RECOVER: May 2012

Recover and Reflect

“In the quiet of the heart, no stress can reside…only joy, power and hope”  

Mark Allen, six-time Ironman Triathlon Champion

Unfocused mental chatter can be very distracting.  Have you ever let your thoughts wander on a topic that is causing you stress?  That unruly thought process often allows negative ideas to roam, fester and convince you of defeat. Sometimes, the stressor can be so strong, it begins to take on a life of its own.  The thoughts become rampant.  At that moment, a positive thought may be difficult to find.  Mastering the art of “quiet” is an option that allows you reset your thoughts and break the mental chatter cycle.

“Stop. Quiet.  Appreciate the positives around you.”

These 3 actions, in this order, are a powerful process in the mind –body connection.  First, you have to actively stop the negative thoughts.  It may be easiest to just stop thoughts all together.  This is referred to as “quiet”.  Quiet, as an action, is the conscious effort to close out any incoming image, thought or idea.  Give the first 2 steps a try.  Stop.  Quiet.  You may want to close your eyes, or plug your ears.  Give your mind a moment of true down time.

Moving from a negative thought to quiet will get you from negative to a neutral state. Swing the pendulum even farther by moving to a positive thought.  One sure-fire way?  Appreciate.  The feeling of gratitude has long since been associated with overall wellness.  Survey your surroundings.  Are there people, places or memories in your life that you are thankful for?  Bring those ideas to the front of your mind to stop the negative mental chatter.  Use the positive image to focus on a feeling of relaxation, a smile, or even a deeper sense of hope. 

As we move into this Memorial Day, we are surrounded by feelings of appreciation.  At Pro-Activity, we are passionate about freedom.  We reflect on the leaders and heroes who have helped us know freedom as we do today.  We offer a sincere thanks to all our troops, our veterans and their families who clearly put country before self, a sacrifice for anyone, and we offer our deepest gratitude to those that made the ultimate sacrifice for us.  It is in that quiet moment of gratitude that the stress of this moment, in this great country, is put into perspective.