Category: self improvement

Originally Sourced From https://www.thelawofattraction.com/breathing-exercises/

You’ve probably heard quite a lot of people saying that breathing exercises are the key to a happier, healthier life.

They’re said to help you combat anxiety, to take a more relaxed attitude to stress, and even to get a more restful night’s sleep. But why are breathing exercises so effective?

And out of the many that you can find online, which should you choose to get the best results?

We’ll explain the main benefits of breathing exercises, helping you to understand why they’re so often recommended.

Then, we’ll move on to look at the very best breathing exercises you can try for a range of different problem – techniques that work well for both anxiety and stress at the moment, ones that help to reduce stress over a longer period of times, and ones that help you relax or fall asleep.

We’ll close by looking at how self-hypnosis can enhance what you can get from your breathing exercises.

What Are The Benefits Of Breathing Exercises?

Deep breathing techniques were used in ancient Buddhist and yoga practices, and continue to be used today.

How you breathe can impact every system in the body.

Increasingly, deep breathing benefits and scientifically documented and supported by evidence.

For example, a large study performed at Ireland’s Trinity College found that breathing is linked to focus.

By regulating our breathing, we can reduce the production of noradrenaline -a chemical messenger that helps you concentrate but that increases anxiety by flooding you when you’re stressed.

Daily breathing exercises, it turns out, help you produce just the right amount to do your best work while still feeling relaxed.

In contrast, shallow breathing reduces your resistance to disease and keeps you in a cycle of stress.

Further, deep breathing:

• Improves posture
• Increases energy level
• It detoxifies the body
• Improves digestion
• Breathing relaxes the mind and body
• Reduces inflammation
• Improves blood flow
• Lowers your heart rate and blood pressure

The Best Breathing Exercises To Help With Anxiety And Stress

As noted above, consistently taking shallow breaths can contribute to stress and anxiety.

For one thing, if you don’t breathe properly then you don’t always get enough oxygen into your body or get rid of enough carbon dioxide (which is a waste product).

Some research on breathing patterns suggests that shallow breathers are more likely to not only feel anxious.

They are less likely to have panic attacks, experience chronic fatigue, and struggle with low mood.

Here are two new approaches to breathing that you can try today. Both are designed to help you de-escalate when you’re feeling anxious or stressed.

Diaphragmatic Breathing

The diaphragm breathing technique is safe for almost everyone but check with your doctor if you have a respiratory condition.

To practice the technique, sit or lie down in a quiet place, wearing comfortable clothes. Put your hands in your lap, rest them flat on your bed, or put them on the arms of your chair.

Next, put your left hand right on your stomach and right hand on your upper chest. Take a deep breath in from your abdomen – not your throat – and count to three.

If you’re doing it right, your right hand won’t move but your stomach will rise under your left.

Take a short breath, then exhale to a count of three. You should feel your stomach drop-down under your left hand. Repeat this pattern for 5-10 minutes, noticing that you become more relaxed over time.

If it helps, you can say an affirmation on each exhale, such as “relax” or “calm.”

Start Using Long Exhales

When you first start trying to work on your breathing, you might notice that simply taking deeper breaths doesn’t really reduce your anxiety. This is because deep inhales actually active your fight-or-flight system.

If you focus on lengthening your exhales instead then you will see big differences.

Exhaling is connected to your parasympathetic nervous system, and you can exploit this link to help your body relax.

When you feel the urge to take a deep breath, try a long exhale instead, fully emptying your lungs. Then, let your inhale develop naturally, as your body sees fit.

For each following exhale, spend longer on it than you do on your inhales. For example, try inhaling to a count of five and exhaling to a count of seven.

Best Breathing Exercises To Reduce Stress

Now, let’s look at two breathing exercises to reduce stress. These are particularly useful if you don’t only experience episodes of anxiety but also tend to feel that your life is stressful.

Practiced frequently, these exercises can help you to better cope with stress and improve your ability to regulate your own emotions.

Visualization Breathing Exercises

There are two key visualization breathing exercises you should try.

The first involves inflating an imaginary balloon.

This might seem odd at first, but it again helps to activate that parasympathetic nervous system in a way that relaxes you.

To do this exercise, find a comfortable position, breathe normally for a couple of minutes, then concentrate on filling your abdomen like a balloon with each inhales.

On each exhale, picture air slowly seeping out of that balloon.

Picture the balloon in your mind’s eye throughout, perhaps as your favorite color. This exercise helps to train you out of breathing shallowly.

The second visualization exercise starts the same way – with you getting comfortable. Breathe from your diagram, and on each inhalation imagine every feeling of stress in your body filling your chest.

Next, as you breathe out, imagine the stress goes out with your breath. Repeat this at a slow, steady pace to gradually get rid of stress.

Mindful Breathing Exercises

There are plenty of other stress-busting breathing exercises you can try, but one of the most powerful of all is the Shamatha (“Breathing as Is”) technique.

To do it, get comfortable in either a sitting or standing position. Start by increasing your awareness of your own body, noticing the weight of it on your feet, and the sensation of the chair or floor beneath you.

Keep your back straight, and relax your gaze, fixing it on a central point so that you are not truly looking at what’s in front of you.

Turn your attention to the natural rhythm of your breath, paying special attention to the way your stomach rises and falls.

As this is a meditative exercise, your mind may wander at times. Gently redirect it, and refocus on the breath

Mindful Breathing Exercises For Relaxation

While it’s undeniably helpful to learn breathing techniques for stress, it’s also important to learn exercises that you can use to relax even when life is going well.

