An escalation mail which you least expected from the client, marking your boss, has the power to bring the worst in you, send knee jerk responses on your defend which makes things worst, spoil your special days, burst at your team, shout at your family, think of quitting and many other reactions as the list goes on.
Focusing on the client problem and solving it without disturbing your emotional control over other aspects of the day can transform not just your day but your life.
This is the easiest transformation you can try for free. We call it ‘Focussed Mind Meditation’. All you need to is focus all your mind on a defined target or on your breathing. It can be an object on your desk, a picture or anything your imagine with your eyes closed or open. It works better with closed eyes. Start with 2 minutes, your mind will drift even in those 2 minutes but bring it back again. Slowly increase the timer from 2mins to 5 mins and so on.
Most people practicing focused attention meditation go through the below 4 loops:
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They focus on the target
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Their mind drifts off – but they are unaware of this
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They suddenly become aware
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They disengage from distracting thoughts and shift their focus back to their target
As shared by Mithu Storoni, MD, PHD , in her book Stress Proof, Meditation has power to ‘rewire’ your brain with your own thoughts to create a new, stronger circuit that keeps your emotional reactivity under control. Meditators are able to control their thoughts and emotions with greater ease than non-mediators.
Try this for at least 3 months to see a consistent impact on your emotional regulation. You have nothing to lose because there’s one benefit no one can deny meditation is free.
With practice, meditation becomes both more of an easy habit to maintain and more of an effective one as well, given that it builds resilience to stress over time. Putting in the effort to learn and practice meditation can actually transform your experience of stress in your life. There are many forms of meditation. Above may be easiest and simplest.
A Few Tips to Help Your Meditation Practice
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Should you feel your shoulders slump while meditating, simply straighten back up. A straight back will also prevent soreness during longer meditations.
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Do not squeeze your eyes tight. If you feel your face tighten, slowly open your eyes, refocus on that soft gaze and lower them again.
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If you get carried away in your thoughts, don’t be hard on yourself. Take a moment, without judgement, to observe where your mind went off to and then return to your breathing.
With practice, you may eventually find yourself saying, “Wow, that was 10 minutes? I could go longer!” When you are comfortable, skip the timer and allow your meditations to last as long as needed.
Article References:
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Verywell Mind
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Stress Proof by Mithu Storoni
