5 zenprinciples

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Introduction
Today’s busy life constantly comes with packages of stress, anxiety,
and apprehension; all of which are not invited to a healthy happy
life. To cope, people search for therapies and guidance on how to
limit or eradicate these things from daily schedules. However, the
answer may be much simpler than that. If anything, it is to calm
down and take everything slowly; the definition of Zen.
What is Zen?
Now when some people think of the word Zen, they immediately
relate it to a Buddhist somewhere off in the mountains, peacefully
sitting in the utter silence of nature, ignoring the ongoings of
modern society. It’s certainly something that not everyone is
adaptable to. But while it is true that Zen originates from the
tranquil practices of Buddhism, it doesn’t mean that you have to be
on that level of Zen practices to achieve a peaceful life.
Quite the contrary, the general idea of achieving Zen or peace in life
is to simplify and tone down the excitement that goes on every day.

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This works on both a mental and physical level. It is considerably
easier to change your habits on a daily spectrum, but the mental
challenges can prove tedious.
Here’s a good starter for understanding the principles of acquiring
a Zen life you can apply to your everyday routine. With practice and
punctuality, you’ll soon find that adapting Zen habits can fill your
life with peace and prosperity and is much easier to maintain than
you may have thought previously.
Here are five very basic yet effective Zen habits to adapt to a calmer,
more relaxed lifestyle.

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Zen Habit #1
Adopt a Positive Mindset
Simplicity is the key to a happy life, but it isn’t that simple to
achieve. To start yourself off on the journey to peacefulness, you
need to start thinking about your mindset.
Identify and Accept Your Way of Thinking
Everybody has a separate way of viewing the world. Some see it
with the eyes of an optimist, others are pessimistic about what lies
ahead. And yet others like to think that they are realists, always
looking to the facts and statistics to determine whether or not their
day will proceed well.
It doesn’t matter what you believe you are, what matters is that you
accept this. Acknowledge your ups and downs in the way you think
and act. If you fail to see them, then ask somebody about what they
believe you are like. You can get some very helpful pointers from a

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third perspective. Sometimes they may see something blind to your
eye.
Nobody can really instruct you to a happy thinking pattern, because
everyone is unique in this way. But what you can do to help yourself
think positively on a daily basis is surround yourself with practical,
beneficial people, places and things.

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Realizing the Problem
The first step to improving your thinking patterns is by realizing
where you become negative. You may not always have a pessimistic
opinion on matters. It may only be when you encounter a new or
unexpected situation where you suddenly propose the worse
possibilities.
Sometimes, a certain place or person that holds significant bad
memories or influence can immediately turn on your negative
perspective. Once you are able to distinguish what makes you feel
upset or causes an uprising of unsettling emotions, you can take the
necessary steps to overcome this and relax your conscious state.
Rethink Your Solution
All the time your mind is in constant action, thinking about
something. When you find yourself in a situation that you are
uneasy in or that stresses you, your mind will jump to the quickest
solution it comes up with. Your first resort may not always be the
best one.

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In a tense situation, your mind might tell you to run away while in
a frustrating one, your mind may direct you to resort to verbal
abuse to minimize the frustration. But before you do anything,
think about the impact it will not only have on you, but on those
surrounding you.
Will running away really solve anything? Will shouting angrily
really get you the help you need? Or is there a better way to go
through with the situation? Perhaps the Zen way!
Here’s a case scenario for those who need a picture in mind. You
find that the copier machine at work has stopped working. You
have the choice to ignore this and walk away, get angry about the
fact that it has stopped, or try to solve the problem for both yourself
and others. The best solution is to solve the problem.
Instead of copying the document, reprint it until you’ve got enough
copies. Tell your director that the copier isn’t working which is an
inconvenience in the office. Say it nicely so they don’t take it as an
accusation.
The best thing about adopting a Zen lifestyle is that it’s simple steps
like these that can help you find a happier place to be in, and they
can be taken every day in the most insignificant places. Without all

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of the aggression and disturbance, go about your problems nicely,
and always remember to let go.
Don’t hold on the pent-up eruptions against trivial matters for
they'll only confuse and obstruct your day. Habits need to be built
up one stepping stone at a time and they’ll only stick if you take
those steps.
Your goal should inevitably be to satisfy yourself and solve all your
problems or let them go. Never let any feelings stick to you, positive
or negative.
If you let positive feelings stay with you, then you can build up an
ego which creates arrogance; a bad trait to have. If you keep
negative feelings tucked up inside you, you’ll have outbursts of
illogical anger pent up from all the petty matters you never let go.
So as soon as a moment passes by, let it pass because there are so
many more coming up.

