People are often burdened by work, family and social responsibilities. There mind is plagued by fear, anger, doubt and uncertainty. All of which are not good for their mental health, which in turn is not good for their physical health. So what is the answer? Personally, I believe the answer lies in silence.
When we try to drown out our thoughts, feelings and emotions by throwing ourselves into work, denying what we are going through or generally keeping ourselves so busy we don’t have to face up to what we are experiencing, we end up just adding to our stress and tension.
So what I suggest is you take ten minutes out of each day to sit in silence. You don’t need to be in a sacred place, sit in an uncomfortable position or even buy anything special. All you have to do is find a ten minute slot in your day where you are not going to be disturbed. Sit comfortably, lightly close your eyes and simply watch your breathe going in and coming out. No need for long or short breaths, just breath naturally. That is basically it. By being aware of your breath, you are planting yourself in the present moment, which means you are not being dragged back to the past or propelled into the future, you are simply sitting in the silence of the present moment.
When a thought, feeling or emotion arises, as it will, do not engage with it, just let it go. If you do unwittingly engage the thought, simply bring your awareness back to the breath and return yourself to silence. No matter what is happening in your life or the outside world, don’t let it bother you for ten minutes. Take this time to connect with your inner self.
Just by sitting silently every day and watching your breath, you will become more relaxed, focused and able to face whatever life is about to throw at you.