We all look for purpose and accomplishment in life. But when you don’t have that, your life can feel miserable. You can feel like you’re stuck in quicksand.
You deal with these feelings by comparing your life with everyone and everything around you.
You look at people younger than you are and wonder how they became successful so quickly. You reflect on your career and life and tell yourself that you don’t find much pride or meaning in it.
You see yourself as that hamster in a wheel where you’re busy with family, work and other responsibilities but you’re not progressing forward.
You feel heavy, stuck and unable to move.
This can make you feel desperate and depressed. You take out that frustration on your friends or family. You become aloof and withdrawn. You distract yourself with busy but unfulfilling activities. Or you live a life of quiet desperation.
And in the process of living this life, you lose your voice. You lose your unique expression and enthusiasm. Your life becomes a series of tasks and responsibilities to complete but one that is devoid of joy or energy.
And this serves as a breeding ground for resentment, jealousy and regret.
Your health is affected. But before you can get your life back on track, it would be important to untangle your emotional and mental state.
Unburdening
Your life is sum total of your influences. These influences come from your genetics and your inherent tendencies. They come from your family, culture, society and life situations.
These influences govern how you think, how you view your future, and how you live. And they give you a direction in life.
And through these influences you make choices about the family you have, pursue your particular career, or live a certain lifestyle.
But life is dynamic. As you’re living a life you’re supposed to live, your mind and body get tickled by other desires and needs.
You may react to these desires by saying they are trivial and you shouldn’t cater to them. You may say to yourself that you’ve set your life in a certain direction and it would be too much of a sacrifice to change it.
Or you rationalize that you can’t go after any whim or fancy that pops in your head because you can’t shirk all your other responsibilities in life.
Yes, it is possible that pursuing some of these desires can alter your life and bring about uncomfortable change. But disregarding these sensations also doesn’t help you.
When you ignore a desire, you experience frustration and helplessness. And the energy behind that desire damages your physical health and emotional wellbeing.
And over time these little waves of frustration build up to a tsunami of despair.
Your mind and body are then swimming in a sea of unresolved emotions, self-doubt and lack of self-confidence. This energy weighs you down, clouds your perspective and leaves you feeling stuck in your present state.
And for you to unwind your emotional state and experience vibrancy you would need to detox your body and mind, increase your mental energy, and make your body light and fit.
Here are some ways of how you can do that.
Gain Momentum
You get frustrated when you focus too much time on your thoughts and feelings, and not enough on actions.
Identify a specific goal you want to accomplish and create a plan to help you achieve that goal. This will get you moving in action and transform your frustrations into energy for your actions.
Tip: Write down list of 10 goals you want to achieve next in life. Keep it to goals that you can achieve in the next 30 days. Once you’ve made the list, narrow it down to the top goal you want to focus next. Next, write down 10 tasks that will help you achieve this goal. And narrow this task list down to 1 or 2 tasks. Do these tasks on a daily basis for the next 30 days.
Do Breathwork
Practice breathing techniques to help release cerebral tension. Proper controlled breathing can help soothe the nerves and release stress and anxiety.
When you feel relaxed, your mind becomes calm and quiet. Your anger and frustration dissipate. And your body relaxes and immunity improves.
Tip: Practice bhramari pranayama (humming bee breath). Sit in a quite comfortable place and close your eyes. Make sure to have sit up straight. Take a couple of deep breaths in and out of the nose so you settle in. Then, take a deep breath in and as you exhale make a humming sound from your throat. Allow the sound to vibrate your tongue, teeth and nose. Do 5-6 more of these breaths.
Stretch and Move
Your unresolved and toxic emotions are stored in the body. During stress, fat-soluble chemicals store in the body’s fat cells where they can stay for years. This is the body’s defense mechanism to prevent the toxins from affecting the rest of the body.
When you stretch and move, you stimulate the fat burning process in the body which releases these toxins and gets you lean and healthy.
Tip: Do a superman yoga pose (called viparita shalabhasana). Lie on your stomach with your toes flat and chin on the ground. Place your arms in front of you. Take a deep breath and lift your arms, chest, legs, and thighs off the floor. While in this position, stretch your arms further forward and legs further behind you. Stay for 2 deep breaths in and out in this position. As you exhale, lower your arms, legs, and thighs to the floor. Do this sequence for 2-3 more times.
