It can seem like there’s never enough time to indulge in time for self. Always a commitment, a meeting, something we should be doing for someone else. But to be at our peak performance, we need a vacation from schedules, worries, anxieties…a break from our problems.
You can stop thinking by taking a mental vacation. It’s easy, and it starts with a simple meditation. Mental activity tends to distract you from your awareness of what’s going on around you. We become lost in our thoughts. We worry, we stress out, we plan, we anticipate. Meditation allows us to release all of that, and just be.
Try sitting upright, but comfortably. Allow yourself to relax your body, especially the areas of your body where you hold your stress. Your jaws, shoulders, your arms…they should feel loose. Become intently aware of your breathing and focus on your breathes as they go in and out. When your mind wanders, acknowledge that you’ve lost contact with your breathing, and pay attention as you inhale the next time.
The point of the meditation is to simply breathe, and focus on being in your body. You don’t need to be thinking about anything. Devote time each day to just focusing on your breathing. It allows you to stop thinking about work, kids, chores, commitments, and only focus on yourself. And face it – you’re worth knowing. And you’re worth taking care of. Even if it’s only a brief, daily vacation from your worries.
Tags: awareness, breathing techniques, focus, managing stress, meditation, mental vacation, stress out, time for self, worry
