đŹ How handle the stress in your life
(Monday, January 13th). Today's power moves: Look on the bright side, try active (walking) meditation and bite your tongue. Let's go.
Too long, didnât read
Do you find yourself overwhelmed by stress in your life? Realize this:Â if you only look at the darkness, youâll never see the stars.
The next time you feel down, obsessing over whatever it is that's on your mind⊠try this habit. Wherever you are, pick a spot and picture yourself leaving that stress in that spot. And then walk away from it. And as you do, be aware of how far away youâre getting from it. Allow that distance to calm you, warm you and open your eyes to the positives of life that are all around you.
- Case âMa! The Meatloaf!â Kenny
Itâs a power move
"Having high standards won't scare off the people and things that are right for you. It's time to get serious about what you want and how you want to be treated."(
@case.kenny
)
đ§ LISTEN: Be a total goofball.
From the New Mindset, Who Dis podcastâŠ. The goofier you are in your life, the more you'll grow. You'll become more confident, centered, passionate and driven. I seriously believe this and I've proven it in my life. Check out episode 168 to hear why :)
Listen here: Apple Podcasts | Spotify
Canât sit still?
... you can still meditate.
Meditation is an amazing and powerful practice BUT what if you struggle to sit still and you're easily distracted or fidgety? It's not the end of the world. You can still find ways to practice active meditation.
As the resident dudebroguy of this email, this is something I struggle with quite often. Let's just say I'm easily distracted :)
But the good news is, there are more active forms of meditations than just sitting cross-legged in silence.
Here's my favorite: mindful walking. You can get those steps in while you meditate for extra zen. Even if you are in a busy city, bringing your attention back to your breath allows you to feel more connected to the world around you.
Other good ones include - coloring/tracing, gardening, and crafting.
Bite your tongue, my friend.
Warren Buffett calls this the best life advice he's ever heard.
The advice is as follows: "you can always tell someone to go to hell tomorrow."
His advice is that in a heated situation, the smartest thing you can do is hold your tongue. If you lose your temper, youâre more likely to do something you might regret later on.
Buffett says that you should practice emotional intelligence and I agree :)
Just forget about that thing for a day. If you feel the same way tomorrow, say something then â but donât spout off in a moment of anger!
I love this advice because it emphasizes acknowledging, examining and understanding your emotions. Don't avoid them but be thoughtful about them! Create  time and space for clarity and make better decisions.
Todayâs soul food.
How to handle the stress in your life.
This is a helpful practice for leaving behind the stress and overthinking in you life.
Here's what I do.
Anytime my mind is consumed by something - stress, insecurities, anxiety, etc -I hold that thing in my mind and wherever I am physically (i.e. in a room) I look around and I pick a spot. I pick a physical spot in the corner or next to the couch and Iâll say⊠"this is bullsh*t. Iâm leaving it here. Right in this spot."
I literally picture - using every ounce of creativity I have - leaving that stress in that room and in that exact spot. And then I leave.
I leave that room and as I walk out, I picture myself getting further and further from that spot, from that bullsh*t⊠knowing that I've placed it right there and itâs staying there.
And I hold that thought in my mind for a minute or two as I walk further and further from that place. And I picture my stress just sitting there I where I left it.
And I keep walking or driving away... aware of how far away from me that stress now is.
This practice does something amazing.
It helps you distance yourself from the weight of that stress and in doing so opens your eyes to the more freeing, warm and positive things that are currently all around you.
Seriously!
It really does something magical that goes beyond distracting you temporarily from the stress in your life.
This practice (re)opens your eyes to the beauty of life.
It moves you to notice:
- the sun hitting your face
- the beauty of the city youâre in
- the interesting people walking around you
- that cute dog going on a walk.
It reminds you that there is good in your life - something I think we so easily forget because we tend to allow the stress in our lives to remain in our minds and hold onto us for so long.
Doing this practice - even if it's only for a couple of minutes or for an hour or so - Â reminds you that bad, stressful things are part of life, and if you continue to focus on them... youâre going to see bad everywhere you go. You're going to see it in yourself, in others and in the world around you.
BUT, you can push yourself to open your eyes for a bit and look for the positives in your world.
I think this practice of leaving your life's bullsh*t behind - literally picturing yourself leaving it behind and walking away from it -Â provides you with an opportunity.
It provides you with an opportunity to open your eyes and let the world shine its light on you.
This practice reminds you of something Iâve heard said before: if you only look at the darkness, youâll never see the stars.
If you only look at the darkness, youâll never see the stars.
I dunno about you, but I want to see the stars.
I think we all do but so often we forget because we allow ourselves to be overwhelmed by our problems.
We carry them with us everywhere we go, we obsess over them, we overthink and overthink and overthink.
But this simple practice allows you to distance yourself from those problems in a healthy way... even if only for a short period of time. But during that time you can open your eyes again and thatâs all that matters.
Because the more you open your eyes, the more youâre reminded of the magic of life and if you do that enough it will become impossible to forget.
So, the next time you feel down, obsessing over whatever it is that's on your mind⊠try this practice.
In the space you are, in the room youâre in.... pick a spot. Literally. Look at it and then picture yourself leaving your bullsh*t in that spot.
And then walk away from it and as you do, be aware of how far away youâre getting from it. Let that distance be vivid in your mind.
Allow that distance to calm you, warm you and open your eyes to the positives of life.
Let's go.
Things that make me smile
1. This 17 year-old discovered a planet 6.9 times larger than Earth on the third day of his internship with NASA. This just goes to show that there are still new things to be discovered in the world and it's never too early or too late to get looking. (via CNBC)
2. Serena Williams won a New Zealand tennis tournament and is donating ALL the prize money to fighting the Australian Bush Fires. Following in the footsteps of other celebrities like Chris Hemsworth. Legendary behavior. Kudos to her. (via TVNZ)
3.Dads now spend 3 times as much time with their kids than previous generations. AND... back in 1982, 43% of fathers admitted they'd never changed a diaper. Today, that number is down to about 3%. That's a step in the right direction. Rock on Dads. (via mother.ly)
My name is Case.
I believe in the power of perspective. Holler at me on Instagram @case.kenny and check out my twice-weekly podcast New Mindset, Who Dis? âââââ
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**SIDE EFFECTS from reading the PRSUIT mindfulness email may include making power moves, being a carefree goofball, checking off your bucket list and living an unbothered life.
Want more?
Podcast >> New Mindset, Who Dis
Music x Meditations >> The Meditation Mixtapes
Instagram >> @case.kenny@prsuit
Twitter >> @thecasekenny
I live, write and podcast in Chicago, IL :)