To be held up in traffic is to have the perfect opportunity to center oneself and experience inner calm. Many people are caught up in unconscious distraction. Situations that bring one into contact with their own thoughts can be unnerving. To settle into observing the breath need not be a daunting task. There are many benefits that come from generating a sense of stillness. When being overwhelmed by a stressful situation one must take the time re-establish inner awareness.
To smell the roses one has to take the time to stop. Being in situations where one has to wait is viewed as inconvenient. Pressing engagements or scheduled appointments can be on a razor age as one rushes to fulfill or to meet them. Society is structured in a manner that functions on the ‘go-go-go’ mentality. People can experience some discomfort when forced to slow down or to stop for an extended period. Stalled traffic causes an interruption in the typical flow of a drive and undercuts the typical distracting activities upon which one relies.
Distraction can elicit a sense of comfortable ease. People, in general, like the perception that they are moving or doing . . . something; this provides a sense of assurance that everything is fine. With the proliferation of cell phones, along with the existence of computers and televisions, finding solace within oneself is a bit of a challenge. Distraction has been normalized as an essential for modern day existence. To have a source of distraction is to connect one to the external world. Something is always available to take up the mental space something
Facing the personal unconscious, subconscious depths can generate stress. To be in non-moving traffic is to trapped with (the) self. The majority of people have never experienced time alone with that individual. They are accustomed to the surface existence. They attached to the visible universe. When attention shifts to rarely visited aspects of self, one must strive to reconcile the chasm that is created by the conscious, distracted conception that one has of themselves and the unconscious
Observing the flow of thought leads to a mitigating of inner turmoil. The mind is designed to entertain thought flow. The flow of thoughts can run amok. Being in a confined situation can leave a person exposed to the succession of disparate thoughts. When a person is alone with their thoughts it is important to bring those thoughts to a place of awareness. To be aware of thoughts is to arrest the unseen control that they exert. Individuals are like leaves caught up in the wind when their thoughts flit by incessantly. Slowing the thoughts down and watching them minimizes the inner turmoil.
They compare that something to another thing. The comparison may be to something that is a tangible material object. The comparison may be to something that exist in the imagination. The imagination can bring things up that substitute for things that are real. These imaginings can generate stress. When someone is stuck with thoughts that are not comforting then inner turmoil can ensue.
Establishing a more calm, inner state can be beneficial on several fronts. Situations can bring the individual’s focus to the external environment. Bringing the attention to the internal, through practicing awareness, can place an errant situation onto the back burner. Breath(ing) is the most direct connection that one can establish inner calm. Being aware of breath can facilitate releasing from unpleasant situations. One develops an intentional psychologically or spiritually calm state. Achieving inner peace has more to do with your mind than what’s happening in your daily life4
It is better to float on top of the stress than to be inundated by it. Stressors are part of living in the world, especially the world of modern society. Predicaments that are unnerving can be disruptive to the way that one typical operates from day to day. Being in an uncontrollable predicament need not bring on undue anxiety of stress. These situations, although inconvenient, are temporary. Bringing awareness to something that one can connect to, breathing while in a car, could effectively lower the physiological effects of stress that arise from untimely, extended time delays. Do not fight or struggle with the stress; the current will carry you yonder. ng the stres
Inner calm, also known as inner peace, refers to a deliberate state of psychological or spiritual calm despite the potential presence of stressors12. It is the ability to let go of attachments and reactivity based on an understanding of impermanence3. Achieving inner peace has more to do with your mind than what’s happening in your daily life4
Centering is a meditative and visualization technique that can support you in retaining focus, promoting relaxation, and relieving anxiety (American Psychological Association, 2022). Something that helps me better understand the centering technique is the visualization of a pendulum. When you swing one side of the pendulum, it moves back and forth, swaying from one extreme end to the other until it slowly gets closer to the middle. When I am feeling distracted or anxious, like a pendulum, my thoughts tend to also teeter from side to side. However, when I recognize this pattern and become mindful about focusing on my breath and making a conscious effort to relax, my thoughts begin to quietly stand still.
https://www.berkeleywellbeing.com/centering.html
https://naturalwellbeing.com/blogs/news/what-it-means-to-be-centered-and-how-to-achieve-it
Anxiety
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/307863
Anxiety — best defined as worrying about a potential threat — can be protective too. “Anxiety is a normal human emotion,” says Robert Hudak, M.D., associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh. “Without anxiety, you wouldn’t buckle your seatbelt on the way to work in the morning. You wouldn’t look both ways before crossing the street.”
1.) Generalized anxiety disorder
People who have generalized anxiety disorder, or GAD, worry intensely about lots of things and tend to expect the worst. They have a hard time containing their fear, even when they realize it’s not rational. People with GAD may try to control situations and believe, consciously or unconsciously, that worrying somehow protects them.
GAD is the most common type of anxiety disorder in older adults. Besides worry, symptoms include irritability, trouble sleeping, a rapid heart rate, rapid breathing, weakness or fatigue and difficulty concentrating. Ongoing headaches or stomachaches are also common.
Stress is a biological response triggered by a situation that is perceived as a threat or a major challenge1. When this happens, chemicals and hormones surge throughout the body, triggering the fight-or-flight response in order to fight the stressor or run away from it1. The intensity of the force exerted when one body or body part presses on, pulls on, pushes against, or tends to compress or twist another body or body part is also referred to as stress2.
Traffic
https://bigthink.com/health/is-traffic-bad-for-my-health
Conscious breathing generally describes the act of developing a soft awareness of your breath as it moves in and out of your body. This practice can help you achieve a state of calm and presence so you can engage more deeply with life.
Conscious breathing might also help you navigate difficult thoughts, emotions, and experiences, creating the space to respond with intention and objectivity.
In yoga philosophy, the breath serves as both the vehicle and the measuring stick for the practice of awareness. It can guide you to a deeper connection with your body, mind, and the world around you.
Traditional yogic wisdom holds that it’s physiologically impossible to be in a state of distress when the breath is smooth, calm, and regulated.
pranayama, offers a number of benefits. These include improvements in:
- mood
- sleep
- blood pressure
- respiratory function
- metabolism and digestion
- concentration and focus
- nervous system regulation
- biochemistry, including the reduction of free radicals and blood urea (waste)
A 2019 review noted that yogic breathing exercises had a positive effect on:
- brain activity
- nervous system and lung function
- metabolism
- body chemistry
https://www.happiness.com/magazine/health-body/conscious-breathing/
https://www.healthline.com/health/mind-body/conscious-breathing
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