How to learn not to be afraid of anything. Basics of Orthodoxy. How to learn not to be afraid of anything What fears are inherent in most people

Human life is worth less and less ... It has become scary to live - danger from all sides. Any of us can be robbed, humiliated, killed. Realizing this, people try to defend themselves; someone gets a dog, someone buys a weapon, someone turns a dwelling into a fortress.
The fear of our time has not escaped the Orthodox either. How to protect yourself and your loved ones? - believers often ask. Our main protection is the Lord Himself, without His Holy Will, as the Scriptures say, and a hair will not fall from our head (Luke 21, 18). This does not mean that we, recklessly trusting in God, can behave defiantly towards the underworld. The words “do not tempt the Lord thy God” (Matthew 4: 7) we need to remember firmly.
God has given us the greatest shrines to defend against visible enemies. This is, first of all, a Christian shield - a pectoral cross that should not be removed under any circumstances. Secondly, holy water and artos, eaten every morning.
We also preserve the Christian by prayer. In many churches, belts are sold on which the text of the 90th psalm "Alive in the help of the Most High ..." and a prayer to the Honest Cross "May God rise again" are written. It is worn on the body, under clothing.
The ninety psalm is very powerful. Spiritually experienced people recommend reading it before every time we go outside, no matter how many times we leave the house. Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov gives advice when leaving the house to sign the sign of the cross and read the prayer: “I deny to you, Satan, your pride and service to you, and I am combined with You, Christ, in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen". Orthodox parents must by all means re-baptize their child if he goes out on the street alone.
When you find yourself in a dangerous situation, you have to pray: “May God rise again”, or “To the victorious voyevoda to the chosen one” (the first kontakion from the akathist to the Mother of God), or simply “Lord, have mercy,” many times. It is also necessary to resort to prayer when, before our very eyes, another person is being threatened, and we lack the strength and courage to rush to his aid.
Prayer is very strong to the saints of God, who became famous for their martial art during their lifetime: saints George the Victorious, Theodore Stratilat, Demetrius Donskoy. Let's not forget about the Archangel Michael, our Guardian Angel. All of them have a special power with God to give the weak the strength to overcome their enemies.
"If the Lord does not guard the city, the watchman is in vain" (Psalm 126: 1). A Christian's house must be consecrated without fail. Grace will keep the dwelling from all evil. If there is no way to invite a priest to the house, you yourself need to sprinkle all the walls, windows and doors with holy water, reading "May God rise again" or "Save, Lord, Thy people" (troparion to the Cross). From the danger of arson, fire, it is customary to pray to the Mother of God in front of Her icon "Burning Bush".
Of course, no means will help if we lead a sinful life and do not repentance for a long time. The Lord often allows extraordinary circumstances to bring unrepentant sinners to their senses.

White beach, coconut trees and total laziness are the dreams of many of us. But it turns out that doing nothing at all is incredibly difficult.

Learn more about this in Esquire magazine told Wupsyan, organizer of the Space Out Competition in Seoul, South Korea.

She was diagnosed with burnout syndrome a few years ago. It manifested itself in the fact that the girl began to get terribly nervous in the minutes when she was not doing anything, this had a bad effect on her work and on her well-being. Wupsyan decided to unite people who suffer from the same syndrome and learn to do nothing together - this is how the idleness competition appeared in 2014. If you notice that you cannot complete a single task and are constantly on your nerves, you should also practice this activity.

It is difficult to concentrate on doing nothing out of habit, you need to constantly train. First, choose a comfortable position and disconnect from everything: there are no restrictions, the main thing is to relax and not fidget too much in place, this is distracting. If you can't forget about business at the click of a button, ask someone to give you a light massage, during the competition it is given to everyone, and it works. The girl advises to start with 10-15 minutes of idleness a day, and then gradually increase the time. You may even need an alarm clock at first to avoid checking the remaining time every second.

