Time is precious, and finding a spare moment during the day can feel utterly impossibly. While having a full schedule can sometimes make the day go faster, on other days, it may start to feel as if you’re struggling to stay ahead of the power curve. It’s times like those when it would be handy to have a technique to realign and find clarity by dropping into stillness. People who use meditative tools to help them get through their day while keeping their sanity report they feel less stress and anxiety.
The importance of overcoming stressors during the day goes beyond just making it through the chaos that sometimes arises at work. We now know that staying in the stressed state of fight or flight negatively affects our health over an extended time. Learning decompression techniques helps us in the moment and benefits our overall health in the long run.
When we lower our levels of tension and stress, we often find ourselves in better moods, which positively affects those around us. People also report getting more restful sleep when they’re less anxious. Lower stress levels also affect us in a multitude of ways. We need to allow the entire system time to regenerate and reset, allowing us to feel better mentally and physically.
Our minds are addicted to the predictability of our habits and our routines, even the ones we know we don’t like. Many of us have struggled to put a stop to negative coping mechanisms. Constantly finding ourselves face to face with foods, beverages, or other substances, we promised ourselves we would give up or limit. Maybe for you, it was a positive habit you tried to talk yourself into, such as more time outside or an added workout routine. Wanting to change is not enough for most of us to break through our subconscious programming and make substantial progress; we have to find ways to establish new behavior patterns.
Three easy meditation routines that take 5 minutes or less
For that reason, we put together a list of quick and effective meditative techniques that take as little as 1-3 minutes. Just pick one and try for a week. If you love the results, keep using them. Try to do it more often throughout the day and consider increasing the time you dedicate to your practice. Yes, these simple tricks, when implemented, absolutely count as a practice. You don’t have to commit to overly complicated, lengthy classes to see results.
After you’ve learned to use your technique, you may want to see if one of the other options works as well. Feel free to try another for a few days or weeks and then use the one that suits you best. Remember, there’s no need to learn hundreds of methods. Once you find a simple technique that helps you center yourself in your present moment, there’s no need to keep looking. It’s allowed to be easy!
So here are three techniques you may find worth trying:
Find a small, secluded area where you will not be disturbed. Put your phone someplace in won’t bother you (or turn it off). Some of you may find it handy to use the timer, and others will be happy to leave it behind and use a clock or a watch. If you spend all day on your fee, consider finding a comfortable place to sit. For those of you seated all day, you may want to do this standing. Most of you will prefer to do this with your eyes closed, but please honor your comfort level. Then notice how you’re breathing. Is the chest rising, or can you feel the back of the rib cage expanding?
Now take a full deep breath from low in the belly. Hold the breath for 3 seconds, and then, as slow as you can, exhale completely. Belly breathing requires you to engage both the core and diaphragm. Draw the navel in as if you’re trying to pull your belly toward the back of your spine. Notice how your next breath feels much deeper and more satisfying now that we’ve made extra room to draw a full inhale. Continue this for a couple of minutes and then release all control or manipulation of the breath. Notice how different your new natural state of breathing is.
Find a space big enough to allow for you to outstretch your arms in any direction. You’ll want to come to a standing position, and if it’s available and comfortable for you, consider removing your shoes. Before you start any movement, take a moment to hit pause and find some stillness. Close your eyes and take a few big deep breaths in and out. Then make sure your feet are about hip to shoulder distance apart with your toes pointed forward. Remember not to rush the movement, but move as slow and aware as possible. We are not rushing to finish or accomplish anything, but instead, noticing how we feel each moment and throughout every change and transition.
When you’re ready to inhale, reach the arms up and out to the side. When prepared for the exhale, breathe out slowly as you allow yourself to bend at the waist, letting the arms and fingers reach forward and eventually down toward your feet. You may find this difficult at first, as many of us have tight lower backs and tension down through the back of the legs, but as you continue to practice, you will notice the body opening and releasing deeper. You can “hang” there for a breath or two if you like. When you feel ready, find or wait for an inhale, and as you slowly breathe in, draw yourself back up to a standing position. From here, you will repeat the process until you decide to end it.
One additional technique to try is a simple exercise you can use throughout your day. You can even do this one without anyone noticing if you keep your eyes open. Focus a bit of attention on your heart center, maybe observing the beating of your heart or any tension in your chest. Try to relax through the upper back and take a slightly more significant, more intentional inhalation. As you exhale, allow a slight smile to form by encouraging the corners of your mouth to upturn just a bit while you silently say to yourself, “I choose Peace.”
Feel free to do this while driving or walking through the halls or office. You can do this while on the receiving end of a difficult phone conversation or a quick bathroom break. As you consciously pull yourself away from the normal chatting of the mind, you should begin to notice a sense of calm awareness. You may even start to see people smiling back at you!
While we hope many of you will remember to take advantage of these tips throughout your day, be patient with yourself as you develop a practice. Just remembering to incorporate some of these suggestions at the beginning or end of your day is a start. Furthermore, it would be best not to succumb to the false paradigm that a little is not enough.
Some of you may have heard an adage similar to “if you want something different, you have to do something different,” but nowhere does it imply that something different has to be drastic or difficult. Our clients often ask questions on how best to improve the workplace environment at their clinic. Our answer always firmly stands on the ground that it starts with the initiative of each staff or team member to want to do better. Contact us today to learn more on how to begin engineering a better clinic or company.