How to stay calm

Peace of mind and balance are a state in which a person feels harmony inside and is able to deal effectively with life's challenges. Peace of mind is a bridge toward true happiness and fulfillment. Tension can often arise even from simple situations: you didn't manage to have a filling lunch on time, the cat walked across your new T-shirt with dirty paws, and the stock market is unstable again.

Now let's imagine: everything around us is not going according to our plan, creating stress, and yet we remain calm. No, this isn't inaction. We are active outwardly, but inside we keep our balance. Is that possible? What brings a person to such peace and harmony?

In this article we explore different approaches to keeping a calm mind and inner harmony.

How to respond to situations so as to keep inner calm

Can restlessness in the mind be connected with the events we find ourselves in? Why do people make the same mistakes and end up in the same situations? The main tool for keeping inner calm is the mind. It determines our state and our desires. When the mind is fixated on some idea, its owner feels restless despite having outer comfort. The mind absolutely wants to get what it desires and tunes our whole being toward fulfilling that desire. But if the mind is at peace, the person stays calm and has no such "tremor" and irritation.

We can say that in our mind there are predispositions that are the consequence of our past actions. These predispositions can create additional irritation (tension) in the mind, attracting the same events and situations into our life. For example, a person finds himself out of work every 2–3 months. Taking yet another new job, he is boundlessly happy. But a couple of months pass, he stops liking everything about his current position, and he quits. This repeats again and again. Or a young woman breaks up with her partner because he didn't give her enough attention, and then she again finds an equally inattentive partner.

In reality there are many possibilities, but we choose and attract the events and situations that correspond to our predispositions, past experience and attitudes. Again and again we end up in similar situations, as if the Universe wants to give us a lesson so that we learn it. Can the influence of these restless tendencies be reduced?

Yes, by paying attention to our thoughts, emotions and reactions. For example, we can look at the situation from the outside, from the position of an observer. When we create a certain space between our "I" and the problem, it lets us separate ourselves from what is happening and reflect. This "observer" position lets us not get emotionally involved in the situation and assess what is happening in a more balanced way. At such moments new solutions are found, and we have the chance to choose our attitude to the situation. If we keep our composure at such moments, we will be able to stay balanced regardless of outer circumstances.

Moral principles — the foundation of inner calm and confidence

Yogis believe that if we do not keep to moral principles, life stops functioning properly: our connection with our conscience is broken. This disharmony, a kind of tension, does not allow us to keep peace of mind.

Let's try an experiment: try living for two weeks following the yogic principles of harmonious living, and compare how you feel before and after. You will be able to judge the result of the experiment by the level of your inner confidence and calm. These will grow.

Let's imagine a situation: we have always lived in a house where a radio plays loudly, and this radio created interference and stress. It kept us from concentrating and hearing ourselves. But one day silence and calm came, the interference disappeared. Would we miss such a moment? No, we would certainly notice the change.

Below are the 10 yogic principles of harmonious living, formulated 2,500 years ago by Patanjali, the founder of modern yoga.

Yama — principles of interacting with the outer world.

• Ahiḿsá — do no harm to another, neither by word, nor by thought, nor by deed
• Satya — benevolent truthfulness
• Asteya — do not steal, and do not deprive another of what is due to them
• Aparigraha — do not accumulate what is superfluous
• Brahmacarya — perceive everything around you as a manifestation of the highest love

Niyama — principles of interacting with oneself

• Shaoca — keep the mind, the body and the environment clean
• Santośa — be content and grateful for what you have
• Tapah — be able to act selflessly
• Svádhyáya — study spiritual literature
• Iishvara prańidhána — keep your reliance on the Supreme Meaning

These principles cleanse the mind of negative tendencies in various situations and help us keep our inner balance.

Selfless actions. How do they help keep and find peace of mind?

Different traditions have wise sayings on selfless action:

*"When you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret."*Christianity

*"Wealth, including material wealth, begins with kind and selfless deeds for others."*Islam

*"Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared."*Buddhism

*"Self-realization and service for the good of all living beings."*Yoga

When a person acts, they often focus too much on results and expectations. This can cause stress and dissatisfaction, because there is an expectation of a certain course of events. If you ask people who do volunteer service what they feel when they help others for nothing in return, you can hear some interesting thoughts.

