I'm just a guy. Not an expert on spirituality by any means.
I have to confess that if you told me, a couple short years ago, that I would be writing about finding a "centered place of wisdom," or tapping "into that place of peace inside yourself," I'd have thought you were hitting the sauce a bit early in the day.
But then the dynamics of life, family, economic downturns, and kids who want to go to college, really started to do a number on me. And I definitely "veered off course." Corrective action needed to be taken.
Holy crap, I needed to de-stress and find my flippin' center fast, before my constant anxiety pumped so much adrenaline into my system that I launched myself into orbit.
So I used a combination of professional and personal therapy to regain my inner footing, rediscover the joys of living in the moment, and become a normal dude once again. Here are five things that helped me find my inner peace.
1. Mindful Meditation.
I know, I know, not what you would expect a guy to say. But I had to start somewhere. However, I didn't go to some naked hippie retreat to eat kale, not speak or bathe, and meditate until my mind was goo. I went new school and downloaded from iTunes some guided meditations from Diana Winston over at UCLA's Mindful Awareness Research Center. Her message of living in the moment by simply observing my physical and mental state, and being aware of what is going on right now around me, really resonated, and let me move forward. Plus I discovered I actually like Tibetan Singing Bowls. Go figure.
Photo by: Simon A. Eugster
2. Listen to Vin Scully call a baseball game.
Or listen your favorite broadcaster on the radio. The melodic, familiar vocal tones and gentle pattern of the game combined with the white noise background of the crowd calms my bottled up stress. Plus, it leads to a great nap. Very important since we are all operating in advanced states of sleep deprivation. This also works with other broadcast sporting events, provided you are in a different room from the TV. Do not do this while watching the game; your team will frustrate you to the point of stress overload, and the family will consider putting Zoloft in your nacho cheese dip.
3. Take a brisk walk.
Amazing what this can do. I like to take 45-minute walks through nice neighborhoods or green belts to restore my understanding that good things are still all around us. This helps me regain my balance and my understanding that whatever personal hell I am going through at that moment is only temporary compared to the longstanding structures and beautiful scenery of nature. Plus, if I walk through the right neighborhoods, sometimes I find money that falls out of rich people's pockets when they are getting in the limo.
4. Go to the batting cages.
I swear this works. Twenty minutes in the cage can eliminate all the built-up adrenaline that stress and anxiety pump through the body. Besides the obvious taking aggression out on a ball with a weapon, spending time in the cage will remind you that you can still hit a fastball (or a high-arc, slow-pitch softball), still have mad skills, and if you really wanted to, you could still probably make the team. Some team. Somewhere.
5. Spend time at the ocean.
I don't need to be in the ocean, just near enough to be hypnotized by the rhythm and sound of the waves. It works really well if you can find a vantage point above a rugged shoreline so you can watch the waves crash against the rocks below. This reinforces the idea that no problem I encounter during the day can come close to the size and majesty of the ocean. Unless, of course, I fall in. Then I'm screwed. So, safety first.
Photo by: Darcy Brakeman
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HuffPost's GPS for the Soul app is based on two truths about human beings. First: We all have a centered place of wisdom, harmony and balance within us. Second: We're all going to veer away from that place, again and again and again. What we need is a great course-correcting mechanism -- a GPS for the Soul -- to help us find our way back to that centered place, from which everything is possible.
Because no one knows better than you what helps you de-stress and tap into that place of peace inside yourself, it's important for you to create your very own GPS guide -- a personalized collection of whatever helps you course-correct. Email us at GPS@huffingtonpost.com and we'll set you up with your very own HuffPost blogger account to share your guide on the site. If you're already a blogger, we encourage you to upload your personal guide today. We can't wait to see what you have to share.