Five Zen Tips on Living a More Stress-Free Life

Modern people have all learned to be good at multitasking. It seems this is the only way for us to get ahead. No wonder the stress level is extremely high! While some forms of stress may be a good thing (motivating), most are not - it disrupts our inner peace and unbalances our body and mind. Worse, it may cause anxiety and depression. So, is there any way we can release stress, if the stress itself is inevitable considering the complexity and intensity in life? Or, the notion of stress doesn't have to exist in the first place, thus nothing for us to "release"? Here are 5 useful Zen ways that can help you live a more stress-free life. They are all practical and doable - and are sometimes just by-products of your Zen/Chan practice.

1. Deflate your ego: While some stress comes from the work itself, a lot of stress comes from the thought of work - worrying about the delivery of the work, expectation (from both self and others) of how the work should be done, and judgment on your performance. If this is the case, try to picture yourself as a nobody. Put aside your job title and everything of the sort. Try not to compare and compete; instead, try to appreciate the outcome as it is as long as you have done your best. Our mind seems hardwired with the ability of projecting into the future and making hypothetical stories, and this is exactly where the stress comes from.

2. Focus on the present task: Zen teaches us to live in the present, and this is not just a philosophy to talk about. If you practice this philosophy in life, you can reduce stress dramatically. Even though you may have 5 customer calls ringing at the same time, or several homeworks due next week, but since you can only do one at a time, try to focus completely on the current work. Once it's done, then another, with full attention also. Too often just the thought of how much work is waiting for us freaks us out. So don't let it - let the concentration training in your meditation help you focus on the present task (and moment).

3. Breathe: Our life is measured by the unit of the breath. So if you can ease your breath, you can ease your body and mind. Under stressful situations, we often forget to breathe as evenly and rhythmically as it should be. And as a result, we are less balanced and calm. Thus, maintaining a calming way of breathing is especially important during stressful times, and this derives from your meditation practice.

4. Rejuvenate yourself once in a while: Take a yoga break, for instance, or a meditation break. It can be a 15 minute break, or a 3-day retreat. But whatever it might be, the idea is to disconnect with the world and just be content with being. Leave all the title and identity behind - now you are just an ordinary human being. The feeling of ordinariness is spiritual, and a moment like this can bring you refreshing energy and calming mindset when you return to work.

5. Cultivate your inner self (and innate wisdom): Practices such as meditation help us to look inward and find the inner peace. Our inner self has incomparable wisdom which we often ignore. Meditation helps to elevate a person from the conscious level (mind) to the wisdom level (heart). So when facing a situation we are more stable and objective. A subjective view often creates stress; an objective view can release stress.

As an old Chinese proverb goes, "Tension is who you think you should be; relaxation is who you are." Maybe this is exactly something modern people like us should all take time and meditate on.