How To Calm Down: 6 Ways That Actually Work | Bodhi Meditation
Emotions are a special and powerful part of being human. Feeling worry, fear, sadness, anger, anxiety and other emotions are all normal emotional responses to the pressure of daily life.
Nevertheless, constantly feeling mentally and emotionally overwhelmed can affect our ability to think and act rationally. We may say things or react in ways that we end up regretting.
So, how can we respond better in stressful situations? What are effective ways to calm your emotions down in the moment and handle difficult situations?
When we can identify our emotions and employ suitable methods to calm ourselves down, we are less likely to hurt those we care about. Learn to master your emotions and live a happier life.
Don’t worry, it’s easier than you think. Keep scrolling to learn 9 different ways of how to calm down.
6 Ways To Calm Down When You Are Feeling Overwhelmed
1. Meditate
When we still the body and quiet the mind, our chaotic thoughts and feelings start to settle. Like turbid water, our complications and afflictions gradually sink to the bottom, and our innate purity and inner peace can rise to the surface.
Once we make space to calm down, we may find that things are actually really simple. Things aren’t as bad as we thought they were. If our mind is clear, our afflictions disappear automatically.
Practicing meditation can help us quickly replenish your vitality, enhance the growth of positive energy and balance the energy within our body.
Melt away your stress by focusing on Grandmaster JinBodhi’s empowering voice and soothing music. Enter a state of calm and purity and connect with Universal energy.
When your emotions are piling up, find a quiet space to listen to The Meditation of Bone Melting. Let it dissolve your worries and return you to a state of mental purity.
Listen to this short dharma teaching to understand the true meaning and uncover the mystery of bone melting:
Learn more about meditation for beginners at: https://www.puti.org/en/meditation-for-beginners
2. Listen to a calming mantra
According to research, music can bring about relaxation in times of stress, facilitating better coping.1 Music can restore our sense of well-being and brighten our emotional lives.2
So, how can I calm myself down with music? Conversely, how can I calm someone down when they are stressed?
Listening to mantra chanting is a good choice to calm down. When we feel overstimulated, mantra’s repetitive melodies and rhythmic chants can soothe our hearts and minds. In addition, mantras carry the ancient, divine energy of the deities they honor. The Six-Syllable Mantra is composed of six ancient syllables that radiate illumination. Feel connected to Heaven and Earth as this mantra fills you with energy, warmth and love.
Whether it’s in the office, library or room, you can always listen to this mantra when feeling overwhelmed. Just close your eyes and visualize that your whole body is illuminated. In this moment, you are free of anger and filled with purity.
When we let go of our attachments, we can generate infinite wisdom and energy to overcome all obstacles that are in front of us. Let’s practice by following The Six-Syllable Mantra video on our Youtube Channel.
3. Prayer
Have you ever met someone that makes you feel unhappy or anxious for no reason? From a Buddhist perspective, that person may be your enemy or competitor in the previous life.
In Buddhism, karma is an inescapable spiritual law. It explains that we are the creator of our own destiny – all past and current actions will influence our present self. Everything that we do, good and bad, produces karma — a powerful energy that shapes our lives.
Karma and reincarnation are interconnected. When we hurt others or act with negative intention, the karmic debt created from that event is tied to our soul. Bad karma of the previous life will be carried forward to the present life.
So, how can we repay our karmic debts from past lives so we can lead peaceful and happy lives?
In order to free all sentient beings from pain and suffering and live in joy and happiness, Sakyamuni Buddha taught that one compassionate thought can eliminate the calamities of hundreds of lives.
Let’s all chant to Sakyamuni Buddha for health and auspiciousness. May we treat everything around us with great compassion and kindness. May all karmic debt be alleviated.
4. Make your surroundings calm and peaceful
Feng shui is an ancient form of art and science founded on the idea that balancing the elements in your environment can create positive energy to improve your life. Literally meaning “wind water,” feng shui is renowned for supporting good health and wellbeing and has long been practiced in Chinese culture. Increasingly popular in the West, this ancient science can revitalize one’s life-force and bring greater happiness and prosperity to the home and workplace. Optimize your environment to set yourself up for success. For example, good natural ventilation and light allow the positive energy to flow into your home. Keep your windows open when possible and ensure ample natural light and airflow in the house.
—— Excerpt from: Meditation & Health 7 – Enlivening Your Home With Positive Energy
Learn More! Grandmaster’s “Feng Shui and Fortune” YouTube playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdqE_ccHDSJTS2iwPiRlPYtJyKqy3FxgB
5. Arts that heals
Colors and shapes stimulate and inspire our eyes and mind, making associations, forming connections, and creating meaning. Artwork should enhance the spaces it’s in and arouse a positive sense of wellbeing. Art that is beautiful and meaningful to you has the power, through the boundlessness of the creative spirit, to enhance your quality of life. —— Excerpt from: Meditation & Health 9 – Every Home Needs Art
For instance, religious art illustrates the worship of a god or deity and is usually used as a point of focus for a religious practice at home. It is intended to uplift the mind to the spiritual; such pieces convey a unique message to each believer who gazes upon them. Spiritual art in the home often serves as a daily reminder to aspire to a higher consciousness.
The ancient Eleven-faced Guanyin Bodhisattva Thangka was painted in the late Ming Dynasty and worshipped by Tibetan practitioners for over 400 years. Copies of this ancient thangka have been made available to allow more to receive blessings from the Eleven-faced Guanyin Bodhisattva.
