Everyday Peace

Today, a healthy dose of escapism. This visualization allows you to connect with any loved ones you’re missing.For more practices to get you through self-isolation, check out Practice for Connectedness, Practice for Hard Days and Stress SOS (all available in this feed).

The Buddhist practice of metta, or lovingkindness, reminds us that we all yearn for peace and the end of suffering.

A visualization to help quiet the noise of chronic pain.

Whether you’re feeling off or dealing with adversity, you’re not alone on hard days. We’ve all been there. And before long, today will be behind you.In this episode, a practice to find ease and allow all that’s visiting you on hard days.

A 5-minute practice to help you calm down when you’re rushing, or when things get extra busy.

A practice to help you settle in to this slow transitional season. Immerse yourself in the autumn forest; smell the fallen leaves, fresh soil and crisp air.This episode is especially helpful for those feeling at odds with the changing season, but is a treat for even the most enthusiastic cold weather lovers.

“On bad days, I’m okay. On good days, I’m also okay.” - Zen masterNo matter what batters it, whether sun shines or storms visit, the mountain stands. Today, we borrow wisdom from the mountain to aid in equanimity training: the practice of abiding with our experience while resisting the urge to act out.

If work is burning you out, no amount of self-care will balance the scale. You must address the issue at its root. This can include a perspective shift around work, such as bringing more gratitude to the things you enjoy about your job. For some, it must also include cutting out tasks or roles entirely. In this episode, guidance toward finding what burnout solution is right for you and your work situation.

This episode builds on our last, so begin there before clicking ‘play’. Here, two strategies to prevent or scale back burnout.

An episode to help you identify the symptoms and causes of burnout. This after the World Health Organization added Burnout to its Classification of Diseases in 2019.If you think you’re suffering from burnout, bring past episodes like “Step into Your Power”, “Rest at Work” and “Good Enough” into your daily practice. More on burnout, and practices to counter it, in our next episode.

Life tugs you in a lot of directions. And when you say ‘yes’ to all those tugs, you might find yourself running on fumes, your list of to-dos and obligations never-ending.This can lead to burnout. This episode, a practice to help you step into your true nature, one of authority and decisiveness free of outside influence. Come back to this place if you find yourself feeling scattered, small or overwhelmed. Visit this practice every day for a month to witness a shift in your sense of personal power and authority.

When you believe you’re in the right place, life can soften. Often, we tense around what we ‘should’ or could be doing, forgetting that our only life — our true life — is here.With a special focus on overcoming Imposter Syndrome, this episode reminds you that, for now, you belong right where you are.

Have you ever felt like you had to ‘fake it’ to fit in?In this episode, the reason why you might be experiencing imposter syndrome and a few tools to overcome it.Sign up for Tech Reset: https://everydaypeace.ca/tech-reset-signup

Roughly 70% of us will experience Imposter Syndrome at one point or another; we believe that we have not earned our success through our abilities, that we don’t deserve our seat at the table.This month, we’re exploring Imposter Syndrome. We begin with this practice, a simple one to remind you that you are a good enough mother, friend, employee, etc. Come back to this practice every day for 30 days to witness a shift in your sense of self-worth.Tech Reset Signup: https://mailchi.mp/8552fd87180e/7-day-tech-reset

How ‘the second arrow’ could be increasing your suffering during times of financial crisis, and a perspective shift to combat that.Small moments of peace are possible every day, even in crisis. This episode guides you toward finding them.

Our beliefs shape us: they form our thoughts, which dictate our actions. Old beliefs about money can hold us back from having a healthy financial life in the now.Here, guidelines for an attitude shift to help you make peace with finances, and stress less.

Financial issues breed a unique kind of stress, don’t they?Your life is on the line — as far as your survival brain is concerned — because your ability to access food and shelter could be compromised.This talk includes a quick practice you can call on whenever money worries begin to spiral, as well as strategies for dealing with both longterm and short-term financial stress.

To kick off a series on financial stress, a repeat of our gratitude practice.No matter the hardship you’re experiencing, gratitude is an effective balancing practice; it allows you a few moments of lightness and ease.

A simple walking meditation that can be practiced indoors or on your favourite path.Walking meditation helps us ground and can aid in bringing our daily practice into every aspect of our lives.

