How To Adopt A More Zen like State Of Mind

When it comes to mental health and having control of your mind, achieving a zen state where your mind is calm and peaceful can be highly beneficial. The world of zen has long been misunderstood in the West, but in truth it encapsulates a way of being and thinking which is quite regimented and strict, yet relaxed and self-compassionate. And in general, it tends to be a state of mind which is really beneficial for one’s mental health, as well as your wellbeing in general.

Credit - CCO License

So how can you get more into the zen state of mind? In this post, we are going to consider this question, and some of the practices and changes you might adopt in order to make this much more a part of your life. It could be that this is one of the best changes you will bring about in your own being that you can possibly hope for.

Also READ - 7 Simple Healthy Habits That Can Help You Feel Better Every Day

Slow Your Pace: A Gateway Into the Zen State of Mind

You can begin by just learning to slow your pace, even just a little. Most of us are rushing around too much in our day to day lives, and this is not really the healthiest approach to take to life. If you want to have a little more zen in your daily living, you might want to simply start by slowing down a little.

That doesn’t mean overhauling your whole schedule, it’s just enough to insert small pauses throughout the day, helping you reach a more zen-like state of mind.

That can be a quick breath before replying to someone, a moment before switching tasks, or a few seconds to notice what’s happening in your body. These are micro-pauses, and they help to create space between stimulus and reaction - the space where real calm actually begins.

Simplify Your Life Where Possible

There are a lot of aspects to your life you might not be able to change, but probably quite a few that you can too, and it’s going to be a pretty good idea to try and simplify whatever you possibly can here. Chaos outside tends to stir up chaos within, so you should make sure that you are aware of this and that you do whatever you can to remove as much friction as possible from your experience to maintain a more peaceful state of mind akin to zen.

That can be a very simple practice. Just cleaning a surface, or removing a particular obligation from your daily schedule, can already move in this direction. Each simplification of this kind frees up mental bandwidth and reinforces the feeling that things are actually manageable, so that is something that you will want to aim for here.

Practice Presence Without Pressure

If you have tried classic mediation routes and found it to be too hard, you are not alone. You could try a more zen approach by practising being present in whatever you are doing. This can be supported through simple mindfulness practices, which help you tune into your senses and your breath without adding pressure. You can do this while washing the dishes, walking, sipping tea, or listening to someone speak.

Eventually, presence can just become your way of being, by which point you realise that it always was. But for now, you can think of it as a gentle practice, without pressure and with great patience, as a way to just make your day to day life a little more enjoyable and less stressful, similar to how a zen state of mind feels.

Cut Out Habits That Disrupt a Zen State of Mind

Habits in general are anathema to the zen mind. What we are aiming for here is a way of thinking that is outside of habits of the mind, and that means that you need to be aware of, and try to manage, whatever habits might crop up for you in your life.

Some of these can be quite big, destructive patterns like addictions, and can be hard to quit without help. This is where teen therapy can be especially valuable, as it helps young people identify unhealthy cycles early and develop tools to shift out of them before they become deeply ingrained. Some are much smaller, and might be daily things that you have taken on without realising it.

The point is that habits tend to stop you being present, because you are on autopilot when you are engaged in them. So it’s a good idea to pay attention to your habits, and cut them out wherever you can. This opens you up to being in the now much more readily and automatically, getting you closer to the zen way of thinking.

Respond Rather Than Reacting

A zenlike mindset shows up most clearly of all in how you handle triggers. When you notice irritation, fear, or defensiveness, treat it as a signal, not a command. Before you respond, breathe once or twice, and then you will find that you have a much better ability to respond in the most skilful way you can.

This is generally going to lead to a much better way of being in the world, and you and everyone around you is going to benefit greatly from this kind of approach, fostering that zen-inspired state of mind in daily interactions.

Stop Trying To Control Everything to Deepen Your Zen State of Mind

A big part of zen is realising that you are never truly in control. A lot of people find this challenging, but it’s one of those things that can be ironically very empowering when you understand it truly.

For now, it’s a good idea to stop trying to control everything, starting with the things that you definitely can’t control - the actions of other people, for instance. Once you relinquish a need to control other people and events, you are going to have so much more peace in your life already. This is going to help you maintain a much more zenlike mind, and you will be amazed at what this can really do for you.

Don’t Take Thoughts Seriously

As a practice, try not taking thoughts too seriously. Instead of wrestling with them, trying to extract meaning from them and so on, learn to see them as the weather that they are. They just come and go on their own, and there is nothing you can do about it.

So just accept it, don’t take them too seriously, and you are going to find that you feel so much better in yourself as a result. The effect on your daily living can be profound, aligning you with a peaceful zen state of mind.