These techniques will help you get a good night’s sleep, and may also help to slow your heart rate and regulate your blood pressure.

Using Calming Breathing Exercises

This exercise can be performed alone or as preparation for the technique below.

The idea is that you can prime yourself for relaxation by choosing the right place and by getting your body ready.

This means finding a quiet, calm room, taking off your shoes, and wearing your most comfortable clothes.

Next, find the most natural position for your body, and either close your eyes or softly focus on something in front of you.

Try to focus on nothing but your breathing.

This is very similar to the meditative exercise above, but it’s more about focusing on breath than on your body.

Within minutes, you should feel more relaxed.

Using Progressive Muscle Relaxation Techniques

Once you’re sufficiently relaxed, you can move on to practice a progressive muscle relaxation technique. It’s best to do this one sitting, but the good news is that it can be done anywhere – whether you’re at home, at work, or traveling.

The core activity is tensing and relaxing all of your muscle groups, one by one. This releases tension you’re holding throughout.

To do this exercise, close your eyes and focus on your feet. Deliberately tense them, then relax them.

Work up past your ankle to your knees, thighs, buttocks, your pelvis, abdomen, chest, hands, arms, the front and back of your neck, both sides of your jaw, and your brow.

As you tighten and release each muscle group, keep your breathing slow and steady. Notice how fluidly you move and how different your body feels afterward – how loose and comfortable it feels.

If you’re not used to this exercise it’s easy to lose focus before you’ve finished. Experts on anxiety and relaxation suggest that you can better maintain focus by holding your breath to a count of five while you tense your muscles, breathing out when you relax the muscles.

Deep Breathing Exercises For Sleep That You Can Practice

Now, almost any of the above exercises can help you prepare for sleep. However, certain further techniques specifically target getting a good night’s sleep.

These breathing exercises for sleep can help you combat insomnia and help you set aside the stresses of the day, marking a transition from activity to rest.

Square Or Box Breathing Technique

Sometimes called square breathing, the box breathing technique trains your attention on them that you’re drawing into your body with every breath.

Sit down, keep your spine straight, take a breath in, and then exhale as exhaustively as you can – aim to get all the air out of your lungs.

Next, breathe in through your nose to a count of four, and hold your breath to a count of four, focusing on the thought that you’re drawing fresh oxygen into your blood.

Finally, slowly breathe out through your mouth, again focusing on releasing all the carbon dioxide through your exhalation.

Three-Part Breathing Technique

Finally, the three-part breathing exercise is very easy to follow and also primes your body for sleep.

The first part involves simply taking in a long, deep breath. Inhale slowly, so as not to trigger your fight-or-flight response.

The second part is to exhale, noticing the movements and feelings of your body as you do so.

Repeat this a couple of times, then do the third part of the exercise – slow down the speed of your exhalation so that it lasts double the time of your inhales.

So, if your inhalation is to a count of five, make your exhalation to a count of ten.

Learn To Relax with Self-Hypnosis

At this stage, you have a wide range of breathing exercises under your belt, helping you to combat anxiety, control stress, and get a good rest.

If you like how you feel after these exercises, why not try our self-hypnosis for relaxation program as the next step? By leading you into a receptive, calm state and accessing your subconscious mind, self-hypnosis can help you get rid of the stubborn thoughts and feelings that trigger stress and anxiety.

Hypnosis can’t make you do anything you don’t want to do, but it can help you achieve your goals and overcome internal limitations that are holding you back.

The post Essential Deep Breathing Exercises For Anxiety And Stress appeared first on The Law Of Attraction.

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Originally Sourced From https://www.thelawofattraction.com/self-deception/

We’re not always honest with ourselves. We make promises to change without following them through, we sometimes avoid uncomfortable truths, and we twist the facts to help us feel better about our situation. Worse still, we don’t even always know when we’re actively engaging in self-deception.

But why do we do this? How can we become more aware of when we’re lying to ourselves? And how can we end this habit for good, developing a healthier and more truthful relationship with ourselves and the world?

Starting with an exploration of why we lie to ourselves, we’ll then move on to consider how you can tell when you’re self-deceiving.

From there, we’ll look at the positive task of becoming more honest with yourself, offering five concrete strategies to help you stop lying to yourself in the longer term.

When we’re truthful with ourselves, we start to live a healthier, happier, and more authentic life.

Why Do We Lie To Ourselves?

Firstly, what is self-deception? Essentially, it’s telling lies to ourselves in order to feel better. You can think of it as an escape route that we use to cope with a difficult thing we don’t want to face.

We don’t typically do this on purpose, but our subconscious instigates self-deception in order to protect us.

There are all sorts of reasons why you might develop this response. Perhaps you saw others doing it when you were growing up, and you learned the lesson that this is the way to cope with uncomfortable emotions.

Alternatively, maybe you went through a particularly traumatic experience and you simply can’t cope with any more pain or difficulty.

We all self-deceive sometimes, but it gets more problematic the more we do it.

This is because self-deception is like putting a bandaid on a massive wound – it has limited temporary effectiveness and does nothing to address the underlying issues.

Recognizing Signs Of Self-Deception

So, it’s important to be alert to self-deception because it undermines happiness. However, we must be very careful and alert to pick up such defense mechanisms.

To that end, let’s look at three core signs of self-deception, fleshing them out with self-deception examples that will help you understand how such signs might appear in your own life.

