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Create a Serenity Trigger
Learn to pause…or nothing worthwhile will catch up to you.
-Doug King
In our fast-paced, multitasking, day-to-day lives, we often find ourselves adrift in chaos. Within this chaos, finding our inner calm is just as important —actually more so — than completing our next task. It allows us to recharge and breathe just a bit easier. It’s incredible what just five minutes of serenity can do for your energy level and mental state.
Now, think about how you currently deal with chaotic moments in your life. If you would like to change your current response to those chaotic moments, create a serenity trigger that will help you find a peaceful place whenever the need arises. This trigger serves as a reminder for you to take a few minutes away from what you’re doing to find serenity amidst chaos. It could be as simple as an image or a positive word/phrase.
This trigger serves as a personal anchor to help you find serenity and return to it over and over again. It allows you to take time to refresh and refocus. These simple moments of calm will make a difference in both your attitude and energy level.
Take Home Message:
Find serenity amidst chaos by utilizing a serenity trigger. Indulge yourself in the beauty that unfolds within these moments of calm.
An Example:
My primary serenity trigger is an image of a beautiful flower blooming within a simple mason jar. Simple, yet a powerful reminder for me that much like that flower, in order to bloom, I need specific nutrients. One such nutrient: serenity.
What is one of your serenity triggers?
Related "ripples" you might enjoy:
- 11 Ways to Find Serenity Amidst Chaos
- How to Create a Personal Relaxation Menu: Part 2
- How to Create a Personal Relaxation Menu: Part 3
- How to Create a Personal Relaxation Menu: Part 1
- How to Create a Positivity Treasury
This entry was posted on Monday, March 8th, 2010 at 1:39 pm and is filed under Creativity & Inspiration, Tips + Techniques. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
12 Responses to “Create a Serenity Trigger”
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My serenity trigger is listening to music, I just get lost in the lyrics and the rhythm and forget all the chaos going on around me.
Twitter: carolynr
says:
I just got lost in music – such a wonderful serenity trigger. I’m listening to the playlist on my blog! Do you have any favorites?
I love this. I’m off to think about what I need to bloom like a flower . . .
thank you.
Amelia.x
Amelia´s last blog ..ok, don’t laugh: my interview with the Get Inspired Project
Twitter: carolynr
says:
So happy you like this post! Love that you are exploring the nutrients you need to bloom. It’s a powerful metaphor!
Can’t resist posing this question for other readers!
What do you need to bloom?
Twitter: carolynr
says:
PS I absolutely adore your blog! I can’t wait to read through your posts. So creative and intriguing.
Morning.. I repair my chaos state while dreaming, thinking of the beach. Sun beating down on my sholders & hearing the waves crash. (Then the light turns green and I go)
Enjoy your day!!!
I calm my chaos by thinking of being on the beach. Sun on my face & waves crashing in the background.
(Then the light turns green and I go)
Twitter: carolynr
says:
What a beautiful image. I may need to steal it today as my serenity trigger :).
Twitter: transhumanize
says:
There’s another excellent technique for this that can be taken from NLP called anchoring: Imagine yourself in a serene environment; a deserted beach, or a forest work for me. Close your eyes and picture yourself there, smell the air, feel the warm sun, hear the breeze rustle the trees. Invite every sense to become involved, and take your time.
As the feeling of calm and serenity increases, touch yourself firmly in a unique place, in a unique way–perhaps a firm (but not painful) pinch on your left pinky tip with your right index and thumb. Hold it for a couple seconds and release. Open your eyes and think about something random and unrelated to break the state of mind you are in, such as what time it is on the opposite coast of the country.
Next, close your eyes again, and return to that serene setting your mind. Bring back all the senses–sight, sound, touch, smell, taste–and again, take your time. Once more, just as it’s about to reach a peak of calm and serenity, perform the exact same unique touch in the exact same way. So, if you used the pinky-tip pinch, use the same finger(s) from your right hand to pinch, and make the pressure and positioning as close to the same as before. Then release, and once again, break your state of mind by thinking about something random; maybe trying to remember what your kindergarten teacher’s name was. You don’t have to spend much time on the random thought, just enough to break your state of mind.
Next, test the anchor. Perform your unique touch in the same way as before. See if the the calm and the serenity return. If they do, excellent! You’ve succeeded in creating an instant anchor. If they don’t, then repeat the process once or twice more, ensuring that you involve all the senses and make it as real as possible before you perform your unique touch (anchor).
You may find that over time, the anchor fades somewhat. You can easily restore its strength by repeating the process.
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[...] most individuals, I need reminders to incorporate time for rejuvenation into my life. One such reminder is something I began playing [...]
If you have a pet (such as a dog, cat, guinea pig, etc) who won’t mind this, trying lying down beside them, stroking them, and putting your ear up to their rib cage.
Just lay still for a minute or two, and listen to their breathing.
It’s the most calming thing in the world.