Who are you? A human being, simply; a part of the wider world and, for hundreds of thousands of years, an integral part of a healthy ecosystem.This episode, why feeling an interconnectedness with the world around you is beneficial, and how to get there.

Today, evidence to support your practice. Get insight into what, exactly, is happening in your body as you spend time in or visualize nature.

Nature is a proven stress aid. Research shows that, when we spend time in nature, we recover more quickly and fully from episodes of stress, and that simply calling nature to mind can have the same effect.Today’s practice invites you to relax into the sounds, sights, scent and feel of a calm beach. Practice daily to build your ‘visualization muscle’, allowing you over time to find calm space even in the most hectic environments.

When you’re unable to sleep, it can feel all-consuming. Here, a perspective shift and two practices for such times.

Two additional practices to help you find moments of rest, subtle but essential, at work.

Modern work culture asks us to work overtime, skip lunch breaks and wear our busy-ness like a badge of honour. Our health suffers as a result.Today’s episode asks you to create small moments — even thirty seconds — of rest at work. It includes a short practice to help you get started.

Restlessness might be situational for you, or it might seem like a permanent state.For some of us, growing up in our homes didn’t feel safe, or we experienced trauma in life and relationships. This can put our nervous systems on alert; we are hypervigilant, our bodies unable to rest in a true sense due to a vague sense of ‘unsafe’.Today’s episode offers a short practice to help calm the nervous system, paired with a mantra such as ‘I am safe’. In this way, we aim to ease our bodies into much-needed rest.

A practice to interrupt the desire to ‘keep on doing’. Intermittent rest is essential to health, especially if you struggle with sleep, irritability or anxiety.For six minutes, remind your body that it can rest — by turning off fight, flight, freeze — to recharge and heal.This, like many things, takes practice.Come back to this meditation, or any adaptation that works for you, daily for one month.

Stress buries us when we forget that it’s temporary.Even in situations that feel stuck — a dead-end or draining job, an unhappy marriage, a financial crisis — there is always opportunity for renewal.Today, we bring that mindset to your biggest current stressor.

Without renewal, life cannot exist.The wheel of life carries all stages of renewal, from birth to death, and in today’s talk we’ll explore what that means in our everyday lives. We offer ourselves gratitude for renewing again and again.

You, right now, are in a state of renewal.Spring reminds us of life’s endless potential for growth, change and rebirth.In this practice, we hold that truth in our bodies and remind ourselves that — no matter where we are on the wheel of renewal right now; if we’re feeling stuck in a valley, pushing uphill, or cruising along — we are always living toward renewal.

Every one of us has experienced hopeless moments.Today’s episode helps to guide you through this inevitability; by recognizing you’ve lost hope, you can find it again.This talk supports our Everyday Practice “Hope”, which you’ll find a few episodes below in our feed.

If you want to shift your perspective, start small. Today’s talk includes a 30-second morning practice that will increase your sense of hope and purpose every single day.If you’re curious about your mind’s potential for change, practice cultivating hope every day for 30 days with our “Hope” practice, below.

To support our practice of cultivating hope, this episode focuses on the science of hopefulness.Hopeless thinking puts our bodies in a state of chronic stress; if we don’t believe in ourselves, our resilience, our potential for change, every day becomes a struggle.In these five minutes, you’ll learn how a shift in perspective can change every outcome, big or small.With research from Brene Brown and Dr. Charles Snyder.

“Where there is ruin, there is hope for a treasure.” - RumiHope is essential — in darkness, in dreams, in change.Hope is not closing your eyes to fall into the abyss; it’s falling into the abyss with your eyes wide open. It’s trust.Come back to this short practice daily, for one month, to rewire or strengthen your sense of hope.

When obligations, tasks and deadlines seem to stack up, it’s easy to feel buried.This practice shifts your perspective, reminding you that you can put it all down — whatever it is — right now, in this moment.Come back to this episode if you find yourself caught in circular thinking, acutely stressed or with a big weight on your shoulders.