You Avoid Confrontations With Difficult Situations

Firstly, think about your default response to difficulty. Perhaps someone is annoyed at you, for example. Do you try to talk it out with the person you’ve irritated, or do you avoid them?

Do you face up to your role in the annoyance, or spin a story that says the other person is to blame? If you tend toward avoidance, you likely also tend to self-deception.

In other words, when you feel something negative, your instinct is to go in the opposite direction rather than face up to it now.

And this kind of chronic avoidance requires building a web of interconnected lies, so it can very quickly spin out of control.

Self-deception is also often linked to procrastination when it comes to difficult tasks you don’t enjoy. So, if you’ve ever thought to yourself “I need to learn how to stop procrastinating”, you may just have a self-deception habit as well.

You Rationalize Bad Behavior With Self-Deception

Learning to stop justifying yourself and your negative behaviors are crucial to leaving self-deception behind. We all make mistakes.

For example, we forget to call someone who is waiting to hear from us, we mess up on a work project, or we say the wrong thing and hurt someone’s feelings.

How we respond to making such mistakes can be a sign of serious self-deception. If you’re self-deceptive, you’ll have a strong impulse to rationalize your own behavior.

You outsource the blame to someone else, or you deny that there’s any blame involved. For example, you might think “Yes, I said something mean, but he deserved it”, or “Yes, I was late with that task, but it’s my boss’s fault the task wasn’t clear.”

And where there’s no one else involved, you may paint yourself as a victim of life circumstances, rather than a person with agency.

You Are In Denial

A related but subtly different sign of self-deception is simply denial. While the above description of rationalization involves telling a false story about a true event, denial involves rejecting the event itself.

So, being in denial might involve thinking that you don’t eat too much, even though you’re overweight and that weight straightforwardly implies that you eat too much.

Similarly, you might reject the idea that you have a drug or alcohol problem, thinking “I’m just having fun at the weekend”, or “I deserve to relax.”

Denial is one of the most dangerous aspects of self-deception, and one of its most extreme manifestations.

It suggests a basic difficulty in managing challenging or uncomfortable emotions, and it can stop you from seeing the most important changes to need to make. In the weight case, for example, the denial brings comfort but it comes at the high cost of health risks and low self-esteem.

How To Stop Lying To Yourself

So, now you understand what self-deception is about, when it might happen and how you might detect it. Now, how do you stop self-deceit and learn to deal with reality?

Here are five strategies you can use if you want to create a future where you don’t lie to yourself.

Start Taking Constructive Criticism As A Positive Thing

One of the most powerful actions you can take is reframing constructive criticism as useful feedback. Of course, you shouldn’t accept unkindness, bullying, or verbal abuse.

However, when someone who cares about you tries to suggest something needs to change, try to see that there is probably some truth in it and that this truth takes you one step closer to a happier existence.

After all, when you know what you’re doing wrong, you have a rough blueprint of what would be right.

While no one enjoys hearing about their weaknesses, it’s better to know about them and work to change them than it is to continue to have negative traits.

And if you aren’t able to think of anyone who would offer you this kind of well-meaning feedback, dedicate some of your energy to the quest to find true friendship. With the right love and support, self-deception becomes progressively less necessary.

Stop Putting Things Off

We referred above to a connection between procrastination and self-deception. In particular, consider the habit of saying “I’ll do it tomorrow” in order to avoid tasks while still feeling good about your productivity.

If you can learn to stop procrastinating, you will start to create meaningful, lasting change. So, when you feel yourself gearing up to generate an exclusive for why you don’t need to engage with something difficult, take a deep breath and choose to deal with that thing right now.

If you struggle to beat procrastination in the early days, one thing you can do is reward yourself in small ways for completing difficult tasks.

Whether you eat something you particularly like, take some time off or buy a small luxury, you can slowly start to rewire your brain.

In particular, things you used to associate with negativity become tethered to the dopamine boost of rewards, and you no longer want to procrastinate.

Keep Your Emotions In Check

Strong, difficult emotions are the primary driver for self-deception.

So, if you become more aware of your emotions and work on examining them, you can stop the self-deception cycle in its tracks.

As you feel an intense emotion like anger, fear, or shame, take a deliberate pause.

At this point, you might rush into self-deception in order to hide from discomfort. Actively resist this urge and let yourself sit with the emotion.

Ask yourself where it came from, and what would need to happen to address it head-on.

This can all feel very foreign at first, but if practiced often enough it can become your new default.

Daily mindfulness practice can do a lot to help with emotional awareness and regulation. Through meditation and mindfulness, you can learn to detach from intense feelings.

Rather than drowning in them, they become passing experiences that don’t define you and don’t have the power to destroy you.

Quit Doubting Yourself

People often notice that they become more prone to self-deception when their self-esteem is low. And a major ingredient of low self-esteem is self-sabotage – thinking that you can’t do things, or are not good enough to have things.

This itself can be a form of self-deception, so a vicious circle easily results. One way to disrupt that cycle is to work on boosting your self-esteem.

In particular, remember that you’re never too old to try new things or to attempt to change. As long as you’re alive, there’s a chance to make your life better, richer, and more fulfilling.

In time, being bold enough to try new things creates a positive cycle that deadens self-deception. You feel better and better about yourself, so there’s less need to hide from anything that feels difficult. After all, you know that you’re a valuable, worthwhile person, so transient mistakes and sources of shame are only blips to be overcome.

