Practical Personal Growth Tips: Taking A Breather

Once the day gets going it’s very easy to get swept away by the routine, the urgent (as distinct from the important), the latest minor crisis or, most common of all, unproductive thought. Even if you have started your day properly, it is all too easy to become submerged and revert to our default state of unfocused mindlessness.

So, for a start, what does starting your day properly mean? Well, we make certain that we don’t leave the house physically unprepared for the day ahead. We shower and dress ourselves – shaving or applying the odd dab of make-up as appropriate! On the other hand, we automatically leave the house each morning mentally unprepared for the day ahead. Starting the day properly means making sure that, before you leave the house, you’ve taken the appropriate step or steps to clear your mind and focus your energy. I recommend five to ten minutes mental preparation first thing. Find somewhere quiet to sit and focus on what your senses are telling you – one sense at a time. This ensures that you’re focused on what is really happening rather than on the subconscious programs that otherwise run your life – the latter being your default state of mind.

Right, let’s say that you’ve got your day off to the perfect start, you’re switched on, focused, mentally wide awake and ready for action. Small things like a delayed train, like heavy traffic, like somebody asking you to do something unexpectedly – so many little things can disturb us. And we haven’t even mentioned the big things! It is so easy to slip and slide mindlessly into mental oblivion as the day progresses. What we’ve got to do is ensure that, throughout our day, we pause to catch our breath – literally.

Age-old wisdom places great store on the opportunity that our breathing affords us to clear the mind of useless nonsense and distraction and, in doing so, focus the energy. So, here’s an easy, quick and very practical tip – because, after all, you’ve got to breathe anyway! Take a couple of moments – moments is all that’s required – at various points during the day to pay attention to the reality of your existence as you inhale and exhale. Focus your attention on what it feels like to breathe, how your body reacts with each breath in and out, how the air passes through your right, left or both nostrils. Give thanks for the reality that you are alive and breathing. Focus on nothing else for these few moments. If the worries or useless thoughts of the moment start crowding your mind, take three deeper breaths to refocus your attention. With each breath, realize that whatever might be doing your head in right now will be completely forgotten in months, weeks, days or even hours. Appreciate that, with an alert, focused and ready mind, anything is possible.