I personally know these feeling all too well and I am not alone. 76 percent of Americans reported that they had stress induced illnesses in 2022, according to the American Psychological Association. This may include headaches, fatigue, stomach aches, other aches and pains, irritability that may lead to reactivity and to relationship conundrums in all aspects of one’s life. (Been there!)
So how do we live in today’s society with inflation, war, and the economic and political crisis all around us and feel like our basic needs are being met so that we may rise above them and live our best lives? Maslow’s hierarchy of human needs has been around since 1943 and is a pyramid that places the most basic of human needs at the bottom and as needs decrease going up the pyramid the ability to grow as a human and self actualize increases. Unfortunately in our society many of us remain in a state of fight or flight, being constantly pummeled back into the second level of the pyramid due to the demands of our responsibilities, and cultural expectations. We may have some of the other cool shit higher up on the pyramid going on, but the basics like having a secure job and getting from one place to another on time can bump us back down to revisiting our safety needs again and again.
So, what is the golden ticket to inner peace and self actualization? Getting grounded and staying there is THE answer. How do we do this? We get grounded and centered and able to flow with the constant pressures of life through a daily mindfulness meditation practice. Tons of research supports engaging in a daily practice focused on the present moment and the breath for anywhere from 8 minutes to 25 minutes as the way back to yourself and the way out of stress. We will always have stressors, but now more than ever our society is experiencing an enormous amount of stress related DIS EASE… yep that adds up to disease. The result of enduring ongoing stress is physical illness. Now more than ever, I urge you to cultivate a daily mindfulness practice as the antidote to living a life untethered and then watch yourself achieve peace as well as new heights in work, home life, and your relationships!
If you need support starting and maintaining a daily mindfulness practice, click here to learn more about my upcoming Power Boost Your Mindfulness Practice Class in February.
For now, take a long, slow, deep breath in. You’ve got this.
Wishing you peace.