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Surround Yourself with Positivity
You pick up many things from your surroundings, more than you
tend to realize. If you’re engulfed in a glum, depressing
environment, then you’re going to find yourself constantly in a bad
mood.
What you can do is reach out to the people who make you happier
or find places where you can relax and enjoy the time you have to
ourselves. If you do find that you’re building up negative feelings,
try to exert them in a way that won’t frustrate you or hurt anyone.
Reroute them into better ideas and think about the good rather
than the bad. There is always a nicer side to any case.
Keep a note on all of your emotions so that you can better
understand which seem to occur more often in the day. If you enjoy
your days more and seem to have positive thoughts all the while,
then you’re on the way to finding your peaceful mind.

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Zen Habit #2
Clear your Schedule
Clearing your schedule is a lot different than cleaning it out. It
doesn’t mean you’re taking anything out of your daily tasks, only
that you’re simplifying all that you do while you’re doing it.
Plan out The Day
It may have become clear by now that organizing yourself is one of
the steps to maintaining a relaxing lifestyle. It tags along with many
Zen habits.
You have to keep your mental and physical aspects in check,
whether you feel in control of the way you think and feel. Without
any slim sense of control, we immediately resort to depressing
thoughts, which bring down our perspective. So it’s best to have a
proper system in the way we work.

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You don’t need to have a written schedule, although some may
prefer such, all you need is to have a mental clock for the layout of
your day. That way, you’re ready to shift into the next part of the
day. As vague as it is, it’s preferred to have some idea rather than
none at all.
Professional vs Personal
This may take some analyzing and time, as you need to create a
balance between your personal and professional life. There are
some people who don’t understand that there is a line needed to
differentiate between your two personalities. The way you operate
at home is much different than how you present yourself in front of
your colleagues.
Your professional life shouldn’t leak into your personal life,
because it takes time away from you to be you, which can mess you
up severely. Your job should take up eight hours of your day, and
eight to ten should be for your sleep.
The rest is for you to exert your personality with your friends,
family and free time. If any more time is given to your job, you’ll be
submitting yourself to your monotonic working counterpart.

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Some people tend to allow work to consume their days, with the
feeling that if their day wasn’t filled to the brim with work, then it
wasn’t a productive day. This is untrue as the most important thing
in your life should be you. If you aren’t your priority, then your
perspective of yourself is low.
Catering To Your Work Schedule
For those who fail to push aside some space for themselves, here
are a few things you can do to make that space.
1. Before you take up or start working on a job, ask yourself how
important it is, and if you really need to obstruct time for it. If it
isn’t something due in a while, don’t feel afraid to divide the load
of the work between days so it doesn’t take a day away from you.
This can also deal with bad procrastination issues that cause
stress.
2. Don’t agree to take anyone else's workload. It may seem unkind
but if you are on a tight schedule yourself then you can’t afford
to do other people’s bidding as well. Just as well, don’t hand over
your work to others as this is hypocrisy.
3. Make a list of all the things you like doing. Going out for a walk,
reading a book, going to a club with your friends or baking.

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Insignificant things and all types of projects you’ve wanted to
start, they all go. Once you’ve made this list, make sure that every
week, all the things on your list get a fair amount of time. This
way you can practice distributing your time and enjoying your
hobbies.
Once you’ve accomplished an even balance between working hours
and free time hours, then practice another habit, living in the
moment. You need to learn to value the moments that you have,
whether at work, with friends, or by yourself doing your things.
Moments are faint and always undermined. It’s worth
acknowledging them and being thankful for all that you are given.
No moment comes back, so it’s vital to realize. If you feel that this
is a great memorable moment, then you should save it. Keep all of
your memories that were positive in record so that you can always
look back to see that good things do happen to you.
They shouldn’t bring you sad feelings because that’ll only create
counterproductive process. You need to be able to look back and
realize that you can achieve happiness.

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Zen Habit #3
Organize Your Surroundings
Understand Your Area
The word cleaning may irritate you, as you immediately flash back
to spring cleaning the gutters and emptying the closets. This
doesn’t have to be the case for you though. The reason Zen tips will
always tell you to clean out your room or your favorite area is
because you need to feel comfortable in the area you’re in.
Sometimes to feel comfortable where you are, you may not want it
spick and span. Some people may enjoy the clutter in front of them,
with a full shelf of decorations, pictures, books, whatever puts you
at ease.