Strict rules apply during the idle competition, but it's still somewhat of a sport. You cannot look at the clock, you cannot sleep, use the phone, play games, laugh at the jokes of the commentator who describes what is happening. If judges and spectators suspect that you are too overthinking about cases, you will be shown a yellow card. Suspect twice - a red card and disqualification. At home, of course, it is not forbidden to think about anything, but it will not do you any good: it is better to count the windows in the house opposite, sing to yourself, and if you really want to, take a nap - you do not need to force yourself to stay awake.

The winner of the competition is the one who lasts 90 minutes. Not everyone reaches the final: many cannot relax for more than an hour. The hardest thing is to stop constantly checking your smartphone, but it's better to try to forget about it for a while - anxious thoughts speed up your pulse, and an even pulse is very important for doing nothing. Remember that taking a good break increases your ability to work, so feel free to practice doing nothing regularly, not only at home, but also at work.

2000 applications for participation in the Space Out Competition were received by the organizers in 2016. 70 people took part in the competition. The winner was rapper Shin Hye-Seob, who goes by the moniker Crush.

Time management models are used today not only by top and middle managers, but also by every self-respecting schoolchild. Although these techniques were originally developed for business and productivity, time-efficient techniques have become an integral part of our daily lives. And who is in a hurry to do everything the most? Who needs the most? That's right, us girls.

Rest with benefit. Or with pleasure?

Very often, friends who are successful and happy in relationships complain about systematic periods of outright apathy towards everything. Not just chronic fatigue from office work or everyday worries, but a physical feeling of weakness, from which you want to lie down and do nothing. Moreover, it is even a shame to admit that the tricks of time management and self-persuasion not only do not work - you want to send them far and for a long time, despite all reasonable expediency. And when I sympathetically offer to rest and unwind, it turns out that there is just enough rest. Walking and traveling, chatting with friends, visiting parents, shopping, music and movies, morning jogging and evening gym, beautician, manicure, painting and dancing, nutrition and creativity marathon, blogging, cooking and a thousand and one more ways to relax. Usefully.

We all often want to spend a day in idleness, but few can afford it under the yoke of the daily hustle and bustle and an internal coach who, according to all the rules of time management, dictates: “More effective! Even more effective! " And the point is not even that there is no way to spend the day alone, but in the inner conviction that without female attention the house will be overgrown with mud, a man will eat chips and fast food, children will get hurt unattended, and indeed the world will collapse. Responsibility, control and dedication, which have always been the prerogative of men, are readily accepted by women.

We are forced to live in a masculine world, use masculine energies and attitudes, and also relax in a masculine way. But there is not so much pleasure from it.

Active rest is very favorable for men, because it allows them to throw off the oppression of everyday life and gain strength in a kind of "struggle". Women's recreation is inherently passive and should be done at rest. Even in some inaction, because it is this that allows you to rest, and not just gain female energy, as the Vedic lecturers teach us.

Resting state

The ability to relax is the key to a state of pleasure and joy. Take a closer look at the feminine nature that surrounds us. Water is purified not only by passing through numerous layers of soil, but also by simply settling and being in complete rest. To become useful and healing, she does not need to carry out ten degrees of filtration - it is enough to put a silver coin in the water and let it stand. The land becomes fertile not due to intensive cultivation, aeration and fertilization. Farmers are well aware that the soil needs a compulsory rest between crops in order to feed on the sun and rain. The entire surrounding world rests at night, when nature is immersed in silence and complete inaction.

Women haunt themselves even on weekends. After all, these are the only days without an office routine, when you need and have the opportunity to tidy up the house, disassemble things, read useful literature and engage in creativity, for which there is no time on weekdays. Weekends are devoted to shopping, trips to the suburbs to visit their parents, chatting with girlfriends. Why then women do not give themselves rest and try to be active? Because doing nothing is not as easy as it might seem. You need to prepare in advance, warn loved ones, turn off the phone and, most importantly, prepare your mind. To free him from responsibility for household chores and chores, not to think about work, unfinished or unfinished business, not to regret the time, which is so little and which would be better spent with benefit.

