Last update: 06 September, 2017
Who, nowadays, manages to achieve harmony in their life? In modern society there are so many activities that we have to deal with every day that it is very difficult for us to find emotional harmony. Anxiety, stress and anger take over our present without even realizing it.
In this way, we end up finding ourselves in a vicious circle. We get more and more upset and it is more and more difficult for us to keep calm and serenity. What can we do to try not to cause too much upset? Read on if you want to achieve greater harmony in your life!
“Always take the shortest path. The shortest path is the one in harmony with nature. Therefore always speak and act in the healthiest way, as such a resolution frees you from worries and struggles, from any kind of worry and ostentation "
-Marcus Aurelius-
To increase your harmony: know yourself!
As with any other skill that you want to acquire or improve, to increase your harmony, you need to do some exercises. In this way, you will achieve greater emotional balance and, consequently, your general well-being will improve. This, however, is by no means easy. There are times when we are so angry or nervous that we get stuck, and it is impossible for us to manage those emotions.
So what can we do? If we recognize a pattern at times when we feel bad tempered or too worried, we can give it a name. In this way, we will become aware of it and see it as a foreign element to us. We could also decide if we want to continue in the same way or if, conversely, we want to do something to improve our mood.
For example, it can often happen that we start thinking about all the things we should have done that we haven't had time to do. In these moments anxiety and anger come into the picture. We do not stop telling ourselves that we are a disaster and we torment ourselves more and more. However, this is precisely the moment that we must learn to identify and label so as not to be trapped.
Perhaps this situation reminds us of some friends to whom we say we expect too much of themselves and that they must learn to delegate to others. As we begin to say the same things to ourselves, the word "self-demanding" will come to mind, which will warn us that we are entering a harmful dynamic. In this way, we will have the opportunity to think about what to do to regulate the way we feel and thus increase our emotional harmony.
“When you feel obligated to be restless about the things happening around you, quickly come back to yourself and don't stray from the rhythm any more than necessary. Because the more you return to harmony, the more you will be its master "
-Marcus Aurelius-
Harmony goes hand in hand with a contemplative attitude
Even as we learn to be more aware of our reactions to specific situations and try to manage our negative emotions, sometimes it can be very complicated for us. Learning to distance ourselves emotionally from conflict is not as easy as it may seem.
"The most important thing is to understand that the problem arises from our way of seeing the outside world as a potential source of suffering, anguish, tension, stress ... When this happens, we can think that it can also generate harmony"
-Raúl de la Rosa-
One skill that can help us solve problems is seeing things in perspective. Even more so if the situation has no short-term remedy. To do this, we can think about what is causing us discomfort and ask ourselves the following question: what would I say to a friend of mine if he told me about this situation? We would realize how we would react if it weren't happening to us.
We can also do a visualization exercise. We will imagine ourselves as trees, mentally retracing our body and relating it to the various parts that compose it. Once we have identified our feet with the roots, the legs and the torso with the trunk, the arms with the branches and the fingers and the head with the leaves, we will introduce the wind.
This air, which laps us and shakes us with greater or lesser force, will represent our problems. What we will do is see how the tree we are sways in the wind, without breaking, just as our daily conflicts affect our life, but do not tear us down. By doing this practice frequently, we will develop our flexibility and our emotional detachment.
Sometimes we have to come to a compromise at work, in the family, or in the community. This will be much easier for us when we have reached emotional balance, as we will be able to activate the strategies used for interpersonal conflict situations by trying to mediate in problems that require negotiation. We will further fuel our harmony and achieve greater well-being.
Image courtesy of Julia Caesar, Roman Kraft and Milada Vigerova.