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Some people do find that the clutter is choking, and things not in
their proper place disturbs them. So if that’s the case, then it’d be
better to keep that room spotless. So whichever works for you,
make sure it happens.
Once you have surroundings catered to your satisfaction, you’ll find
it easier to relax in these places. An area you can relax in can also
prove a perfect spot for meditation and quiet time.

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Find Your Happy Place
It doesn’t have to be the whole house that you clean, although that
could prove much more satisfying, it can simply be your room.
Where ever you feel you spend the most time, organize those rooms
to your pleasure.
When it comes to this, nobody can tell you how to do this exactly.
All you need to do is feel happy in the areas you spend most of your
time and yes, this does include your office space. No matter what
job you work in, you must make yourself feel a little welcome.
Find friends if you have a part-time job, modify your desktop if you
have a cubicle job. Relax yourself, making sure that the area you
work in is an area that suits you.
Others may find that the only place they can really feel happy is
outside. If that’s so, then you can make a workplace in your yard or
balcony. If you have neither, then make sure that every day you can
make time to go outdoors and smell the roses. You should be
happiest once a day, every day.

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Make Way for New Things
While you fix up the state of your home, you should try to fit in new
items that can aid you in your journey to finding serenity. Place a
yoga mat in the center of your room or by a window, so you can
have long sessions of calming meditation in the morning.
Have your favorite soothing playlist on your speakers all the time
so you have music to unwind to after a long day. Keep an open space
for yourself in your home at all times so whenever you feel the need
to let out your energy you can.
Anything that didn’t fit before can fit now after you clean up. It
always feels better to finish projects and accomplish deserted
aspirations. It takes a weight off of your shoulders which helps to
ease the mind. It’s better than having a nagging sensation clawing
at you for not doing certain things in life.
Clear out all of your old things that you don’t want or need
anymore. At first, it may seem hard to let go of your possessions,
but try to think of it with a new approach. Instead of getting rid of
sentiment, you are making way for new memories and experiences

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by getting rid of the old objects taking up that optional space. They
have to go, otherwise, no change will be allowed to take place.
Not to confuse it with hoarding, new hobbies and habits invite
opportunity, new friends, books, clothes. They all can spruce up
your life in tiny parts to create an exciting environment welcoming
to you.

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Zen Habit #4
Make Time for Yourself
Unwinding After the Long Day
There’s no better feeling than when you can finally lie down after
the long haul. The workday is finally over, and all you want to do is
close your eyes and sleep.
But don’t. Excessive sleeping can ruin your schedule and wreck
your mood. This is the opposite direction of Zen. What you need to
do is find a way you unwind without going to sleep. Occasional naps
are not forbidden but make them routine and you’ll find that you
can’t shake the habit off.
Try having a hobby instead that you can look forward to. If you feel
too tired to commit to anything, go outside and get a breath of fresh
air. There is no better freshener than Mother Nature herself. It’ll
energize you and keep you running for the rest of the day.

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Start slow after you come home, and dedicate your immediate time
to small activities. Energize yourself after you’ve regained your
balance and are ready to tackle bigger tasks. Remember, when
you’re enjoying your own time, everything works at your speed.
Meditation
There’s nothing that can absolutely replace the pastoral relaxation
of meditation. When you find that the world is quiet and still, that’s
the best time to sit down and contemplate everything you have to
offer yourself. Indirectly, this means you should meditate at dusk
or dawn when the world watches the sun rise and deplete. It’s
quietest then and perfect for a few steady moments of
contemplation.
Some people enjoy fitting in calming sessions of yoga. You can go
with anything, so long as you get a few soothing minutes to yourself
every day that can help you clear out your mind.
To start, you need to sit down in a quiet spot by yourself where you
can have a few minutes of peace. Since meditation comes with so
many benefits and possibilities, most people will worry that they’re
doing it wrong, or they haven’t done it long enough. These are all

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irrelevant thoughts that create worry. In the time you have to
meditate, your thoughts should be flowing but not concentrated.
Here’s a breakdown of what should be inputted to your meditation
times.
1. Commitment. Meditating is something worth dedicating to as
it provides mindfulness which can, in the long run, help you
understand you and your life more. You can start to comprehend
your way of thinking and expressing just by inquiring your spare
moments with yourself.
2. All of your emotions. The only way you can have
acquaintance with yourself is by understanding how you think,
you feel and are feeling. Let all these come out while you relax
and are aware of the moment you’re currently experiencing. It
takes a weight off of your shoulders, knowing and accepting your
current emotions. Embrace them, and you’ll feel better.
3. Breathing. You should always focus on your breathing when
meditating. Deep, slow breaths will create a timid beating heart
and relax your system. If your breaths are raspy and sharp, then
you’ll never gain anything from your meditation. You need to live
in the moment as it’s happening, making every second count.
4. Other things you can do is join a group so you’re not doing this
alone. Doing it with a group, you can also get pointers and help

