Smoothing Transitions
10 Steps to Making Change Easier
by Madisyn Taylor
Change can be hard for anyone, following these ideas below can make it a little less stressful.
1. Begin by making small changes or break up large-scale changes into more manageable increments. This can make you feel better about handling the changes you are about to make while making you more comfortable with change in general.
2. Mentally link changes to established daily rituals. This can make changes like taking on a new habit, starting a new job, or adapting to a new home happen much more smoothly. For example, if you want to begin meditating at home, try weaving it into your morning routine.
3. Going with the flow can help you accept change instead of resisting it. If you stay flexible, you will be able to ride out change without too much turbulence.
4. When a change feels most stressful, relief can often be found in finding the good that it brings. An illness, a financial loss, or a broken relationship can seem like the end of the world, yet they also can be blessings in disguise.
5. Remember that all change involves a degree of learning. If you find change particularly stressful, try to keep in mind that after this period of transformation has passed, you will be a wiser person for it.
6. Remember that upheaval and confusion are often natural parts of change. While we can anticipate certain elements that a change might bring, it is impossible to know everything that will happen in advance. Be prepared for unexpected surprises, and the winds of change won’t easily knock you over.
7. Don’t feel like you have to cope with changing circumstances or the stress of making a change on your own. Talk about what’s going on for you with a friend or write about it in a journal. Sharing your feelings can give you a sense of relief while helping you find the strength to carry on.
8. Give yourself time to accept any changes that you face. And as change happens, recognize that you may need time to adjust to your new situation. Allow yourself a period of time to reconcile your feelings. This can make big changes feel less extreme.
9. No matter how large or difficult a change is, you will eventually adapt to these new circumstances. Remember that regardless of how great the change, all the new that it brings will eventually weave itself into the right places in your life.
10. If you’re trying to change a pattern of behavior or navigate your way through a life change, don’t assume that it has to be easy. Wanting to cry or being moody during a period of change is natural. Then again, don’t assume that making a change needs to be hard. Sometimes, changes are meant to be that easy.
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Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Smoothing Transitions - 10 Steps to Making Change Easier
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Upaya Dharma Podcasts - The Perfection of Patience
The Perfection of Patience
Speaker: Sensei Beate Stolte
Recorded: Wednesday Oct 13, 2010
Sensei Beate opens by explaining the “paramitas,” or “perfections” in the context of the Buddha’s teachings, which are, in order: generosity, morality, patience, diligence, concentration and wisdom. She notes that patience is the antidote to anger and aggression, and that to practice patience, one must continually choose not to “hit back” but to take a step back, to allow one’s nerves to settle, and to come forward with understanding and spaciousness. She offers practical advice on how this may be accomplished, mentioning mindfulness of the body and the “hot” feeling we experience when triggered as the gateway to a deeper understanding of our anger and the road to sharing patience and courageousness with the world.
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Monday, June 14, 2010
Venerable Tenzin Palm - Dharma Quote
REFLECTIONS ON A MOUNTAIN LAKE
Teachings on Practical Buddhism
by Venerable Tenzin Palmo
more...5O% off
for this week only.Dharma Quote of the Week
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A tenth-century Bengali pandita named Palden Atisha reintroduced Buddhism into Tibet. He had a servant who was really awful. He was abusive to Atisha, disobedient, and generally a big problem. The Tibetans asked Atisha what he was doing with such an awful guy who was so completely obnoxious. They said, "Send him back. We'll take care of you." Atisha replied, "What are you talking about? He is my greatest teacher of patience. He is the most precious person around me!"
Patience does not mean suppression, and it doesn't mean bottling up our anger or turning it in on ourselves in the form of self-blame. It means having a mind which sees everything that happens as the result of causes and conditions we have set in motion at some time in this or past lives. Who knows what our relationship has been with someone who is causing us difficulties now? Who knows what we have have done to him in another life! If we respond to such people with retaliation, we are just locking ourselves into that same cycle. We are going to have to keep replaying this part of the movie again and again in this and future lifetimes. The only way to break out of the cycle is by changing our attitude.--from Reflections on a Mountain Lake: Teachings on Practical Buddhism by Venerable Tenzin Palmo, published by Snow Lion Publications
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Tags: Venerable Tenzin Palm, Dharma Quote, Reflections on a Mountain Lake, Teachings on Practical Buddhism, Snow Lion Publications, Buddhism, patience, parables

