That’s right. I’m not talking about that staple of parenting:
putting your kids into Time Out.
I’m telling you to put yourself into Time Out.
But first, let’s talk about your state.
What state are you currently in? Not where you live. How do you
feel?
Right now, I feel pretty good – BUT – mildy irritated. A call that
was supposed to start at 2pm was moved – after the 2pm start time,
mind you – to 2:30pm. Now I just got an email that it may be
moved again.
To top it off, it’s not a call I typically enjoy. So having to
accommodate to the change in schedule is even less appealing.
Hey, I got things to do and places to be! I had my afternoon all
mapped out in terms of what I wanted to work on – including this
email to you. And now I have to “recalculate”, as my GPS system
sometimes tells me when I am driving.
Most of the time, you are either in a positive state or a negative
state. There’s rarely any neutral time in your life. Unfotunately,
many people report being in a negative state the majority of the
time.
It’s so easy to get caught up in the stress and pressure of your
day. You may start the day with great plans and positive
expectations. But invariably “stuff” pops up that takes you out
of that “constructive” mindset.
That “stuff” may derail your plans for the day. So you planned on
eating a healthy lunch. But that noon meeting was scheduled at
the last minute. So you grabbed something quick or – worse yet –
ate something out of the vending machine. (Been there, done that!)
Or you planned on working out after work. But the babysitter is
sick, so you have to be home with the kids.
It’s easy to get frustrated when these things happen. It’s hard
enough sticking to a nutrition plan, or an exercise program, as
it is. When life throws in all of these extra obstacles, it can
make achieving your goals seem quite daunting, if not impossible.
Well, I don’t have the magic answer that will make all those
obstacles, energy depleters and time wasters go away.
But I do have a suggestion for how you can “take back” most or
all of your energy and focus.
The quickest, easiest way is to take a Time Out – yes, put
yourself in Time Out – and practice a few minutes of deep
breathing.
Doesn’t have to be anything fancy. Just sit (or stand) and
gradually slow and deepen your breathing.
At the same time, focus your thoughts internally, on how you are
feeling.
You can actually breathe into the stress and tension by breathing
into the tight spots in your body.
As you breathe into these tight spots, imagine that every breath
is chipping away or unlocking them, piece by piece. Every
inhalation is surrounding them. Every exhalation is releasing
them or carrying pieces of them away.
Just a few minutes of this type of breathing and visualization
will naturally relax you. It will help you focus more positively
and constructively on what is really important in life.
And it can help short circuit any destructive behaviors. Like
eating a candy bar instead of something more healthy because
you’re stressed out. Or yelling at the kids because you’re cranky
because you missed your workout. Or letting you blood pressure
and heart rate elevate because you choose to be angry and
frustrated.
Again, this is no panacea. And it’s not always going to work
100 percent of the time.
But it’s a lot more pleasurable than the alternatives. And it
helps you assert control over your life and your behavior in a
very powerful and intelligent way.
You Can Do It!
Karen
“Best Breathing Exercises: Transform Body Mind and Spirit with
Dynamic Energy Exercise!”
www.BestBreathingExercises.com
P.S. Whether you want to improve your energy levels…enhance
your ability to manage stress…or you really want to lose
weight and finally stick with a healthy nutrition and fitness
program….
An effective strategy is to center and focus with the help of
deep breathing. Best Breathing Exercises programs can help you
do just that.
Copyright
, Karen Van Ness, 2011