Here’s the revised version of the article:
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Our Stress Reduction Through Mindfulness event is kicking off on Tuesday, Nov 1! Many people think that because I teach meditation, I must be free from stress, but that’s not true. Just like everyone else, I’ve had my fair share of tough experiences over the past few years. For instance, I found out that my tax accountant failed to submit my business tax returns for two years, leading the Internal Revenue Service to pursue me for hefty penalties (which, luckily, I didn’t have to pay eventually). I’ve also been through a difficult divorce, moved houses several times, had surgery for cancer (I’m doing fine now), and dealt with financial issues because my health insurance didn’t cover all my medical bills.
I once joked to a friend that it felt like trying to walk up an escalator that was going down while having bowling balls thrown at me! My regular meditation practice was helpful, but these challenges showed me it wasn’t enough. I had to dig deeper and find new ways to manage my stress. Over the next 28 days of this course, I’m going to share those techniques with you.
My stress reduction approach addresses two types of stress. Primary stress comes from experiences your mind sees as threats, like tax issues, divorce, illness, or loss. These situations lead to feelings like anxiety, confusion, and grief. Then there’s secondary stress, which arises from how we react to primary stress. For example, we might criticize ourselves for being stressed, which only adds more distress. Sometimes, we cope by overeating, drinking too much, or taking out our frustrations on others, which creates even more stress.
To manage primary stress, it’s crucial to practice empathy, kindness, compassion, and self-reassurance. We need to treat ourselves gently, just as we would a good friend, a child, or a pet going through a tough time.
For secondary stress, mindfulness is a big help. It teaches us to let go of harmful mental habits like avoiding or resenting unpleasant experiences. We’ll explore various mindfulness exercises to help identify and break these stress-inducing patterns.
Over the next four weeks, we’ll focus on building these skills together. There will be daily readings, and I’ll keep them brief to avoid adding to your stress. We’ll also have around a dozen guided meditations, ranging from very short to a bit longer. You can start with the first one here—a 5-minute meditation designed to help us set the intention of being kind and patient with ourselves as we practice mindfulness and self-compassion.
Here’s the link to Meditation 1, a 5-minute guided session to help us get started and set our intentions for the course.
Register here to learn how to reduce stress in your life!
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Feel free to share your thoughts and comments. I appreciate your support and am thrilled to help you through this journey.
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That covers everything for now. If you have any other content you’d like optimized or rephrased, just let me know!