How to Get in the Habit of Zen

How to Get in the Habit of Zen

A simple guide to happiness through self-contemplation

Life is cluttered with chaos. We are becoming lost in a world of complication and stress as we find ourselves trying to manage millions of to-do lists at once. All of this stress and chaos is keeping us from the most important piece on that to-do list, happiness. We try to find happiness in every moment of every day in our lives. Happiness, simplicity, and overall Zen, is a somewhat difficult feeling to obtain when our mind is being forced to think of so many agendas at one time. Leo Babuta, creator of the blog, ZenHabits, and author of “The Zen Habits Handbook for Life”, provides his readers with infinite amount of information on how to obtain total Zen, and overall happiness. Summarized in just five basic baby steps, here is how you can shine enlightenment on yourself, and move yourself a step closer to being Zen.

1.      Breathe

Just breathe. The simplest way to calm yourself down while releasing tension is slowly inhaling and then slowly exhaling, releasing any negativity in your system. Be still, and feel each breath you take. Stop for a moment, listen to your thoughts, heighten your awareness, and breathe in all of your experiences your having in that moment. If you’re moving too fast, and can feel your mind competing in a never ending race, breathing will bring you back into focus. Be in the present. Stop worrying about the many tasks you given yourself to get done, and just stop for a moment and breathe.

2.      Make time for alone time

Cut yourself off from everyone. Disconnect from cell phones, email, Facebook, Twitter, or whatever media outlet you find yourself checking over and over again throughout the day. Disconnect with the outside world. Try and give yourself at least an hour a day of alone time for thought. When we are alone, we find ourselves the most. We are connected with our soul the most when we are alone. Solitude gives time for creativity, peace, and quiet from whatever holds us back. Give yourself that privacy to unwind, and reflect on your day.  Solitude can also be done be simply getting away. Take a walk, people watch, or enjoy nature just make sure you have no connection with anyone that can distract your solitude.

3.      Make a goal to have NO GOALS

Stop letting yourself to be limited by goals. Let go of that to-do list and unwrap your mind to the unexpected. Setting goals for yourself usually ends up in discouragement. Almost all the goals we set for ourselves, we never achieve. “I am going to lose 10 lbs by next month.” “I am going to quit smoking.” “I am going to start saving money.” Most of the goals we set for ourselves are set for failure. Every time we don’t achieve our goals, we blame ourselves, making us unhappy. Eliminating goals, eliminates that feeling of disappointment and failure we get when we don’t achieve them. Having no goals makes time for us to do things we are truly passionate about. There is no limit, when having no goals. Start small, let go of plans, and grow into a new and confident way of living.

4.      Minimalism

One of the most important ingredients of life balance is simplicity. Minimalism reduces the number of out-of-balance items in your life that disorders your way of happy living. Minimalism clears out a lot of the stress you may be having. Simplify your day. Simplify the people in your life, disconnecting with the ones that you don’t care for that much. Simplify your diet. Simplify your contact with social media and the wasted time you spend online, and just enjoy living. Turn your home into a minimalist home. De-clutter the clutter leaving only the essentials you need for a healthy and happy environment.

5.      Exploring your  negative thoughts

Change your way of thinking and living by deeply exploring those negative thoughts and triggers that make you unhappy. Licensed psychologist, Allison Schechter teaches her clients to identify negative thoughts and replace them with positive thoughts. People don’t consciously think about the thoughts that make them feel bad, but once you do, it can become very easy to alter those negative stressors in your life, said Schechter. Exploring those triggers calls for a lot of openness and courage to let go and change into a more peaceful you. Once you notice those triggers, stop, and breathe. Notice your behaviors, and feelings that are present. Find the most sincere place inside of you, and use it to cope with the tensions and negative thoughts. This will help you move forward and changing yourself to become an overall Zen person.