Don’t Give Up

Finally, building resilience is a reliable way to reduce self-deception. When you’re resilient, you believe in your ability to bounce back after difficulties, and you know your own strength.

As with self-esteem, the more resilience you have the less you feel you need to hide from things that feel painful. But how do you go about doing this? One basic way of boosting resilience involves simply taking good care of yourself. Nurture your body and your mind, and hold boundaries if someone attempts to drain your energy.

Another resilience-boosting tactic is to persist at times when you would normally have given up.

Whether you’re in pursuit of a particular goal or attempt to resolve an interpersonal difficulty, push past the point at which the past version of you would have said “Never mind.” Often, you’ll find that this perseverance proves that you can get what you want if you simply refuse to give up.

Try Self-Hypnosis To Improve Self-Esteem And Confidence

By now, you’re better equipped than before to avoid self-deception. You know what it is, how to spot it, and how to create a life without it. However, if you want to be true to yourself and stay honest, it’s also wise to work on your core self-esteem.

After all, we only self-deceived when we believe the truth about ourselves is too horrible to face. Using self-hypnosis is a particularly powerful way of changing the way you see yourself, helping you to build a more positive relationship with your authentic self.

By tapping into your subconscious, our carefully designed self-esteem hypnosis program gives you the support you need to see yourself as valuable, strong, and empowered.

We tackle some of the most common limiting beliefs that keep people avoidant and insecure. If you want to be good to yourself and ensure you never again need to self-deceive, this program is a wonderful step in that direction.

The post Self-Deception: Understanding How To Be True To Yourself appeared first on The Law Of Attraction.

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Originally Sourced From https://www.thelawofattraction.com/living-with-purpose/

Do you ever feel like you don’t really know where your life is going? Perhaps you’ve pursued a few different projects, hobbies, and careers but quite felt you’d found your calling.

It’s frustrating to live in this way, and it’s hard to measure progress. You can easily feel burnt out and disillusioned, as well as like you’re not really contributing anything to the world.

In contrast, when you live with purpose, you’ll naturally find balance in life. This leads to long-term satisfaction and fulfillment. But how do you get there? How do you find your purpose, and what can you do to ensure you live in alignment with it?

In this guide, we’ll explore why it’s so important to live with purpose, and why those without purpose suffer as a result.

More importantly, we’ll offer three concrete routes toward living with purpose, with an emphasis on practical changes you can make as soon as today.

What Is The Point Of Living A Life Of Purpose?

Broadly speaking, having a sense of purpose means that you know what you’re contributing to the world and to your own development. Your days have structure, you have concrete goals in mind.

While everyone has rough days and difficult times, if you have a life of purpose then your default state is one of happiness and satisfaction.

With this in mind, let’s start to refine our ideas about why it’s so important to have this sense of purpose and to explore the connection between a lack of purpose and deep distress.

Why Do We Search For Purpose?

We all feel the need to have a purpose in our lives. Without it, we start to think “I feel lost and out of place.”

But why? The crux of our search for meaning likely has a lot to do with our awareness of our own mortality. We know that we have a limited time to make an impact and leave a legacy.

So when we feel out of place, we can’t help but wonder whether our life really matters. In addition, many of us are driven to make the world a better place, and when we lack purpose we’re painfully aware we aren’t creating positive change.

What If I Have No Sense Of Purpose In Life?

If you’re feeling lost and have no sense of your life’s purpose, you can feel hopeless and stuck.

You may begin to think that life is meaningless, creating a negative feedback loop of sadness and inertia.

In this circumstance, the most important thing you can do is consciously devote energy to changing your mindset.

This won’t happen overnight, but if you take some time every day to work on shifting your perspective then you’ll gradually begin to find meaning again.

And we’ll explore below, there is concrete, reliable steps you can follow in order to recover a sense of purpose and empowerment.

What If I’ve Been Feeling Lost With No Purpose For A Long Time?

If you’ve never felt like you’re living with purpose, it’s important to be aware of just how much this will have shaped your thoughts and feelings about yourself and your potential.

When you spend years feeling lost, you can start to see your time on earth as meaningless – and this is devastating to your self-esteem.

You may feel like you’re simply sleepwalking through life, never really trying to push yourself or develop your talents. However, even if you feel like you’re truly a lost soul, there are still things you can do to finally find a purpose and experience joy in your life.

How To Start Living With Purpose?

Now that you have a rough sense of why we need a purpose in life and how it affects us when we lack such a purpose, let’s look at how we can find meaning and joy by discovering your purpose. These four steps will help you learn how to find your purpose and passion in life.

Finding The Right Balance In Your Life

Many people wrongly assume that living with purpose means devoting all your resources to one particular goal.

However, to be a happy, fulfilled person it’s important to learn to start living with purpose in multiple areas of your life.

To this end, try to think about your life split into the following three elements: professional, social, and spiritual.

To be both purposeful and balanced, challenge yourself to set goals in each category every day.

For example, one day you might do part of an online course that improves your professional skills, reach out to a friend for a chat, and listen to some of your favorite songs.

Start Exploring Your Ego

Often, we lack purpose because of the way we think about ourselves. This means that if you want to find satisfaction, fulfillment, and purpose, you need to be willing to engage in ego work.

Ego work isn’t necessarily about having a big ego – it’s about reflecting on who you are and your place in the world.

Firstly, consider that many of us have a huge number of false beliefs about ourselves. Some of these come from negative figures in our past, others come from painful experiences, and yet more come from societal messages about success, value, and beauty.

