There is ample research proving that your brain cannot tell the difference between a real and imagined threat; the physical response is the same. In
Mystic Cool: A Proven Approach to Transcend Stress, Achieve Optimal Brain Function, and Maximize Your Creative Intelligence, Don Joseph Goewey provides a powerful tool—called the Clear Button—to thwart fearful thoughts and stop the escalating stress. This 10-second strategy works because it creates a distraction from the primitive brain where fear resides. Care to test it out? Follow these steps.
Imagine that there is a button in the center of your left palm; imagine that this button, when pressed, will send a signal to your brain to stop the fearful thinking.
Press the button with your right hand as you become aware of your breath.
Take three easy breaths counting them out.
Imagine a different color for each number.
As you exhale, relax in the present moment.
Parker J. Palmer, founder of the Center for Courage and Renewal once said, “Science requires an engagement with the world, a live encounter between the knower and the known.” In other words, knowing is not enough. We do ourselves and others a great disservice when we don’t decide to act on the gift of knowledge. It’s the difference between hording information and developing wisdom.