The Eleven-faced Guanyin Bodhisattva is one of the manifestations of Guanyin Bodhisattva. According to Buddhist scriptures, if one can chant and offer to the Eleven-faced Guanyin Bodhisattva with utmost sincerity, they will be able to connect with Guanyin Bodhisattva’s compassionate energy and obtain benefits:
• Good health with no disease or ailments.
• Obtain the blessing and protection of All Buddhas.
• Able to defeat enemies without any fear at heart
6. Use incense
The natural scent of sandalwood or agarwood can purify your environment and energy. It is believed to eradicate distractions and promote spiritual practices, as well as facilitate compassion and open heartedness by influencing the intangible emotional body. Scent has the power to connect with higher consciousness, transporting us to a place of tranquility far beyond the mundane world. You can burn an incense whenever you feel like, but remember to do it in a well-ventilated area!
Burning sandalwood incense produces a very strong and pleasant aroma. It is a way of offering to Buddha and Bodhisattva as well as cleansing the air around you.
Sandalwood’s health-giving properties can be applied to both emotional and physical health. Those suffering from depression, anxiety and insomnia can benefit from its soothing quality.
JinBodhi Sandalwood Incense, available at: https://www.cibeiyin.com/en/jinbodhi-sandalwood-incense-10-5-cm
As the incense is rich with pure sandalwood, burning one inch per day would be sufficient. There’s also a portable incense socket at the bottom which offers you more convenience to light an incense anytime, anywhere.
Agarwood incense can act as a tranquilizer, detoxifying agent, and help maintain a healthy stomach. The pure and delicate fragrance of agarwood can relax the mind, bring inner peace, positive energy, and self-awareness.3
JinBodhi Agarwood Incense, available at: https://www.cibeiyin.com/en/jinbodhi-agarwood-incense-30-cm
3 Reasons Why You Might Be Feeling Agitated + How To Calm Down
1. Stress: how to calm down when stressed?
Oftentimes, we feel stressed because we are actually feeling incapable, unconfident, or overwhelmed by what we have to do. This is a great opportunity to remind yourself of your abilities and re-affirm your unique strengths.
Forming a positive habit of thought and speech can help us calm down when stressed. Usher in more confidence and positivity; develop a broader perspective and a mature mentality; lead a successful and happy life!
Bid goodbye to negative and self-defeating thoughts through reciting Grandmaster JinBodhi’s Golden Words:
I am most confident.
I am most tolerant.
I am most courageous.
I am most dependable.
I can do anything.
2. Nightmare: how to calm down after a nightmare?
The element of fire has always been essential to human life on Earth. From cooking and warmth to illumination and protection, fire has long been honored in human civilizations and societies with spiritual rituals.
Light offering is a common practice in Buddhist traditions. Offering a light to Buddha allows one to accumulate immeasurable merits and wisdom, eliminate ignorance, distinguish between good and evil, and be blessed and illuminated in body and mind.
Fire eliminates all obstacles; fire represents light and survival; fire provides the energy for all growth and melting away all negativity. Offering light to Buddha sends compassionate, warm, and protective illumination to ourselves and our families. It burns away and dispels all bad karma and the dark demonic qi.
Feeling spooked after a bad dream? How to calm down after a nightmare? You can make a light offering to Buddha and Bodhisattva. May the auspicious light bring you peace of mind and restful sleep each night!
3. Fight: how to calm down before a fight? How to calm down after a fight?
If you feel yourself getting annoyed and irritated, getting physical exercise is one of the most effective ways to let off steam!
Prostration is a spiritual practice unfamiliar to many Westerners, but one that has a long and significant global history. In both religious and secular contexts around the world, prostration has held an important place for its ability to foster wisdom and physical health.
This workout helps to open the body’s meridians and restore optimal energy flow. Good circulation can increase the amount of oxygen in the blood, which in turn boosts energy, uplifts mood, and improves strength and stamina.
Simple repetitive exercise of continual movements calms the body and mind and brings you to a pure state. A calm mind is conducive to enhanced self-awareness, and self-awareness opens the gateway to heightened wisdom; developing a broader perspective of self and life.
—— Excerpt from: Meditation & Health 24 – Health Highlights of Full Prostration
Of course, while we hope to be able to calm down before a fight, prostration is also a great exercise to practice to calm down after a fight. Take the time to self-reflect, forgive the other person, and prepare to apologize for losing your temper. Once you have calmed down, think about what happened and make a plan with the techniques learned in this article for the next time you start to feel frustrated.
The Bottom Line: The Best Way To Calm Down Naturally In Any Situation
Practice the techniques in this article to calm yourself down, and over time it will come naturally to you. Practice observing your thoughts and keeping your emotions in check. Like pulling on the reins when you feel the horse of your emotions running wild, slow yourself down to avoid acting recklessly.
Making meditation part of your daily routine will enable you to develop the wisdom and perspective to avoid having to calm down in the first place. When we see through to the truth of reality, many of our afflictions and worries are naturally resolved. Live a good life by treating the people around you with love, and maintaining a peaceful and grateful heart.
A heart filled with gratitude brings joy, lessening our afflictions and anxiety!
Check out Grandmaster JinBodhi’s meditation quotes for more inspiration: https://www.puti.org/en/meditation-quotes