How can we escape from our stress? The question may be more complicated than it sounds.
Say it has been a stressful day at work and it isn’t easy to unwind back at home. In this situation, we would be carrrying our stress with us. Unless the stressful situation is immediately present, and it often is not, the practice of mindfulness can go a long way toward being able to let go of the stress that burdens us with tension and distress.
So, the practice of being more present with the fact that there are no stressors at home allows for some release from the stress that exists back at work. Those stressors at work may be real and persistent, but at least they haven’t literarally followed us home . . . unless we have brought them home. Worries about some other time (future or past) or place (work or school) are primary targets for the practice of mindfulness.
The next time you arrive home from a stressful day, you might experiment with the phrase, “Just this moment, just this breath.” You can repeat this phrase in your mind until you find yourself more present with what you are truly experiencing in the moment. Ideally, home wouldn’t be any more stressful than work. But, in any case, at least attending to what’s present and happening at home would be more helpful than importing stress from elsewhere.
