Tips to Stay Cool This Summer

Today is the first day of summer. We can put the cold of winter behind us and enjoy the warmth. Yet, often we are not faced with the challenge of staying cool because we find a way to minimize the effects of excessive heat. We may use air-conditioning, fans, or remain in the shade. Our attempt is to keep our physical body cool.

However, how can we also keep cool mentally, intellectually, or emotionally? Being cool helps us be comfortable at a physical level, but we can also be comfortable at the level of our mind and emotions. Here are some tips to help us stay cool this summer by using air-conditioning for our mental and emotional states.

1   When we feel like stress is raising our temperature mentally or emotionally, we can spend some time in meditation. Meditation is a natural air-conditioner to keep us calm, cool, and collected. Sitting in silence helps us slow our breathing and our brain waves. This provides a break from the upsetting thoughts that arise when we encounter challenges in our life. In meditation on the inner Light and Sound, we can turn off the stream of distracting thoughts and tap into a place of peace within us. This will cool us down at an emotional and mental level.

2    If we cannot break away from a difficult situation to meditate, we can change the focus of our attention. We can think of a calming word or invert to a peaceful place within, putting a stop to the thoughts that are upsetting. We can do this when someone cuts us off on the highway while driving, while doing any manual task, or we can start doing so when someone is saying harsh words to us. We can maintain our equilibrium by going within ourselves even in the midst of difficult circumstances.

3   We can also learn to develop our ability to deal with conflict. We can learn to inculcate positive qualities like kindness, patience, compassion, respect for all, and service to others. We can also look at situations from the point of view of another, to realize that from his or her angle, what they are thinking, saying, or doing may make sense. It broadens our vision to see what is happening from different points of view and makes us calmer and more balanced.

Therefore, if we want to stay cool in the summer months ahead, we can stay air-conditioned not only physically, but mentally and emotionally. We can do so by meditating, changing the focus of attention from the negativity around us to positivity, and developing qualities that help us deal with the challenges of life.