How to relax like a woman

It would be great not to do anything once a week. But even one day a month, freed from all affairs, worries, useful practices and undertakings, will give a huge boost of energy for the next month! Free this day from meetings and business communication, arrange in advance so that friends and relatives do not count on your help and attention on this day, turn off your phone and cut off communication on the Internet. This day should belong only to you and your pleasure from complete inactivity.

You can call it the official Day of Laziness and with a clear conscience behave like a vegetable that lies in the garden and, at first glance, does nothing

Your task is to give rest to the body, mind and consciousness, to minimize physical and mental activity, as well as creativity, which also takes away strength.

An important condition - avoid hard thoughts, reflections and planning

It is very difficult not to think about stress at work, because after the Day of Laziness you still have to go to work. It is almost impossible to disconnect from the conflict in the family and not think about loved ones, because they will not go anywhere and you need to somehow live with them. It is difficult to forget about a loan that you have to pay with something. About a vacation you want to go on, but no money. It's hard to say to yourself “not today” and just lie on the couch as a vegetable, doing nothing. But this is a must if you want to continue to set records for motivation and effective time management.

Usually my ritual Day of Laziness begins in the evening. I allow myself to sit up late, read or watch a movie, without the reasonable fear of getting up early tomorrow. You can sleep as much as you want, which means you can go to bed when you want. And then, all morning, lie in bed, flipping through the Instagram feed or contact, enjoying beautiful pictures, for which there is usually no time and expedient need. Eat breakfast the way you want it, not the way it is healthy and nutritionally correct. Don't worry about BJU or carbs - just eat the cake and that's it. Fill a bath, pour into it expensive oil, which you have been saving for a long time and keep it only for the visit of the Queen of England. And enjoy in the foam without any remorse. You can wander around the city thoughtlessly, enjoying the feeling that you have nowhere to rush, there are no urgent matters requiring attention.

And in general - all later. One day is just yours. We are encouraged to think only about the present day, to use it to the maximum and try to cram the unpushable. But think a little further than today. Indeed, in such a rhythm, tomorrow may simply not come. Time spent on oneself, even if it has passed in inaction, cannot be wasted.

The famous Italian scientist and writer Umberto Eco, shortly before his death, noted one important feature of the younger generation. According to the observation of the author of the novel "The Name of the Rose", modern youth suffer from memory loss. Today, it becomes unnecessary to memorize a large amount of information while studying ─ it is enough to google the data if necessary. But progress can play a trick on us, Eco and many other researchers warn.

According to American scientists, most people usually use less than 10% of their memorization ability. It is believed that with age, the ability to remember deteriorates, some British researchers have even pointed out that the decline in this cognitive function may begin as early as 45-50 years. But the good news is that it's never too late to consciously start working on improving your memorization ability. “We all run the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease in old age, and one way to avoid this trouble is to constantly exercise our memory,” Eko wrote.

There are many methods for improving memory, we analyze the most effective ones.

1. Conscious concentration and repetition

How do you imagine a memorization mechanism? According to the Australian scientist, professor of associative psychology Muayrinne Irish, most people imagine memory as a kind of filing cabinet in which all personal information is stored. But in reality, everything is somewhat more complicated. Memorization is not a passive, but a creative process. It requires a conscious concentration of attention. It is not enough just to read a page, and you should not hope that information will easily be stored in memory this way. It is necessary to concentrate and repeat.

Repetition is still the most common and reliable way of memorizing. We all found ourselves in an awkward situation: having met an interesting person at a party, after 5 minutes we realize that we have forgotten the name of the interlocutor. But it is easy to avoid embarrassment ─ it is enough just to repeat the name of the interlocutor several times in a conversation, and then the information will be fixed in long-term memory.

For a change, you can regularly use an active memorization method - conduct a self-test. Check to see if you've really learned the information you need by asking yourself key questions about the topic.

Another way is to retell information. In an article in Learning & Memory, Baylor University recommended that after reading the information, retell it to someone. As the researchers noted, after the retelling, the information arises without problems in memory even a week after the person has learned it.