Anna Stepanova recalls her experience of helping the volunteer movement "Road of Kindness":

"Above all, it's a feeling of fulfillment and of being filled with meaning. I know that my actions make someone's life better and give support to those who need it. It's a chance to take part in something bigger than my personal interests." >By doing selfless actions, giving one's actions over to the will of the Universe, a person becomes unbiased. The person gives, and the Universe says: "Good, I accept your efforts. Now this result is my gift to you. I give you what is ideal for you. What will be the best event for your growth right now." >Anna Stepnova, Omsk

Regular practice of this approach lets people accept everything that happens in a kindly mood, without stress. And as a result, to keep their composure and calm in various situations.

Let's use our imagination: think about what you could do selflessly for the world. Is there a chance to do it today already? If so, try putting into practice the approach of selfless action we talked about above.

Meditation — the path to inner confidence

Every person has a gift that they can find within themselves. It is inner calm. The guide to this inner calm and clarity is meditation.

In the bustle of everyday life, where everyone is busy with important matters and the pursuit of earning, meditation gives us the chance to collect ourselves, to withdraw and to hear ourselves. This practice lets us keep our focus on our inner state and influence it. We can reduce the amount of stress and find a source of inner confidence and calm.

How does it work? Meditation is deep reflection, contemplation. By withdrawing the senses from the outer world and through concentration, a person begins to direct their attention and turns to their soul. They find their inner strength and begin to think of the true harmony that is present in all things, including in themselves. They find the source of this boundless beauty, love and calm within themselves.

The practice of meditation requires regularity. You can begin with short sessions of 15 minutes a day. It's important to choose a comfortable place and time for meditation, where you can fully focus on yourself.

Relaxation on the physical level: through the body to the thoughts

Tension — stress — accumulates in the human body. By working with it, we can influence our thoughts, habits and attitudes to life, as psychotherapists say. There are many techniques for relaxing and releasing tightness. We'll look at one of the yogis' methods, shavasana — the pose of complete relaxation.

Shavasana is a pose (ásanaA yoga posture held steadily and comfortably; it balances the glands and quiets body and mind for meditation.) in which a person relaxes completely on the floor. It is used for recovery and maximum relaxation. People doing it often fall asleep.

How to do shavasana?

1. Find a calm and quiet place where you won't be disturbed.
2. Lie on your back on a soft mat or a yoga mat.
3. Move your body a little and free it of tension.
4. Place your arms along your body and your feet shoulder-width apart.
5. Close your eyes and focus on your breathing. Turn on the video. Allow your body and mind to relax completely and fill with calm, to let go of all the stress and tension accumulated during the day.

When is it best to do it? At any convenient moment when you want calm and relaxation. Try starting with 5–10 minutes a day and increase as needed.

Effects of shavasana:

• Better sleep
• Reduced anxiety
• Restored energy
• Improved focus and concentration
• Stress relief

Keeping calm and peaceful. How to remove tension in any situation?

Calming the mind is not just a surface calm, when a person pretends that everything is fine. It is something deeper. Many people fool themselves, thinking that such surface calm is enough. Yes, it can relieve tension in the nervous system and bring some relief, which is sometimes simply necessary. And for this there are relaxation techniques: breath control, shavasana and others.

But now let's talk about a deeper calm. Here it's not only a matter of breathing and physical relaxation. It's about the restlessness that troubles a person leaving from within, from the very heart. There is a character, the hero Yudhishthira from the Indian epic the Mahábhárata. The name Yudhishthira means "one who can keep calm during war." Everything around him may be agitated, boiling, seething, but inside this hero there is silence and stillness.

Every person can become their own Yudhishthira. To keep this true state of calm and become established in it, use all the methods listed above:

• meditative and relaxation techniques,
• daily practice of selfless action and moral principles,
• working with restless thoughts and obsessive desires,
• viewing what is happening from the position of an observer.