Practical ways to reduce stress and find inner peace

February 6, 7:27 AMPhiladelphia Health ExaminerThomas Hartmann

Previous Next

13 comments Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Philadelphia Health Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

So your family doctor told you on your last visit that you were under too much stress. Maybe you didn’t need a doctor to tell you that -- you just feel that there is too little time and too much to do.

Some people thrive on stress, but everyone needs a break once in a while. If your life has turned into a rat-race somewhere along the line, here are some practical suggestions for achieving inner peace (this article continues a two-part series).

First, think about the sources of your stress and maybe re-organizing your priorities. Do you feel like your job is running you rather that you are working at your job? Are you spending your most valuable time doing the things that matter most to you, or are you getting lost in the details?

If you need greater balance in your life, many people find daily meditation or prayer helpful. These practices put your mind into a receptive rather than a thinking mode. Don’t worry too much about posture -- the important thing is to take time out and let your mind settle.

Some find that spending time in nature to be the best form of meditation. Many city dwellers don’t have that luxury. Others make a sacred space for themselves at home which facilitates contemplation, even if it is just a corner in a room. Others find the sanctuary of a church helpful.

For those more inclined to individual practices, an Indian guru named Prem Rawat teaches a months-long correspondence course on an inner peace that can be accessed whenever one can find privacy.

Alternatively, Quaker singer/songwriter Sally Campbell has written about a practice that works for her: “horizontal prayer,” which involves chronicling what she has been grateful for (and what she wants to forgive), and then taking time to lie down in contemplation some time during the day.

Campbell writes, “I have become convinced that beneath the confusion and bustle of the world there is an amazing, subtle but real and loving force that is constantly wanting to work with us if we will only let it.”

upcoming: some highlights from the Harvard Study of Adult Development, and a feature on Philadelphia’s Shriner’s Hospital for Children.