Your spouse tells you that you should relax. You children tell you to chill out already. Even your doctor has told you that you need to relax. But how? Nobody seems to have that answer…… that is nobody did until now.
I know…. you’re busy, very, very busy. You don’t have time to do one more thing! You know you should go to the gym to work out your stress but when are you supposed to do that. By the time you arrive home you are exhausted. All you want to do is veg out in front of the TV for a while before you go to bed. Tomorrow you will get up and do it all over again. I can clearly see that you are on edge.
Well guess what? I am going to demand very little of your time. How about 5 minutes or less? In fact I am going to give you some great tools and tips most of which will take no additional time at all. Have I gotten your attention yet? And I promise that if you begin to implement these tools you will see results. You will notice that you get more done in less time. You will discover that you have more energy and your work and your relationships will prosper.
Step One: Become aware of your breath
“Ok, I’m breathing” you tell me. I do it every day. If I didn’t I would die. What’s the big deal? The big deal is that most people are breathing incorrectly. Chances are you are even holding your breath multiple times throughout the day without even realizing it. So why is this so important? Well for starters your brain requires 25 % of all of the oxygen that you take in. If you are holding your breath or breathing shallow guess what! That’s right your brain gets short-changed. Short term memory anyone? Shallow breathing is also associated with anxiety and panic attacks, muscular pain, digestive disorders….I could go on and on, but I think you are getting the picture. Get with a coach who specializes in these techniques or purchase a program to teach you but learn to use this fabulous tool your creator gave you!
Oh, and guess what else? Your breath is portable! You can take it everywhere you go! No special equipment is needed.
Step Two: Notice the Gifts of Time
No time you tell me? I beg to differ. When you are stuck in that traffic jam what do you do? Scream, complain, honk your horn maybe? This is a perfect example of a gift of time. There you are all alone and you have time just for you. Now how often does that happen? Here is your gift. J Will you enjoy your time or will you squander it away! What a perfect time to practice those breathing techniques you just learned. Where else are you given gifts of time? Waiting in line….waiting on hold on the phone……at the elevator? I will bet that you can find hundreds of time gifts just waiting for you!
Step Three: Play the Gratitude Game
This is one of my favorites! You can play it by yourself but it is much more fun with a partner. I play it with my 90 year old Mom several times a week. Some of my clients play it with their families getting everyone involved. The gratitude game will lift your spirits and leave you with more energy. By staying focused on the good in your life you will find that more good things are naturally attracted to you. Think about it, if you had to take a long bus ride would you sit next to someone with a smile on their face or someone with a scowl? What you send out you will get back.
So here is how you play it. The first person says 5 things that they are grateful for that day. Then next person has a turn making sure to find different things to be grateful for that the first. This game can shift you from a sour mood to a happy one instantly as you begin to realize how truly blessed you are. As Jon Gordon, author of The Energy Bus, says....I'm too blessed to be stressed! You will find that you are too!
Practicing these three techniques will help you to relax and enjoy more of your life. After all isn’t that what we were meant to do?
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