Michael Singer[1] , spiritual teacher and author[2] of the best-selling book The Untethered Soul, has written frankly and profoundly on the idea of living a life free from limitations -- letting go of painful memories, overcoming negative thoughts, moving away from fear and uncovering an enlightened space of inner peace. As Singer discusses with Oprah[3] on an episode of "Super Soul Sunday," the journey toward this type of freedom and unconditional happiness is a spiritual one, but also one that contains practical daily obstacles.


One such obstacle is that nagging voice you may often hear inside your head. It's a disruptive voice, and one in which you can physically feel your energy start to change. "You're talking to somebody, enjoying the conversation and all of a sudden, they say something that hits something inside of you -- a soft spot," Singer[4] says. "Your heart starts to close, your mind starts to figure out, 'Why did they say that? Did I say something wrong?' and you go south."


This energy shift marks a critical turning point. "You notice yourself starting to get involved in that reaction," Singer explains. "At that moment, you have to decide... 'Do I need to think about it or am I willing to just relax and let it pass?'"


Oprah repeats what she hears Singer expressing. "When something comes in to disturb you… the energy of it will drag you down into it," she says. "So, what are we supposed to do?"


"The moment it starts with that chitter-chatter... my first reaction is to relax and go away from that," Singer tells Oprah. "I lean away from the noise the mind is making."


Leaning away from that nagging inner voice, Singer says, creates a much-needed space. "You will learn over time that that's the smartest thing you ever did," he says. "Why? Because you gave it room to pass through -- and it will pass right through."


"Super Soul Sunday"[5] airs Sundays at 11 a.m. ET on OWN[6] .


Earlier on HuffPost Own: 7 Ways To Manage Your Stress Today




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  • 10 Minutes: Chew A Stick Of Gum


    Researchers from Australia and England found that in moments of stress, gum chewers felt less anxious and had 18 percent less <a href="http://clinicaltrials.mayo.edu/trial-details.cfm?trial_id=101672&location=none&theme_id=8&letter=a">cortisol (the stress hormone</a>) in their saliva. "Chewing increases blood flow to the brain, which may make us feel more alert -- and it may also distract us from <a href="http://www.swinburne.edu.au/lss/chp/">stressors</a>," says study coauthor Andrew Scholey, PhD, director of the Centre for Human Psychopharmacology at Swinburne University.




  • 12 Minutes: Brew Some Black Tea


    People who drank four servings of black tea a day for six weeks were able to de-stress faster and had lower levels of cortisol after <a href="http://www.ucl.ac.uk/">a stressful event</a>, according to a study from University College London. Chemical compounds in the <a href="http://www.webmd.com/diet/rm-quiz-green-tea">antioxidant-packed beverage</a> may relax us through their effect on <a href="http://thebrain.mcgill.ca/flash/i/i_01/i_01_m/i_01_m_ana/i_01_m_ana.html">neurotransmitters in the brain</a>.




  • 15 Minutes: Try A DIY Massage


    The International Journal of Neuroscience reported that a 15-minute chair massage twice weekly <a href="http://informahealthcare.com/journal/nes">can lower stress</a>, likely by calming the sympathetic nervous system. The at-home approach is an effective alternative. "Simply rolling a tennis ball over muscles with the palm of your hand can <a href="http://www6.miami.edu/touch-research/">trigger a similar response</a>," says Tiffany Field, PhD, director of the Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami School of Medicine.




  • 20 Minutes: Put Pen To Paper


    A 2010 study in <a href="http://www.star-society.org/">Anxiety, Stress</a> & Coping found that writing about a stressful event for just 20 minutes on two different days lowered levels of perceived stress. Putting feelings on paper appears to organize thoughts, helping us process unpleasant experiences and release negative emotions.




  • 30 Minutes: Put On Music You Love


    Music can elicit positive emotions and <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1365-2648">reduce your levels of stress</a> hormones. A study in the Journal of Advanced Nursing found that patients who listened to songs of their choice were less anxious before surgery. Boost your mood even more by dancing along to trigger the release of <a href="http://www.webmd.com/depression/guide/exercise-depression">feel-good endorphins.</a>




  • 45 Minutes: Take A Tech Break


    In a study by University of California, Irvine, and U.S. Army researchers, <a href="http://www.uci.edu/">heart rate</a> monitors showed that checking email put subjects on constant high alert with heart rates that indicated stress. "We found that shutting off email eases anxiety," says study coauthor Gloria Mark, PhD. Commit to no email for 45 minutes a day to begin weaning yourself off.




  • 60 Minutes: Clean House


    Housework's repetitive nature can help <a href="http://www.massgeneral.org/bhi/">release tension</a>. "We get lost in the rhythm of folding clothes or vacuuming, which can disrupt stressful thought patterns and trigger the body's relaxation response," says Herbert Benson, MD, director emeritus of the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital.