zen habits

I recently talked with a couple of people who are just absolutely slammed with business because of the current crisis, and feel like they are drowning in busyness and stress.

I can relate to that feeling. I’ve experienced it a bunch of times, including recently.

So I’m sharing this guide to help you, if you’re drowning in your tasks, busyness, overwhelm and stress.

It’s something you can completely shift, if you decide you’re tired of it.

Let’s look at what’s possible, and then how to shift it.

It’s time for us to accept that this pandemic and social isolation are here for awhile.

But also that our reality has changed, possibly for good.

We’re in a new normal.

So the question is: will we resist it, or can we use it as an opportunity?

We can complain about the new normal. We can hate it. We can stew in frustration about it. That’s one possibility.

Another is to use it as a growth opportunity.

At the end of a recent Zen meditation retreat, my teacher Susan told a group of her students: “We’re all monastics now.”

In this global pandemic, we’re in an era of isolation, retreat. We’re also in an era of heightened uncertainty.

This can be a terrible thing, and drive us to loneliness and distraction. Or it can be a time of practice, reflection, and deepening.

We can choose to see ourselves as monks deepening into the stillness of a monastery.

It’s our choice.

So often, we reject the experience in front of us.

It’s usually out of habit, from not wanting this particular experience, not liking the discomfort or uncertainty, or really not liking the fact that we aren’t going to get what we want.

This rejection of our experience is why we so often get frustrated with other people, down on ourselves, or avoid the hard things.

It’s why we have such a hard time with good habits: meditation, exercise, healthy food, writing, reading, flossing. They’re not easy, so we say no to them, even when we know we should say yes.

It’s why we turn to alcohol, smoking, drugs, junk food, TV, social media, other distractions. We numb out. We say no to life.

What if, instead, we were a hell yes to life?

All day long, we’re only giving anything a fraction of our attention.

We’re distracted, multitasking, opening multiple browser tabs, checking phone messages and social media.

I’m a part of this like anyone else. I’m not immune, and I don’t judge.

These are times of heightened change, disruption, uncertainty, fear, anxiety. It can feel pretty crazy for most of us.

So how do we cope? What can we do in the middle of chaos and crisis?

This is when meditation becomes of critical importance.

Without meditation, we have no way of dealing with the anxieties coming up.

In the middle of the chaos of the world right now, what can we do to take care of ourselves?

Let’s talk about a handful of simple mindfulness practices that can be helpful.

The world is in a state of fear and uncertainty right now, and it’s stressful and overwhelming for most of us.

This kind of fear, stress, uncertain and overwhelm can have some really strong effects on our lives:

- Constant fear and stress can cause anxiety problems, worsen sleep and health, and lead to depression.

- In a place of fear, we can often make bad decisions.

- People can panic, overreact because of fear, and cause widespread confusion and disruptions.

- Our relationships can deteriorate when we’re operating from a place of fear.

- We become less productive, less focused, when we’re stressed.

- It has an obvious impact on our happiness.

These are just some of the strong effects from a constant sense of fear, uncertainty, stress and overwhelm.

So how do we cope with this?

Obviously, there’s no easy answer. Let’s talk about what I’ve found to work, and what I recommend right now.

Before I started Zen Habits, I was in a place in my life where I had a beautiful family, but I was stuck and dissatisfied with myself.

I knew I wanted to change things — my health, finances, job, way that I was approaching life — but I didn’t really know what I wanted to do about any of it. Most of the time, I just ignored all of this, and distracted myself.

I didn’t have any clarity on what I wanted or what I needed to do. This lack of clarity is felt in all of us very deeply, so that it shows up in how we talk, how we hold ourselves, how other people feel us. It affects our relationships, our jobs, our health.

Then I got very clear that I needed to change. And clear that I wanted to quit smoking, start running, become vegetarian, start waking earlier, and start writing more. I went on to do all those and more.

I was talking with a client about how he felt constantly behind on his email, Slack and other messages and small tasks.