The Work of Byron Katie - Freedom From Stress is Only 4 Questions Away
All stress comes from believing a thought that argues with reality. And when you oppose "what is" - it hurts. In Byron Katie's first book, Loving What Is, she illustrates this with a simple and clear example with a cat: If you want reality to be different than it is, you might as well try to teach a cat to bark. You can try and try, and in the end the cat will look up at you and say, "Meow." Wanting reality to be different than it is is hopeless. You can spend the rest of your life trying to teach a cat to bark... And yet, if you pay attention, you'll notice that you think thoughts like this dozens of times a day. "People should be kinder." "Children should be well-behaved." "My neighbors should take better care of their lawn."... These thoughts are ways of wanting reality to be different than it is. If you think that this sounds depressing, you're right. All the stress that we feel is caused by arguing with what is. So what can you do when you find yourself arguing with reality? You know, when you're sitting in traffic thinking, "I shouldn't be stuck in traffic right now!" Or when the sale you were hoping for at work falls through and you're frustrated because, "They really should have followed through." Well, you can do one of two things: 1. Believe what you think. 2. Question it. Believing what you think can be pretty painful. I mean just think about how stressful it is to sit in traffic wanting the cars to move faster! It's about as hopeless as trying to get a cat to bark. Questioning the thoughts, on the other hand, can open you up to finding peace where you once found stress. You can start questioning them, or doing The Work, by writing down your stressful thought (the one where you want things to be different than they are) and then answering these four questions: 1. Is it true?
2. Can you absolutely know that it's true?
3. How do you react when you believe that thought?
4. Who would you be without the thought? Then you look for turnarounds by taking the original stressful belief and looking for opposites to see if they are as true or truer. In other words, to see if they are closer to reality. Here's an example: My friend should be a better listener. 1. Is that true? Yes. 2. Can you absolutely know that it's true? (What's the reality?) The reality is that she's not better than she is. So, no, I can't know that she should be a better listener. 3. How do you react when you believe that your friend should be a better listener? I get frustrated and I complain to my other friends. I don't want to hang around with her anymore. I don't want to listen to her either because I want to punish her. I don't respect her and am jealous of her attention when she puts it somewhere other than on me when I'm trying to talk to her. 4. Who would you be without the thought that your friend should be a better listener? I wouldn't try to convince her that she should listen to me more. I'd feel gentler in my body. I'd appreciate the amount that she *does* listen to me. When she talked to me, I'd be able to listen because there wouldn't be that resentment that I was holding on to. I'd realize that I'm doing just fine in my life even though she's not listening to me more. Turn the thought around: She should be a better listener. TA> She should *not* be a better listener.
This is true because she's not. She can't be a better listener than she is in that moment. TA> *I* should be a better listener.
Definitely! If I think she can do it, can I even do it?! I should give her what I want from her because obviously it's important to me that friends listen to each other well. So this is for me to live. The Work of Byron Katie is a path to self-discovery and freedom from stress. Ask these four questions for yourself and find out who you'd be without your story! "When I argue with reality I lose. But only 100% of the time." - Byron Katie Mona Grayson is a two-time graduate from The School for The Work of Byron Katie and has been helping people get free from the constraints of their stress so they can lead fuller, more peaceful lives. For a free newsletter about applying The Work of Byron Katie to your stress, and a free special report: "21 Ways to Stay in the Peace," visit http://www.letsdothework.com or http://blog.letsdothework.com
MORE RESOURCES:
The medicinal powers of yogaCBC.ca, Canada - 19 hours agoBut medical research that's been accumulating over the past 10 to 15 years is showing that yoga can provide health benefits that many people may not realize ... |
Higher education, with yogaGlobe and Mail, Canada - 9 hours ago... a gymnasium and a 1700-seat varsity centre that can host convocation ceremonies, as well as dozens of dance, fitness and yoga studios. ... |
Yoga At Cranberry Lake PreserveWestchester.com, NY - 13 hours agoThen join certified Kripalu Yoga instructor Franklin Shire for an outdoor morning session, Saturday, September 13, 9:30 am at Cranberry Lake Preserve in ... |
Kundalini Yoga ‘Awakens’ Cancer PatientsCancerWise - 20 hours agoBy Darcy De Leon Kundalini yoga is a practice that uses a series of postures, movement, sound, breathing and meditation to free energy starting from the ... |
Princess Offers In-Room Fitness, Yoga for KidsCruise Critic, NJ - 20 hours agoPrincess Offers In-Room Fitness, Yoga for Kids Princess Cruises is expanding its onboard spa and fitness offerings. Among them: In an industry first-ever, ... |
Yoga - Google News
|
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Using Exercise to Relieve Stress
Most people know of the importance of exercise as a means of weight loss, strength gains, and increased endurance, but exercise can play a major role in the reduction of stress. Along with just stress relief, exercise can help improve mental health, emotion and mood.