To learn more about your purpose and what makes you happy, you need to silence those old voices. And to silence then, you need to give them airtime – albeit briefly.

An exercise that can help here is to write down negative beliefs you have about what you can achieve and consciously form replies to them.

For example, a belief like “I should just be happy with my lot” can stop you from pursuing growth or ambition. A replacement belief that’s healthier and more growth-promoting might be “I can be grateful in my life while striving to be even better.”

Secondly, keeping a daily journal can help you live a more purposeful life and facilitate ego work at the same time.

Each day, try writing down what you want to achieve tomorrow, and reflect on how the past day made you feel. When did you feel most alive and most engaged? These are clues to your true purpose.

Visualize The True Purpose You Want

Creative visualization is a cornerstone of the Law of Attraction work, and for good reason. It helps you build a vivid image of what you want to create in the world, making it real. You can tailor this technique to the aim of finding purpose in life, accessing your subconscious, and visualizing the best version of yourself.

Start by spending a few minutes engaged in deep breathing, inhaling through your nose, and exhaling through your mouth. Then, close your eyes and ask yourself “Who do I want to be?”.

Let the image develop slowly. Where would you be? What would you be doing? How would you be feeling, and who would you be around? You might be surprised by some of the details that emerge.

When you’re in a meditative state, your defense mechanisms are down and you may realize long-suppressed dreams and desires.

You can perform this exercise multiple times, focusing on different areas of your life. Once you reach a stage where you feel like you’re starting to know your true purpose, you can continue to use visualization to support this goal.

Every few days, simply take 10-15 minutes to inhabit your inner vision of what you’re working toward.

Question Yourself And Your Choices In Life

Finally, no matter how you’re living your life, make a habit of actively examining how you’re feeling about it. When we’re busy, it’s easy to just keep pushing through our days without really stopping to think about whether we are happy and fulfilled.

Ask yourself: is this truly what I want in life? If I could change one thing, what would it be? Entertaining these questions on a weekly or monthly basis ensures that you never stagnate, and never return to that old place of lacking purpose.

Remember that questioning yourself and your choices don’t have to mean criticizing yourself or taking a negative view of your worth.

Instead, it can be about nurturing and caring for yourself – a practice similar to asking a friend “Are you sure this is what you want?”. Allow yourself to get things wrong sometimes, to be imperfect.

And when you feel life is less than ideal or regrets a choice, try to draw a lesson from it. What can you do differently going forward in order to be happier? What is one step you can take today in order to move away from an outdated choice or habit?

Find Your Life Purpose With The Law Of Attraction

You’re now armed with several techniques that can help you find purpose and stay focused on the things that bring you joy and fulfillment.

However, if you want to learn even more about your true purpose and grow into the very best version of yourself, the Law of Attraction can give you the resources to do so.

By offering you techniques similar to the visualization exercise above, the Law of Attraction teachings can show you how to better understand your desires and turn them into your reality.

Meanwhile, if you’re still struggling to find a sense of purpose, simply developing a more positive mindset can go a long way toward helping you see who you want to be.

Law of Attraction teachings focuses on connecting you with gratitude, abundance, and growth. All of these things help to open your mind to your full potential, giving you the tools to create a life of joy and purpose.

The post Living With Purpose To Find A True Balance In Life appeared first on The Law Of Attraction.

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Originally Sourced From https://themindunleashed.com/2020/09/ann-arbor-becomes-latest-city-to-decriminalize-magic-mushrooms-and-other-natural-psychedelics.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ann-arbor-becomes-latest-city-to-decriminalize-magic-mushrooms-and-other-natural-psychedelics

(TMU) – The city of Ann Arbor, Michigan, has effectively decriminalized psilocybin or “magic” mushrooms along with other natural psychedelics in the latest sign that public opinion across the U.S. is continuing to turn against prohibitionist policies.

On Monday, the Ann Arbor City Council unanimously voted in favor of a resolution that would make it the city’s lowest-ranked law enforcement priority to the investigate or arrest anyone planting, cultivating, purchasing, transporting, distributing, using or possessing entheogenic plants or plant compounds.

The resolution applies to all psychedelics derived from plants and fungi, including psilocybin mushrooms, ayahuasca, ibogaine, mescaline, peyote and other substances with hallucinogenic properties deemed illegal under state and federal law.

The council also requires the Washtenaw County Prosecutor’s Office to halt the prosecution of those involved in the use of entheogenic plants and plant compounds.

Ann Arbor now joins a growing list of cities including Denver, Colorado, and the California cities of Santa Cruz and Oakland that have decriminalized all entheogenic plants. Other cities including Chicago and Austin are considering similar measures. A ballot measure that would legalize the use of psilocybin in therapeutic settings will also be voted on in the state of Oregon this November.

The move to de-prioritize law enforcement around psychedelics was spearheaded by the efforts of local grassroots advocacy group Decriminalize Nature Ann Arbor, or DNA2.

At the beginning of the year, councilmembers were skeptical about any move to decriminalize psychedelics. Since then, they’ve found themselves convinced by evidence of the therapeutic and spiritual benefits of psychedelics, including for mental health treatment and treating addiction, reports MLive.

Councilmember Zachary Ackerman cited the opening of a $17 million psychedelic and consciousness research center by Johns Hopkins Medicine as proof of “the tremendous potential of these future medicines.” The Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore is currently conducting clinical trials to find out whether the drug is suitable as a prescription drug for the U.S. market.

