Last Updated on February 19, 2024 by AMANDA CASTILLO
Changing your Relationship with Stress
Reflections on a Seven-part Series by Buddhability
1. Feeling Overwhelmed
As someone who has chronically suffered from anxiety, stress can be a massive factor in amplifying it. In fact, chronic stress is also a thing and can be physically debilitating. It can even weaken your immune system, speed up aging and affect memory.
However, surprisingly not all stress is bad. In sports, athletes use the pressure of the game to give them that final push they need to win. It is what you do with the stress that is important. Practicing Buddhism teaches us that how we experience situations depends on our inner state of life. Chanting the mantra Nam Myoho Renge Kyo awakens my belief in myself every day, no matter the circumstances. By chanting, my stress then becomes the catalyst to winning over myself. It becomes a benefit and a tool to replace negativity with belief in my infinite potential. This you have too!
Buddhist philosopher Daisaku Ikeda writes: “Coping successfully with stress requires that we try to see ourselves in a different light. We need a deeper understanding of our truly limitless potentialities as well as our vulnerabilities and how we can develop our strengths as individuals through mutual support.”
2. Family Stress
Dealing with family stress can be a significant factor in daily life, so having the courage to not see stress as a threat but as a way to break through your limitations is essential. Through our Buddhist practice, we are taught to lead from the heart and take responsibility for our circumstances in ways that remain true to ourselves. We all want a positive and loving relationship with our family, but it sometimes seems out of reach. Personalities are unique, just as the relationships between different family members are. Instead of writing others off, SGI Buddhism teaches by chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo. We can use any form of despair to strengthen our life condition and deepen our faith to make these situations more manageable, so they don’t affect us as much.
3. Relationships
The same goes for being in a relationship. Oftentimes you begin to doubt yourself and your worth and become so consumed by this other person that it can become unhealthy and take away from expanding your own life. You may even think life is only worth it by clinging to this other person. When you chant, ask yourself, am I in a healthy relationship?
“Love is not two people looking at each other, but looking forward together.”
4. Financial Stress
Financial Stress is also a big one and can often bring not only joy but suffering and fear, and it can be a great source of stress and anxiety. Buddhism teaches money is neither inherently good nor bad. Still, depending on its use, it can negatively affect our lives. We all need money to survive and meet our basic needs, but what does Buddhism say about developing a healthy relationship with it.
According to a CNBC report, the average American has over $90,000 in debt, with millennials averaging $78,000.
Buddhism teaches that nothing is impossible. We develop the courage to face any situation head-on by continuing to chant. A once disheartening and seemingly impossible situation can start to feel manageable and allow us to begin taking practical action. Buddhism is based on reason, and chanting will give us the courage to keep following through. One of the biggest reasons we chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is to win the war between despair and hope that resides in our hearts each day.
5. Work Stress
The place where most spend the majority of the time is work. If the work culture is off, it can be discouraging and lead to a stressful environment. Buddhism exists so that we can solve the problems that arise in daily life, and Buddhists often ask themselves, Am I in control of my situation, or is it controlling me? In Buddhism, you’re the deciding factor, the solution, not your circumstances. How can work be something you look forward to each day, regardless of whether or not it’s your dream job? Just as much as it is vital to have a job that pays the bills, it is equally essential to thrive as an individual in the workplace without your quality of life being disrupted or compromised. It is crucial that what you do now determines that future.
“When you chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with a determination to do your best, you’ll be amazed at what you can accomplish. From the Buddhist perspective, every single person’s life has meaning and a unique purpose. If you win where you are right now, you can realize it.”
6. Stress & Health
It is so easy to get home after a long day and want to chill and relax in front of the TV. To not have to think or move and to just be. But we also know that studies show that working out or calling a friend is a healthier habit. Which is why stress and health oftentimes go hand in hand. Yale Psychology Professor Laurie Santos says, “There’s evidence that cultural structures, religious structures, even smaller groups like your CrossFit team, can cause true behavior change,”
Constantly interacting with many different types of people gives us a sense of shared humanity and allows us to borrow from each other’s strengths. Having support from others also doesn’t make us weak. In fact, the great benefit of having a supportive Buddhist community like the SGI has inspired us to put in the work ourselves.
7. Societal Stress
This is a tough one because global catastrophes such as climate change and other natural disasters seem beyond our control. But from a Nichiren Buddhist standpoint, we believe the quickest way we can affect change in the world is by first believing in and changing ourselves. This starts with Chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo to overcome any doubt or disbelief in our lives.
Daisaku Ikeda reminds us, “When the realists tell us to accept a world of suffering, a world of war and injustice, what they are really doing is displaying the stagnation and failure of their own imagination.”
In our current climate, with very real threats to world security, the necessity to change public thinking is critical.
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