The stress and strain of constantly being connected can sometimes take your life -- and your well-being -- off course. GPS For The Soul can help you find your way back to balance.
GPS Guides are our way of showing you what has relieved others' stress in the hopes that you will be able to identify solutions that work for you. We all have de-stressing "secret weapons" that we pull out in times of tension or anxiety, whether they be photos that relax us or make us smile, songs that bring us back to our heart, quotes or poems that create a feeling of harmony, or meditative exercises that help us find a sense of silence and calm. We encourage you to look at the GPS Guide below, visit our other GPS Guides here, and share with us your own personal tips for finding peace, balance and tranquility.
In her GPS Guide, Bulbul Bahuguna, M.D. explains how you already have the tools to stay positive. Check out her guide and be inspired. Then, tell us how you'll put these techniques into practice in the comments.
Our earth is round. Our moon and sun are also round. As is that beautiful Planet Saturn. As are all the stars in our sky. Our sky looks round.
The human eye is also round. As is the beautiful iris and the pupil through which we see our universe. Somehow, the human eye cannot decipher the shape of our universe.
Sometimes your thoughts spin round and round. Especially when they are distressing. You cannot stop them. Like you cannot stop the earth, the moon, the sun and Planet Saturn from spinning round and round.
From our earth, the moon seems so far away. It looks so tiny. So insignificant. So try this coping tool. Stretch one arm out in the direction of the moon. Then look at the palm of that hand and spread out all the fingers. Now hold your index finger pointing upwards and place your thumb against it just a little away from the tip of that finger. You did it! You covered the entire moon with the tip of a finger!
When you feel distressed, for a moment imagine that you are time-traveled. Imagine that you are walking on the surface of the moon. Like Neil Armstrong did. One leap at a time. One step at a time. Every step feels lighter. And slower. And easier.
From the surface of the moon, the earth seems so far away. It looks so tiny. So insignificant. Now try this again from the surface of the moon. Stretch one arm out in the direction of the earth. Then look at the palm of that hand and spread out all the fingers. Now hold your index finger pointing upwards and place your thumb against it just a little away from the tip of that finger. You did it! You covered the entire earth with the tip of a finger!
From the surface of the moon, with the tip of a finger, you can cover an entire nation, a complete city, a total neighborhood and a whole family. From there, everything appears so much smaller: so miniscule, so inconsequential, and so invisible. Including that toxic person in your life. Including all those toxic thoughts that distress you.
You can delete toxic thoughts merely with the tip of your finger! Remember, time and distance are the best healers.
Bulbul Bahuguna's GPS Guide
Bulbul Bahuguna, M.D. is author of the novel, The Ghosts That Come Between Us. She is a psychiatrist with over 20 years of experience treating victims of abuse. Dr. Bahuguna is on staff at NorthShore University Health Systems, which is affiliated with The University of Chicago and Mayo Clinic. She is a National Trustee of American India Foundation --- a leading charity involved in accelerating social change in India.
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