Councilmember Jack Eaton described the council’s unanimous backing for the decriminalization resolution as carrying on the city’s legacy of backing the local decriminalization of m******** during the 1970s, when the plant was still illegal under state and federal law.

The resolution doesn’t allow for the commission of crimes or any significant violation of state or federal law, and any use of entheogenic substances that pose a threat to public health and safety could require intervention by law enforcement bodies.

In the resolution, entheogenic plants are defined as the full spectrum of plants and fungi that contain indole amines, tryptamines and phenethylamines “that can benefit psychological and physical wellness, support and enhance religious and spiritual practices, and can reestablish human’s inalienable and direct relationship to nature.”

The resolution also states that psychedelic substances can be used to address substance abuse problems, addiction, recidivism, trauma, post-traumatic stress, depression, anxiety, grief, cluster headaches and other debilitating conditions.

“The use of entheogenic plants, which can catalyze profound experiences of personal and spiritual growth, have been shown by scientific and clinical studies and traditional practices to be beneficial to the health and well-being of individuals and communities in addressing these conditions,” it states.

Psilocybin mushrooms are currently considered a Schedule 1 narcotic by the Drug Enforcement Agency.

However, psilocybin – the main chemical component of the mushrooms – was designated as a “breakthrough therapy” by the FDA in 2019 due to the positive results of psilocybin in treating depression, anxiety, addiction, and other mental health problems.

Studies have also shown how a microdose of psilocybin—far from the level needed for a full-blown trip—actually increases the creativity and empathy of participants.

Other researchers have also found that psilocybin has provided effective help to patients struggling to quit other addictive substances such as cigarettes.

The newfound recognition of psilocybin therapy as a valid treatment has eroded old stereotypes of psilocybin as some intoxicating and hallucination-inducing party drug that drives its users insane – a reputation that largely grew out of the hippie counterculture of the 1960s when they were widely known as “psychedelic” or “magic” mushrooms.

The resolution further notes that entheogenic plants have been the basis of spiritual practices by human cultures for thousands of years, yet those who seek them for the sake of improving their health and wellbeing must risk arrest and prosecution to obtain them.

“Decriminalization of naturally occurring medicines is necessary for progress,” councilmember Jeff Hayner said in a press release from DNA2 last week, reports Detroit Metro Times. “We can no longer turn a blind eye towards the wisdom of indigenous peoples, and the bounty the earth provides. I have been moved by the testimonies of those who have found profound relief from the use of entheogenic plants.”

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Originally Sourced From https://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/8-ways-to-manage-your-day-to-day-stress/

Even if you don’t struggle with anxiety, just about everyone goes through periods of extreme stress. If you don’t know how to manage stress, you may find yourself using unhealthy coping mechanisms that can make it difficult to get back to your normal lifestyle. If you’re looking for new ways to help manage your day-to-day stress, here are ten things you can try.

1. Avoid Stimulants

If your days are becoming more stressful, you may want to consider cutting back on the coffee. If you smoke, you may want to think about cutting back on cigarettes as well. Quitting altogether may be more than you can handle currently, but even decreasing your usage a little should help. Though they may seem like effective coping mechanisms, nicotine and caffeine can actually increase your stress levels and make you more irritable throughout the day. Instead of loading up on coffee, prioritize a healthy sleep schedule. While certain stressors can make you wish for a drink at the end of a long day, alcohol can also make stress worse. This is especially true if you wake up hungover and are unable to accomplish your many tasks during the day. While medication can help, there is usually a trial and adjustment period while you find the type and dosage that works for you. On the other hand, CBD oil is easy to find and can be extremely effective in reducing effects of depression and anxiety.

2. Stop Saying “Yes”

Some feelings of heightened stress are linked to obligations to others. If you have people depending on you at your job, at home or in your social circles, you may feel like you have to agree to more than you can handle. In this case, it is essential that you sort out your priorities before you become too overwhelmed. It may be time to step back and focus on things that are important to you, and you only. Author Nora Roberts makes an excellent point about juggling priorities. When you have lots of balls in the air, know which ones are glass, and which ones are plastic. Maybe that important task at work is glass and you can’t afford to drop it. Meanwhile, volunteering for the PTA bake sale is decidedly plastic, but your child’s play that they’ve been rehearsing for all semester is definitely glass. Managing stress is crucial to a healthy lifestyle, so don’t feel guilty about stepping back and reassessing what you can handle.

3. Rest

When you have a load of tasks that need to be completed, rest may become just another item on your list. However, if your mind and body needs a break, you won’t perform at your best. Rest is crucial when you’re physically ill, and it should be considered just as crucial when you’re going through periods of extreme stress. Sometimes stepping back from the things that are causing you stress can give you a more objective view of the problems and challenges causing your anxiety. Getting some distance can help you come to solutions much faster than you would have otherwise. Neglecting rest for long periods of time can lead to burnout, in which case your efficiency will drop anyway, which can cause even more stress. It may be hard to turn off your brain at first, but taking the time to relax could be the recharge you need.