Anger Management: Is It Finally Time To Forgive?
In order to free ourselves from the pain of anger and resentment we need to be able to forgive our self and others. The longer we dwell on hurtful situations from the past, the longer we keep our self from living fully in the present.
Taking Care of Yourself
Living in our world today can be very stressful. While some of the stress that we experience is actually useful for motivating us, a point can be reached where it becomes very harmful, physically, emotionally and even spiritually.
Ten Easy Relaxation Techniques
Stress is more than just unpleasant. It's dangerous.
Stress Management: 9 Universal Laws for Problem Solving
1. The Law of GiftsRichard Bach, author of "Illusions" says "There is no such thing as a problem without a gift for you in it's hands.
Job Stress Management Tips
Today's workplace produces plenty of stress. Life's little hassles mount up until you say to yourself, "If one more thing goes wrong today, I'll explode.
Dealing With Stress in Our Overworked Lives
As small business owners, we often take on more than we can handle. Wearing all the hats running our businesses, as well as the other commitments we have (i.
Children Playing - How Play Is Important To Kids And Adults
You can learn a lot by watching children playing. There is no greater sight than to see children pretending to be superheroes or digging for treasure in a sandbox.
5 Stepst to Stress-Guard Your Family
Part 1: Recognize the importance of family stress managementJoe and Emily live in Southern California with their three young children. Both work and must commute 2 hours daily on busy freeways, often not getting home until 7:30 PM, exhausted and depleted.
Stress Reduction and Sacred Moments
"The great lesson from the true mystics, from the Zen Monks, and now also from the Humanistic and Transpersonal psychologists - that the sacred is in the ordinary, that it is to be found in one's daily life, in one's neighbors, friends, and family, in one's back yard, and that travel may be a flight from confronting the sacred - this lesson can be easily lost. To be looking elsewhere for miracles is to me a sure sign of ignorance that everything is miraculous.
How Stressed Out Are You? Take This Quiz And See How You Rate On Your Stress Level!
Stress, America's #1 health problem, is a leading cause of major illness. Heart disease, high blood pressure, and depression are just some of the harmful effects of stress.
The Top 10 Steps to DeStress
Do you feel tense and anxious at work? Do your co-workers and/or boss make you crazy? Is your personal life less than blissful? If so, you've got stress. If you're like most people you've sought refuge from this situation by trying a quick fix or two like calling a friend, walking the dog, or going away for the weekend in an attempt to escape it all.
Stress Managment: 5 Things to Clean Out of Your Mental Closet
ExcusesWe all have them. It amazes me how creative I can be when I need a good excuse for something.
HELP! Im Working with a Baby!!
Did you know that more than half of our adult population has an anger problem? Have you experienced them? They act all flustered and pitch a fit. Can you believe it that some of them actually throw things when they get mad? And not only that, they cuss up a storm, rant and rave, and carry on like they are a child.
Stress Management: How to Avoid the Ruts and Holes of Life
Have you ever noticed how we keep falling into the same holes and ruts in life? We know something doesn't work and yet we keep doing the same things over and over again.Have you ever wondered why we do this? And more importantly, how do we stop doing it, how do we stop "digging"? And how do we get out?As I've studied and searched over the years for ways to help people get the changes they want, quickly, gently and effectively, I've stumbled across a poem that seems to capture well the process of change.
6 Ways to Release Stress
We are currently living in a capitalist society where money and power rule. Therefore, many of us have become workaholics and often overlook signs of tiredness in order to stay on track.
How to Stop Stress and Overwhelm Quickly!
My work often deals with proactive, preventive means to Overcome Overwhelm & Achieve Your Desired Results. During our transitions, overwhelm can still come up from time to time, so we need to have the tools to stop stress and overwhelm quickly when it does arise.
Overcoming Stress: Successful Living The Easy Way
So many of us live a stressful life. Unfortunately, when we are unable to take the time that we all need to nurture ourselves we fall victim to self-pity, depression, or burn-out.
Talk Yourself Out of Stress
Seventy-five percent of all our problems - both emotional and physical problems - come from the same source. If you could identify that source, would you want to eliminate it?For most people, the answer is obvious.
Alleviate Stress Without Pills!
We all have it; we live with it daily: stress. As America's #1 health problem, surveys, reports and studies have been done concerning this epidemic.
|
