It’s crunch time now.  I’ve finished 2 classes already, but the difficult part has yet to come.  Tomorrow I have 2 finals then Thursday I finish it off with the last one.  I’m still not fully prepared, and yesterday I had a lot of distractions while studying, things I hadn’t planned or accounted for, which is leaving me feeling the pressure.  If your life is anything like mine it sometimes follows Murphy Law… you know, “if anything can go wrong it will.”

To help stay calm for studying under pressure, I decided to do a little research and find what tends to be best for others, as well as share a couple things that have worked for me.  I hope that they help you stay calm and get through the work.  Good luck and finals and enjoy my Ways To Achieve Zen Like Calmness.

• Keep things simple. For example, don’t try to learn every detail the first time around.  Give yourself a chance to look through things and understand the foundational ideas, then build on them with the details.
• imagine better times. In times of high stress it’s always a good idea to imagine yourself elsewhere, at a time or place in your life where you were able to just truly enjoy the calmness and simplicity of life.  I imagine myself at the end of a beautiful pier at a local lake at night, watching the lights bend as they reflect on the surface of the water.  It’s a magically calming feeling.
• 1 minute meditation. I’ve meditated before, though I don’t do it as often as I should.  It’s a great way to clear your mind.  Try my patented, fully guaranteed 1 minute meditation.  Close your eyes, take a few deep breaths, and focus on the feeling of every part of your body.  Without moving, can you feel your hands attached to your body?  Can you feel your toes?  How about your kneecaps?  Just take a moment to do inventory of your body.  It’s an interesting feeling to try and feel if everything is there, without actually moving or touching everything. Fantastically exhilarating. (patent pending…)
• Unplug. One of the heaviest things on our mind is media; Music, TV, the internet, our cellphones etc.  Take a day and completely remove these things from your life, take a walk through a park, look at the clouds, get back to nature.  All of this electronic buzz is wreaking havoc on our minds and it is time to take them back!
• Experience the magic of tea. Anyone who’s anyone knows of my love for tea.  I drink it hot and without sugar or cream.  I love black tea, green tea, white tea, rooibus tea, and all kinds of herbal teas.  I like that it has small amounts of caffeine (as much as about 1/3 cup of coffee), but not enough to get you jittery of enough to crash afterward.   Pick up a box of “Organic Stash” teabags, whichever flavor or type sounds good, and take a teabag or two with you each day.  It’s a great way to start your day, and the small amounts of caffeine will keep you a bit sharper throughout your day (** rooibus and herbal teas are generally caffeine free).
• Kick the sweets.  I have always been a lover of candy.  I don’t eat cake, brownies, ice cream etc, but candy is my weakness.  I’ve realized though that sugar, in high amounts, is like giving a rat steroids and letting it run in the wheel.  That’s what it does to your brain.  You’re bouncing off walls, and your mind is everywhere but where it should be.  So when you need that calmness, don’t turn to candy, baked sweets, or SODA.  These things will ensure that you can’t focus no matter how hard you try.
• Have a clean, neat area. Whether you are working on your memoirs or trying to beat guitar hero on expert, having a clean, neat area will definitely allow you ease of mind.  Clutter = stress
• Take time to reflect. You are just one of billions upon billions of living creatures in the universe, just one of many universes.  You are made up of billions of molecules in a world of googols (1 followed by 100 zeros) of molecules.  Realize that the average lifespan of a fly is 15 days, and wonder the relativity of a ‘full life’ for a fly.  Is time the same for a fly?  Or does 15 days feel to them the way 75 years feels to us.  Life is relative to the thoughts and experiences we have, so think and experience often.
• Binaural Beats. I’m not sure of the validity of Binaural Beats, but I use it when studying and regardless of the truth to it’s ability to calm your mind and help you focus, it makes for great ambiance noise.  I have Binaural Beats on my iphone (a free application) and I just pop in my headphone and hit the books.
• Calm or Chaos. Try to implement this new habit into your life.  It’s somewhat easy and it could change your approach to life, making you happier, healthier, and increase your overall wellbeing.  When you make any decision in life, anything at all (even when deciding where to put the mail…) ask yourself this; “Will this increase my calmness or chaos?  Will this add to the order of my life or take away from it?”  If you skip the things that will disrupt order in your life you will find yourself in a much better place, happier, healthier, and you’ll notice clearer more focused thoughts in every aspect of life.

So there are just a couple of ways to help you stay calm through finals/holiday shopping/life.  Focus on these ideas and you are sure to have ease of mind.  Good luck with finals everyone!

Tags: focus, Zen Calmness, zen lifestyle