Life can change on a dime. A sudden shift in your day can happen and can throw you off balance in a variety of ways. Some of the changes may be small such as just as you are about to leave for work, you spill coffee on yourself and now have to take time to change. You were already feeling rushed, and now you can feel anxiety rising up. You are feeling stressed out knowing that you are most certainly going to be late. Your stressed out thoughts now cause you to have more stressed out thoughts imagining the worst. You have to call your boss to say you are going to be late and that adds more stress. You think about how you are going to be late for everything that you planned. You begin to notice that you are hardly breathing and that you are even getting a headache. You finally get to work, but you feel like the whole day is ruined. Not only that, you are cranky and take it out on anybody who crosses your path.
Now, let’s start over. You begin your day with a deep relaxation practice. You lay in bed with plenty of time to get ready for the day by breathing slowly and deeply. You breathe in and out with your hand on your belly directing your breath so it fills your diaphragm and whole body. You do this for 2 minutes. Then you scan your body and tighten and relax your muscles, which create a more relaxed state. You think thoughts about how you see your day. You see yourself doing what you need to do feeling relaxed and at ease. You are using the ability to plan your day the way you want it to go. You are cool, calm and collected. Just as you are about to leave, you spill coffee on yourself. You don’t over react, you simply pick out something else to wear, change and go about your morning. You are in a good mood and expect a good day.
We don’t really know what the day will bring. We can plan and organize, but life has a way of throwing us curve balls. They can be small, like spilling a cup of coffee, or they can be life changing such as a sudden loss of a loved one.
This is why practicing being generally cool, calm and collected has enormous benefits. Practicing deep relaxation techniques including the simple description above will create a way of being that will support you when life changes on a dime. Your natural way will be relaxed and at ease which is how you want to feel and will help you to feel happier and healthier. Cool, calm and collected!
