emotional blocks or pain that we experience in the present moment actually reflects a part of us that is still unresolved or unhealed from the past. Very often when we experience an emotional pain it is rooted in the past and until it is acknowledged and processed will keep on returning.
Often when we look deeply at these emotions we find that they are tied up with certain behavioral patterns which may not be the most supportive for our lives. By bringing these feelings out of the shadows and into the light of your awareness we can start to heal them and transform the negative behaviour patterns around them allowing us to follow our true path unburdened by the past.
#3. Breathing
We all tend to take breathing for granted. We assume that it is taken care of. It happens automatically. However many traditions around the world encourage a deeper look into this process and with good reason.
Learning how to breathe more effectively will not only provide you with more energy and vitality every day but it will also have far reaching effects on your immune system as well as your respiratory, digestive, & cardiovascular systems to name a few!
But more than this, by understanding how we are breathing we can transform how we are feeling in an instant. You will be able to feel how when you’re anxious or worried it has affected your breathing and from that you’ll be able to release the stuck physical and emotional tension through your breath.
It will be like a weight has been lifted from your shoulders.
#4. Coming back to the Present Moment.
One of the biggest problems I had for many years was focus. I just couldn’t keep my mind focused for very long before it wandered off, distracted by the never ending mental chatter going on in my head that I’d experienced all the time.
More often than not I would be worrying about something that had happened in the past or projecting that worry onto something that hadn’t happened in the future. Maybe that’s ringing a bell with you?
The trouble with this is that neither the past nor the future actually exists! The only moment that exists is right NOW! It is only by bringing the mind back into the present moment that we have any power over healing either our mind or body, becoming stress free and transforming our lives.
#5. Body Awareness
Do you often suffer from muscle tension, aches and pains, discomfort or tiredness?
In tip #1 I mentioned that the secret of a good relationship is the ability to listen and in this case we want to develop our ability to listen to the body. The body is constantly giving us feedback, sending us important information.
Instead of ignoring these signs we can train ourselves to listen and respond to them before they affect the body.
We can learn to pick up the warning signals that the body is under pressure and stress in order to release and let go. This will lead you to a much deeper understanding of yourself and will give you a wonderful sense of inner peace and calm.
#6. Visualisation
Did you know that we use visualisation all the time? Whilst we are daydreaming we are using visualisation. Unfortunately a lot of people are guided by an inner vision that is largely based on negative past experiences and self limiting beliefs. And because visualisation is so powerful the negative results will show up in their lives time and time again.
BUT IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE THAT WAY.
By working on all the previous steps you will have developed a positive belief system which will be the basis of your visualization practice. Visualization has the power to transform many areas of your life and enables you to reach your fullest potential.
Wouldn’t you like to leap out of bed every morning brimming with energy, knowing that you are moving towards and ready to achieve your inner goals?
#7. Tai Chi and Qi Gong
Tai Chi and Qi Gong have been the bedrock of my own healing and transformation which I still practise every day. They are two of the most powerfully life changing exercise systems in the world. They have the potential to heal your life on every level – mentally, physically, emotionally, energetically and spiritually.
They have been passed down through the generations and I have had the good fortune to study with some of the leading masters & teachers of these arts around the world. Through practising Tai Chi I managed to heal my body from an extremely painful chronic stress condition called ulcerative colitis.
This to me was a true miracle and is why I would like to share what I have learned with as many people as possible so that they also get the same benefits as I have had.
Quick look back
- Start to listen to your self talk.
- Become aware and open to how you feel.
- Use your breath to relax
- Bring the mind back to the present moment.
- Learn how to listen and respond to how your body feels.
- Use visualisation to reach your inner goals.
- Include tai chi in your morning routine and feel energised, relaxed and set up for the day.
Using these 7 tips will help you start the journey of healing your mind and body and truly live a life free of stress.
What are you doing to get stress free ? Share with me in the comments!
Click on the image above to get your free eBook “How to say goodbye to stress and hello to the new happy, calm & focused You!
Marilyn says
I love your DVD. I’ve bought many Tai chi DVDs in the past but ignored them all because I couldn’t follow them. Your DVD is so well put together with all the camera angles and no other distractions, I have found it very easy to follow. I’m am always recommending it.
Thank you.
Rob Bowley says
That is great to hear and thank you so much for the positive feedback. Let me know how you get on with your tai chi journey!
Peak Medical Resources says
Hi there! Where can I read more about breathing techniques?
Rob Bowley says
Hi there. There is a simple breathing technique I share in todays blog which might be helpful? Tai Chi & Qigong have quite sophisticated breathing methods that eventuallyinvolve the whole body. I will be writing and videoing about this in the coming weeks. Are you interested in knowing more about breathing techniques in general or for something specific?
Rob