When we’re feeling raw, we’re likely to become irritable.This practice allows you to sit with your irritability, and go out into the world without feeling the need to apologize for it. We’ll explore what’s got you feeling so raw or tender to begin with, and why irritability is a natural consequence.Come back to this when you’re being hard on yourself, or when everything seems to set you off. For writings to support today’s episode, head to everydaypeace.ca

For when things feel stagnant; this practice reminds you that you can wait until change feels right; nothing is permanent.Come back to this practice when you’re feeling sticky, small or unsure about your next move.For writings to support your practice, head to everydaypeace.ca

You can handle frustration. Sometimes, it feels so big that it might bubble up, but that’s the nature of being human.Maybe things aren’t going your way or you can’t figure out the next step. Maybe someone is getting under your skin.For a few minutes, let yourself feel frustrated or angry. See how it feels in the body to just sit with it, knowing it’s perfectly normal and impermanent.Come back to this practice when you’re feeling pent up, stuck or angry.

If you’re feeling stressed or caught up in something right now, take a moment to pull back.In the present, you are just a person sitting, walking, listening, breathing. You are surrounded by air and noises and other living beings.Give yourself the gift of returning to now. For a moment, drop worries and to-do lists. Just be.Come back to this practice if you find yourself feeling overwhelmed or disconnected. Know that there are millions of people practicing exactly what you’re practicing in this moment, reminding themselves to live in the now.

Life comes in waves. Sometimes, we feel as if we’re about to be pulled under.This week’s practice reminds you that waves are temporary and borrows from Buddhist philosophy: if you remember that you are the ocean, you will not fear the waves.Come back to this episode if you find yourself fixating on a stressor. With regular practice, you’ll feel life’s ups and downs for what they are, knowing they cannot drown you.

When you get caught up in life’s stressors, you might describe feeling “off”. You might say you need to centre yourself.This language exists for a reason: when we connect with our centre, we find a place that feels true and wise, from which we wish we could make all life’s decisions.Come back to this practice during times of acute stress, or when you feel like you’re off track.For more resources to help you make peace with stress, head to everydaypeace.ca

A basic body scan from bottom to top. By following the flow of energy through your body, feeling it in areas you may never have concentrated on before, you allow yourself to be here, fully. You let yourself be just as you are: a body, no more and no less. This is one of my favourite practices, and I encourage you to come back to it often. Use it to ground yourself during travel or before a big meeting. For more resources to help you make peace with stress, head to everydaypeace.ca

What lights you up? Tap into everyday gratitude with this simple practice, focused on necessities such as breath, food and shelter. Gratitude is more than ‘polishing a turd’; it’s finding lightness in even the darkest corners. Whether you have a lot to be grateful for as you enter this new year, or are struggling to feel a spark these days, sit with me for just four minutes. Set the intention for gratitude and lightness. See what comes up. For more resources, including more on gratitude, visit everydaypeace.ca.

A Zen Buddhist concept, beginner’s mind asks you to drop preconceptions. When you contemplate without judgement, you accept that much of life is unknown. So much of what we worry about hasn’t even happened yet. With beginner’s mind, we redirect ‘what if’ thoughts to one simple truth: I cannot know what will happen. So take the weight of knowing off your shoulders for a few minutes, and be the beginner. Come back to this practice if you find yourself dreading, or worrying about things outside of your control. For more practices and readings to support you, check out everydaypeace.ca.

What calms or comes up when you pause to hear your body? Sensations in the body come and go, often for a reason. If you feel your chest expanding, you might be taking in breath. If your stomach feels tight, you might be tense. In this practice, you can rest your brain for seven minutes and give your body a chance to do the talking. You might feel sensations you’ve never felt before, or the same old discomfort might come up. Can you stay with that feeling for just a moment, watching it ebb and flow? Come back to this practice when you’re feeling aches and pains, or find yourself caught in worry. Over time, it can retrain your attention; you can learn to tap into the wisdom of your body. Want to keep learning? More practices to support you at everydaypeace.ca

Sometimes, we add fuel to our stress by tensing around it, by trying to control too many of life’s outcomes, by forcing things. Today’s practice gives you permission to let go. Return to this practice when you feel yourself clinging to an outcome, or stressed over things outside of your control. Additional resources to help you cope with stress at everydaypeace.ca

Stress is a normal, healthy part of life. But it can feel overwhelming at times. This practice aims to interrupt worried thoughts, to give your body a moment of rest even during times of chronic stress. Come back to this practice regularly as a 'reset' for your nervous system. Find readings to support your journey at everydaypeace.ca

Make peace with stress. A podcast for the curious, premiering December 3, 2018.