2. Correct diet

If you regularly adhere to the rules of a healthy diet, then you are unlikely to suffer from forgetfulness. If you follow a Mediterranean diet, then you might even be envied. Superfoods for memory are primarily foods high in omega-3 fatty acids (fish), antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables such as spinach, avocados, beets, as well as blueberries, nuts and beans. Some scientists strongly recommend low-glycemic carbohydrates (like oatmeal).

3. Eliminate multitasking

4. Quality sleep

Long-term sleep has become almost a luxury today. But if you really need to improve your memory, you need to revisit your usual schedule and wonder if you really have enough time to sleep? Healthy, prolonged sleep is an excellent way to prevent aging, according to Nature Neuroscience. It is during sound sleep that information from short-term memory is "written" into long-term memory. Still, it is not for nothing that students are advised to sleep well before exams.

5. Get started charging

Fitness is not just good for the body. Exercise helps to improve blood circulation, which accordingly improves blood flow to the brain and ultimately improves mood, reduces stress levels, and improves cognitive abilities, especially learning and memorization.

Jogging is especially helpful. Last year, researchers from Brigham Young University, USA, said they found a link between running and improving memory. Running is thought to help minimize the damaging effects of chronic stress on the hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for memory.

Earlier, Dutch doctors also reported an interesting observation: fitness classes four hours after mental work contribute to the effective memorization of a large amount of information. Scientists believe that the hormones dopamine and norepinephrine, which are actively produced during sports, influence the improvement of memory consolidation.

Learn to take breaks and do nothing: you will not only gain strength, but also increase your creativity.

The modern pace of life assumes that every minute counts. We are in a hurry, trying to do everything we can in 24 hours. This leads to fatigue, apathy, depression and, finally, complete emotional and often physical exhaustion. Therefore, it is very important to take breaks. All great people found time to break away from their usual life, to leave, or simply to lock themselves at home and do nothing but go out to breakfast, lunch and dinner, and indulge in midday and night sleep.

As practice shows, this kind of "idleness" is actually a very useful activity. "Doing nothing", according to most psychologists, is not a passive state, but on the contrary, a time when you can observe the moments of your life, reflect on your thoughts and feelings. And if by idleness it is customary to understand the expression "do nothing useful", then useful is work, making money, which is then spent on things. This "usefulness" pulls us out of real life, the opportunity to enjoy the little things and see the world around us. In this case, “doing nothing” is something synonymous with the concept of “feeling alive”.

“Downtime strengthens the nerve tissues of the brain, memory and ability to learn "

Aimless rest and boredom can boost creativity. Some studies have shown that people who took a break from their creative endeavors showed better results after a short rest. In another study, several people copied numbers from one phone's address book to another. This boring activity made their brains work harder to find creative and quick solutions to the problem. And Danish scientist Manfred Ketz de Vreis writes that the desire to load oneself with work "can be an effective way to protect yourself from disturbing thoughts and feelings." When we do nothing, we remain face to face with our problems and can find a way to deal with them.

Being too busy is counterproductive. We often confuse diligence and efficiency. A day spent in small business in the evening gives a feeling of pleasant fatigue and seems useful to us. But this is not always the case. Often, in a day filled with petty worries, we don’t do anything really useful. Inaction also affects how well the brain works. According to most neurologists, the brain needs rest not only for recovery, but also for processing everything that we have experienced. In addition, it is these “downtime” that strengthen the nerve tissue of the brain, memory and learning ability.

Doing nothing is not such an easy task. It is very difficult not to be distracted by the internet or calls. But it is the ability to break away from all this that leads to concentration. Italians know a lot about this: they even have the expression "Dolce far niente", which means "The pleasure of doing nothing," and this feeling cannot replace any other.

Colleen Long

psychologist

“What if instead of Facebook, email, movies and video games, you just didn't do anything? What if instead of 7 days of vacation out of 365, you finally start enjoying life every day? What if you don't wait for Saturday and Sunday to break away and rest? Maybe you will sit down and read a book. Maybe you will look out the window and listen to the tunes of your favorite musician. Maybe you will learn to whistle ... Meditate ... Relax ... or (suddenly!) Doze. What to do today to do nothing? "