4. Time Management

If you’re lacking structure to your day or your work schedule, you may not be working in a way that is most efficient. As a result, you may not be seeing the progress you thought you would, which can cause more stress. Without managing your time, you may be more prone to distractions. To avoid this, map out your time with a daily and weekly schedule. When you approach this task, it’s easy to get carried away with all the productivity you wish you had, but try to be realistic. The worksheet may say you have 24 hours, but you know how many of those you need for rest. You know roughly how many hours you need to dedicate to family time, and you know you need to schedule buffers for emergencies or other things that can pop up unexpectedly, like car troubles. You may want to take a few days to just record how you spend your time so you have a better idea of what your current schedule actually looks like. Once you’ve made changes to how you manage your time, stick to it as closely as possible. This way you don’t get stuck on any one task and avoid the others by mistake. Once you have a routine in place, you’ll find it is easier to move from task to task because both your mind and body will have adjusted, and you won’t need to exercise precious willpower to move on to the next task or resist endless scrolling on your phone.

5. Get Help

When stress makes it difficult to function, don’t be afraid to ask for help. This may look different to everyone. You may be taking on too much at work, and your coworkers could be doing more. Maybe your family isn’t contributing to the home as much, or maybe you need to come to an agreement about taking on fewer household responsibilities as you learn how to better manage your stress. Often the people in your life won’t know that you’re struggling until you do ask for help. While redistributing tasks can make managing stress easier, sometimes it’s not enough. If you’re having trouble managing stress on your own, you may want to consider professional help. Speaking to a therapist can help you pinpoint sources of your anxiety and how to deal with them in the future.

6. Identify Your Triggers

If you know which situations cause you stress, you can do a better job of avoiding them. You may not be able to avoid all of them all the time, but you can regain some control. If a cluttered workspace causes anxiety in the morning, take some time to tidy your desk before leaving in the afternoon. If a certain aspect of your job causes more anxiety, you may be able to switch around your tasks so that you’re more comfortable. If your workplace becomes distracting, try using an empty conference room or see if you can work from home a day or two out of the week. It’s important to advocate for yourself, especially when it comes to mental health.

7. Exercise

Exercise has been lauded for its mood-boosting effects, which can make a big difference if you’re combating anxiety. While you may not have much motivation to exercise when your schedule is already full, a quick jog or swim can make a big difference in how you feel by the end of the day. Plus, moving your body can be a great way to let your subconscious work out solutions to problems you’re experiencing in both your workplace and personal life. This can also be a social activity that helps you and a friend or two meet your fitness goals. Isolation or loneliness can have a huge impact on mental health, so finding a walking group or workout buddy is a convenient way to take out two birds with one stone. While a gym is nice, you don’t need fancy equipment or an expensive membership to get a good workout in. There are lots of ways to use your environment, and many classes are available online or on apps for free.

8. Use Your Hobbies

When things become overwhelming, a great source of stress relief is indulging in your hobbies. Whether you pursue knitting, dancing or some other activity, making time for yourself can alleviate many symptoms of stress. Depending on the hobby, you may even have a finished item to show for your time. However, it is important that you don’t equate your worth with your productivity, as is becoming more and more common with creative individuals. If you judge yourself based on the things you make, something you love may turn into just another source of stress, all because you haven’t opened an Etsy store like that girl on Instagram. Never mind that you only have a couple of hours a week to dedicate to your macramé plant holders. If you tend to slip into this mindset, you may be better off with the hobby that doesn’t result in a physical item from your efforts. A good alternative is volunteering since there are so many ways you can donate your time and skills.

During life changes and massive unprecedented global events, pretty much everyone is going to deal with unprecedented amounts of stress. While this can seem unavoidable, how you deal with this stress is completely up to you. By using these eight tips and focusing on the things that are within your control, you can better manage your anxiety and advocate for your mental health in healthy and effective ways.

The post 8 Ways To Manage Your Day-To-Day Stress appeared first on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement.

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Originally Sourced From https://themindunleashed.com/2020/09/esoteric-meaning-behind-neos-interrogation-scene-in-the-matrix.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=esoteric-meaning-behind-neos-interrogation-scene-in-the-matrix

More than 20 years old now, The Matrix is recognized by fans across the world as being one of the most brilliant films in history, most notably for its deeper meaning and esoteric philosophy.

One scene that is particularly intriguing, considering the social climate of today, is Neo’s interrogation by the Agents of the Matrix.

Now, before we dig into the potential hidden meaning here, as I perceive it, and how Neo found himself in this uncomfortable position to begin with, let’s first establish some key points in relation to the overall story line that will help us to appreciate the implications behind this scene a little bit more.

What Does The Character Neo Represent in the Matrix?

Neo in ancient Greek (νέος) means new/young one. This is an important piece of the puzzle to help us understand what the directors of the film are trying to communicate to us. With that said, when we assess Neo’s character in the first film, we find that he is a solitary individual that keeps to himself and is struggling to find deeper meaning in this world by constantly searching the internet.

What Does The Character Morpheus Represent in the Matrix?

Morpheus in Greek mythology is a messenger of the gods. He appears to humans through dreams with the intention of delivering divine Knowledge and Truth. In the Greek mythos, he can appear in almost any form in people’s dreams, which could be because anyone, regardless of race, gender, or outward appearance, can be a messenger of enlightenment and Truth.

The First Matrix Film is About The Beginning of the Journey to Awakening

With the understanding of the deeper meaning behind what Neo and Morpheus’ characters represent in the film, we can now appreciate the intro scene of Neo sleeping (whilst searching for Morpheus) through a different lens of perception and awareness.

You see, Neo sleeping whilst searching online for Morpheus represents the early stages of the Truth seekers journey — “asleep” but still searching for deeper meaning in life — and hoping to find that meaning by seeking out a “messenger” of higher Knowledge and Truth.

