Relax And Think Clearly
Learning To Be In The Moment
Imagine thinking clearly, and feeling relaxed at will. Could you
get more done? Enjoy life more? Would you like to know how to do
that right now? Start by learning how to put yourself more in
the moment with a simple mindfulness exercise.
Basic Mindfulness Exercises
A basic mindfulness exercise begins with sitting down, relaxing
and breathing deeply. Close your eyes and pay attention to your
breathing, following the breath in and out a few times. Then
move your attention to your body, one part at a time, noticing
any sensations of cold, hot, tight, sore or anything you can
identify. After a few minutes, start listening to the sounds of
the room, without judging, criticising or thinking about them.
Just listen for a minute.
Open your eyes and look around as if seeing for the first time.
Rest your eyes on any object for half a minute. Examine it
without talking about it in your mind. Repeat this with another
object, and then another, while still maintaining an awareness
of your body and breath. Continue this state of mindfulness
until you're ready to get up.
When sensing your body, your breath, and your immediate
surroundings, you are more fully "in the moment." A mindfulness
exercise like this puts your mind in a receptive state while
removing mental distractions that hinder clear thinking. It
leaves you ready to work mentally. Do this before important
mental tasks and you'll find you have more focus and
concentration.
Using Mindfulness For Daily Life
When you're in the middle of a task and feel stressed, stop.
Take three deep breaths, then carefully watch yourself until
identify what is bothering you. Find everything you can. Are you
expecting something bad to happen? Is an argument from this
morning still going on just below the surface of your
consciousness? Are you worried about something? Is some part of
your body in pain? Note everything you find.
Now deal with these thieves-of-concentration one by one. Make
the phone call that's on your mind, take an aspirin if you need
to, and apologise to someone if necessary. Take things from your
mind and put them on a list for tomorrow (in writing). If all
you can do is acknowledge that there's nothing you can do right
now - do that. After doing this mindfulness exercise, you'll
feel less stressed, and you'll be able to concentrate more
effectively on the tasks at hand. Try it now.