As a peaceful warrior, I would choose when, where and how I would behave.
With that commitment, I began to live the life of a warrior.
~Dan Millman

Thursday, September 13, 2007


" Fear not for the future,
weep not for the past."
~ Percy Bysshe Shelley

Stronger Than You Know
Getting Ourselves Worked Up
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Great little OM today gang! I completely identify with the moment of truth. All of this 'stress' though non-physical has significant impact on the Hypothalamus Pituitary Adrenal axis (HPA) and yes you have one! I have seen it many times hinder the health of my clients. So take to heart the value of coping or stress reducing options. Your adrenal glands, immune and digestive systems will all be thankful. As noted...we are almost always stronger and more capable than we believe ourselves to be. Find your warrior within.
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Here's to the moment of truth~ ~j


Our capacity to cope successfully with life's challenges far outstrips our capacity to feel nervousness. Yet in the weeks, days, and hours leading up to an event that we believe will test our limits, we can become nervous. While we may have previously regarded ourselves as equal to the trials that lie ahead, we reach a point at which they near and our anxiety begins to mount. We then become increasingly worked up, until the moment of truth arrives and we discover that our worry was all for nothing. We are almost always stronger and more capable than we believe ourselves to be. But anxiety is not rational in nature, which means that in most cases we cannot work through it using logic as our only tool. Reason can help us recognize the relative futility of unwarranted worry but, more often than not, we will find more comfort in patterns of thought and activity that redirect our attention to practical or engaging matters.


Most of us find it remarkably difficult to focus on two distinct thoughts or emotions at once, and we can use this natural human limitation to our advantage when trying to stay centered in the period leading up to a potentially tricky experience. When we concentrate on something unrelated to our worry—such as deep breathing, visualizations of success, pleasurable pursuits, or exercise—anxiety dissipates naturally. Meditation is also a useful coping mechanism as it provides us with a means to ground ourselves in the moment. Our guides can aid us by providing us with a focal point wholly outside of our own sphere.


The intense emotional flare-up you experience just before you are set to challenge yourself is often a mixture of both excitement and fear. When you take steps to eliminate the fear, you can more fully enjoy the excitement. Though you may find it difficult to avoid getting worked up, your awareness of the forces acting on your feelings will help you return to your center and accept that few hurdles you will face will be as high as they at first appear.

2 comments:

Mike said...

"find your warrior within"...yes, indeed! Constant learning process in dealing with stress before challenges, etc...I'm getting better though. As you mention, *we are more capable then we believe*! good stuff!

You gotta go for it - it's always worth dealing with the anxiety and fear!! :-)

"I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. *I will face my fear.* I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain." F. Herbert

Unknown said...

Warrior up! Sounds like a good theme to me :-)

Thanks for the F. Herbert. I will contemplate these words...face it, permit it to pass over and through, turn the inner eye...only I will remain. Heavy!

Mike, always a pleasure to hear from you. ~j