Truth is Terrorism in the Empire of Lies

Through his incessant efforts, Neo begins to get closer and closer to finding the elusive Morpheus. This, however, also attracts the unwanted attention of the Agents in the Matrix, which represent the enforcers of the shadow government of this system. Their job is to ensure that no one exposes what the Matrix really is, and how it turns unsuspecting every day human beings into useful resources that it can use and exploit.

The Agents proceed to apprehend Neo and interrogate him, where they make it very clear that they’ve been spying on him and keeping meticulous records of his activities, both online and offline, for quite some time now. As we all know very well today, all around the world intelligence agencies are doing exactly that — tracking what we view online and keeping meticulous records on many of our movements.

The agents, however, do not see Neo as being a major threat to the Matrix system, as he is still in the early stages of his awakening and does not know enough to be a major threat. Instead, they offer him a deal where they will be willing to “wipe the slate clean” on his illegal activities online, if Neo will simply help them track down the man they call Morpheus, who they claim is “a known terrorist” that is “considered by many authorities to be the most dangerous man alive”.

This represents that the single greatest threat to this manipulative system — which is overwhelmingly ruled by deception and exploitation — is any messenger of higher Knowledge and Truth that can potentially awaken those who are still “asleep” to what the proverbial Matrix really is. In fact, one could argue this sort of power struggle has been going on for thousands of years, and is possibly why Socrates was accused of “corrupting the youth” by the ruling class more than 2,000 years ago and subsequently sentenced to death; or why Fred Hampton was assassinated by government authorities in 1969; or, in more recent history, why civilians that were peacefully protesting against Wall Street and the bankers for their part in destroying the world economy in 2008, were targeted by the FBI and even labelled as potential “domestic terrorists“.

Simply put, Truth is terrorism in the empire of lies.

Imaginary Rights

Neo, still being somewhat naïve and unbegun in his journey, rejects the Agent’s offer and demands he get a phone call because “I know my rights!”

To this, Agent Smith retorts, “tell me Mr. Anderson, what good is a phone call if you’re unable to speak?”, which results in Neo’s mouth warping in the most eerie of ways.

This scene represents a lesson that all genuine Truth seekers eventually come to learn — this system is not concerned with human rights nor is it concerned with upholding authentic justice. Instead, it inculcates these beliefs and misperceptions into our minds from a very young age, because it serves to help legitimize its unnecessary existence in the eyes of the unsuspecting public and indoctrinate us as to why we think we need it. But in reality, our government guaranteed “rights” can be taken away from us in the blink of an eye.

In relation to current events, for example, many thousands of people worldwide have been arrested for violating curfew orders; In one Indian state, civilians were told they must take selfies every hour and send it to the authorities to prove that they are staying indoors; in South Africa, some have been fined for not wearing masks while driving their cars; In Boston in the United States, people have even been told that they will be fined if they walk “the wrong direction” down the street; Homeless people in France have reportedly been fined for not staying indoors; Some people have been arrested for attending funerals of loved ones because it violated lockdown orders; Others (including doctors and scientists) have had their right to freedom of speech censored online; In Australia, a pregnant woman was actually arrested in her home for facebook posts that encouraged protesting against the lockdown; According to the International Labor Organization, tens of millions are being pushed into unemployment; and travel all around the world has been severely restricted by these authorities who have taken it upon themselves to be the rulers of this planet by dictating what the rest of us can and cannot do. Whether you agree with these policies or not, these things cannot logically be called “rights” since they are so very easily violated and taken away from us.

There are many other examples that demonstrate how our government given “rights” are more of a comforting illusion than an actual reality, such as the CIA’s secretive Black Site torture programs, which have been done in cooperation with other intelligence agencies and authorities throughout the world. In these programs, people have been kidnapped — without any legal criminal charge or trial — and then taken to undisclosed secret locations where many of them are tortured for many months on end, in ways that are considered to be in violation of international law and basic human rights. The CIA, of course, simply claims they are suspected terrorists. In 2014, however, a Senate Intelligence Committee Report found that at least 26 of the people that were kidnapped and tortured were actually “wrongfully detained”.

Wake Up Neo — You Are the One

Fortunately, Neo manages to escape this unthinkable situation without any serious injury or harm. Soon after, he is contacted by Morpheus, where he is told that he was very lucky that the Agents underestimated his great potential and spared him, because if the Agents had known the great secret that Morpheus knows, then Neo would probably be dead.

Confused by the obvious strangeness of everything taking place, Neo asks Morpheus what the hell is going on, and what exactly is he talking about?? Without hesitation, Morpheus replies to him, “You are the one Neo — You see, you may have spent the last few years looking for me, but I have spent my entire life looking for you.”

This is perhaps the most important lesson the new Truth seeker must eventually come to learn — We are the ones we have been waiting for to change this corrupt world my friends; and we must stop looking for heroes and human leaders to absolve us of this very serious responsibility. Instead, we must all take on the role of Morpheus — which is to awaken as many Neo’s (new minds) as we possibly can, whilst also taking on the role that represents the journey of Neo, by challenging ourselves to become the best version of who we authentically are.

By doing this, we will help to awaken and unleash the unique creative forces of each individual’s problem solving imagination; and we will also find unity in our shared struggle against the injustices, and corruption, of this inhumane system which invariably exploits us all.

If not us, then who? And if not now, then when?

Written by Gavin Nascimento, Founder of aNewKindOfHuman.com

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