Relaxing at Work
Relaxing on the Job
Bruce Taylor
Unison
Coaching
Lots of coaches teach relaxation techniques, and most of them
start, "Go to a quiet room where you can be alone..." With all
due respect, in most offices there are no quiet rooms, and there
is no time to be alone. And the time you most need relaxation is
during a meeting when you've been given yet another assignment.
When you can't find a quiet, secluded spot, try this relaxation
technique:
* Pick some object on the other side of the room, and
concentrate all your attention on it.
* Take one deep breath through your mouth and let it out slowly
through your nose.
* Now take ten slow breaths in the following way: slowly breath
in through your nose, imagining the air flowing in and filling
your lungs; then slowly breathe out through your mouth,
imagining your lungs emptying. Each breath should take at least
two seconds.
* After ten breaths, let your attention come back from the spot
on the wall to whatever is happening around you.
And that's all: the whole exercise takes less than thirty
seconds and it will help calm you and help keep you from
stressing out. It's only a band-aid solution, but at least you
can do it daily and without attracting notice.