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for if you aren't getting a flow. Some people also tend to work
better when there are other people with them. Ask friends to join
you who’ll sit quietly with you and help your concentration.
All of these factors working together will help establish healthy
sessions of meditation with fruitful benefits.
Other than meditation, you can once again, make it routine to apply
all your favorite hobbies into your daily schedule. It feels good
coming home to something you enjoy.

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Zen Habit #5
Take One Day at a Time
Worrying about how the next day’s going to go and what you’re
going to do, all of the things that need to be done, the deadlines
coming up, the plans you need to start and finish- It’s a lot! Zen
says to slow down and learn to pace your life.
Life is so busy, and the days just keep piling onto each other. Your
plans may extend to the month being charted down or just the
week. The problem that will sometimes present itself is that you get
so caught up with the plan when things don’t go your way,
everything crashes on you.
These are all natural worries and everyone stumbles upon them,
but as the saying goes, when you fall, brush yourself and get back
up.

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Get up and Brush Yourself Off
To understand how this applies here, let’s analyze the quote to fit
one’s everyday life.
Unsuspecting plans and sudden jobs do tend to pop up in our lives,
and when they do, they may feel like a blow to your chest. Some
people are just not adjusted to handling change that well.
If you’re stressed and anxious, then these will really put a strain on
the way your day unfolds. When you live a life inhabited with Zen
habits, this isn’t such a problem.
With a Zen mindset, finding out that your plans will be altered,
allows you to be more flexible. You can take in the moment as it
comes and head towards the new outcome with ease. Everything in
your life can be accommodated for as it is still to come. Like
thoughts, the day’s outcome will flow along like a train of thought.
It’s just your job to get on board.

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Treat Each Moment as a Day
The practice of taking each moment at a time is a little stretched
out here, where you’re thinking about only the day. Your morning
should be dedicated to the layout of your whole day. You should
think about the events you plan to forgo and all of the projects you
want to do.
Have a general idea of what your day’s going to look like, but don’t
stick to this layout like glue. Remember, anything can happen and
you need to be flexible with your time.
While the day rolls out, only focus on what’s going on. This not only
helps with productivity but mindfulness as well. When your focus
is set on one objective, your mind’s at its prime of productivity. It
focuses to its best extent on what must be done.
Not only will you feel your job’s better accomplished, but your
satisfaction will feed your positive emotions which will help carry
out the day smoothly.

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A Key Factor
So as you may have noticed, concentration’s a key factor that works
for a Zen-filled day. Concentration on everything going on
presently helps filter all of your clustering thoughts which clears
your thought process.
The more concentrated you are, the better you feel because you
don’t have other things pushing their way in your face. Of course,
there’s a bit of your contribution to this by making sure there are
no distractions laid out for you.
If you have too many things trying to work with each other at once,
you’ll find more chaos than harmony. The best Zen habits are ones
that are 100% you. If someone tries to give you a suggestion, you
have to think first,
Is this something that I would do?
If it isn’t, then you shouldn’t try to fit it into your habits.
Accommodating someone else suggestions shouldn’t be your first
priority.

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Your habits need to be something comfortable for you, habits that
you can easily fit into. That’s why Zen habits can only be directed
so generally. Each person has their own preferences and thoughts
that make their personality individual, so evidently, you find your
peace uniquely from others.

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Conclusion
If you ever feel like analyzing a happy person, you’ll see that all of
these factors are practiced regularly. A happy person doesn’t mean
an irresponsible person who doesn’t pick up after themselves and
is fine with it, but someone who has an organized and balanced
schedule every day with an air of constant preparation. That is a
person who has applied Zen habits in their lives.

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All happy folks have moments of peace and quiet in their days, a
brief schedule that’s adjustable to fit the rest of the world’s plan in
it and perform best in their modified environments.
This can slowly become you, and it’s not hard. Just a daily
installment of relaxation and ‘me time’ can guide you to the path of
tranquility. And eventually, you’ll be a role model for other
troubled stressed people stuck in the endless cycle of this bustling
life. Try applying these 5 Zen principles into your daily life and
watch happiness grow in you like a daisy.

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5 zenprinciples

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