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How To Relax And Think Clearly
Learning To Be In The
Moment
Steve Gillman
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, criticizing 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 apologize
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.
Steve Gillman
has meditated and studied meditation for over twenty years. You can
visit his website, and subscribe to The Meditation Newsletter at:
www.TheMeditationSite.com/newsletter.html
Source:
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