Busy, Busy, Busy!

I only have a few minutes to write this post. You see, I'm in the middle of a big project right now that is demanding all of my time and I can spend much time away from it.

Does my situation sound familiar to you? Well, I found a quick fix that you might like.

I was driving home last night and I found myself using some very easy and effective relaxation techniques that work really well when you are up against a deadline and are getting stressed about it. The interesting part of it is that sometimes you don't realize you are stressed out until you get a headache, or your neck hurts, sometimes even your hands can start hurting is you are a person that clenches their hands.

I wrote an entry at the end of last month called "Paying Attention". In it I talked about going to your breath to find calm. If you think about your breath when you are in the middle of a stressful situation, you're apt to find that you are breathing shallow or halted breaths. Just this alone can make a stressful situation worse. Try the process that I describe below. You can do it anywhere - at a desk, while you're driving, walking, washing dishes. Anything.

Breathe through your nose for 15 seconds and focus on your breath. With your mouth closed, separate your top and bottom teeth and let your bottom jaw drop open. You'll find that this automatically opens your nasal passages more. You will take three deep breaths using some visualization techniques. Imagine that the air that you take in is cool and rich with oxygen. Think of it as a precious resource that you want to savor.

First, breathe the air deep into your abdomen, and then into your lungs until you can't breathe any deeper. Don't hold your breath. Let the air out through your mouth and imagine that this air is carrying a mist of stress out of your body and away from you. Repeat this twice to total three breaths.

In the thick of a pressured situation, this quick practice can help you to relax and get a fresh perspective.

Now, back to work!