How To Follow A Zen Lifestyle

The word Zen immediately makes us visualize a calm and composed place where our minds are at peace and free from the stress and burden of our day-to-day problems. But do you know what Zen actually means? Wikipedia explains that Zen comes from the Chinese word “Chan”, which has its origin in the Sanskrit word “Dhyana“, meaning meditation. So now you know why the very mention of the word Zen brings to mind the Om chant. Originally, practicing Zen required a lot of self-control, meditation, and more than following doctrines — it emphasized a direct understanding of them either by personal insight or by a teacher. Of course, we can’t get an accomplished teacher who can teach us about Zen doctrines in our daily life, so here are some other easier ways that will help you stay calm and happy all the time.

Avoid Comparisons

When we start comparing our lives, works, achievements with that of others, we might find ourselves feeling disheartened because we might not have achieved as much as the other person. Instead of finding ways to make our lives better, we tend to feed on the negative energy and focus more on what’s wrong with us and why we’re not good enough. Comparisons lead to nowhere, and we stop seeing things for what they are and even stop respecting our own work and achievements. If you’re feeling down after comparing or being compared to another person, just remember these words: work on your own green pastures and make them greener; you won’t even time to look if the grass is greener on the other side.

Resist Worrying

It is not easy to stop worrying all at once. Our daily lives are so full of stress these days that worrying has become more of a habit. If there is even a hint of an issue, we start worrying automatically. Sometimes, we keep worrying about things for days, but in the end, though it does not matter. Sometimes, days later, we even forget what we were worried about, but we do remember that it felt terrible – all the stress was too much for our mind and body. When we worry, we unknowingly create this negative energy in and around us. We need to think of two things the next time we go on auto mode and start worrying! One, the things that we usually worry about don’t end so badly, and two, we should not worry about things that are beyond our control.

Stop Judging

 Some days, we can’t seem to stop that voice in our head from judging everyone and everything we see. Whether it’s someone we saw while out shopping, an ad on TV, something a friend did — it never ends. The strange thing is that we feel superior and above others when we do this, making us feel good about ourselves, but in the long run, that same feeling decays and turns into something unhealthy. Once you cut down on judging, you will feel a whole lot better. If you do judge, try to understand what was the need to do it initially? When you find no purpose, you would realize how frivolous the whole practice is.

Don’t Blame Others

Blaming is the easiest way to satisfy our ego and protecting it from others’ judgments or even from judging ourselves. When we blame others, it is easy to take the attention away from the main reason behind the incident and point a finger at someone, putting the spotlight on them. Next time, you want to blame someone, turn it on yourself and try to find out why you are trying to do this and which situation led you to this whole blame game. Own up to your mistakes instead of putting the blame on someone.

Stop Competing

One of the banes of social media is definitely making us more competitive. As we scroll through our feed, we often find ourselves making a fuss on what everyone is doing, trying to match up to what our friends have done. Because of this, we are compelled to go to better holiday destinations and to earn more money than every Tom, Dick, and Harry. Often, many of our problems have roots that trace back to this competitive drive in us. Participating is another thing, but when we start caring about results, it can have terrible consequences. It stems directly from our ego!

The best way to handle every situation is by not taking it seriously. When we start being serious about everything, we miss the fun in it. Hence, have a laugh when you can! Try to implement the above rules in your life, but enjoy every moment and keep it fun.