It’s easy to get lost in the hustle and bustle of everyday life. With so many things to do, and with current local and global stress of a pandemic, it’s hard not to feel anxious and burnt out. That’s why it can be handy to learn how to work smart to avoid setbacks and improve your productivity. But if you feel like you’re about to burn out, you can reduce your stress by practising some of these simple meditation techniques at the office or while working at home:
Take a Few Minutes to Count Your Breaths
During certain events that feel like they’re out of your control, it’s normal for you to start breathing more quickly than usual. That’s called effortful breathing, one of the many ways your body naturally responds to stress. It also occurs as part of the fight-or-flight response to provide extra oxygen, giving you enough energy to respond quickly to the danger.
But just as your state of mind can affect our breathing, you can be more conscious of how you breathe regulate our mental state. By learning how to breathe correctly, you can calm yourself down and see your situation more objectively.
One simple meditation technique that you can try is Breath Counting Meditation. To do this, sit up straight in a comfortable and stable chair. Close your eyes and slowly inhale through your nose for at least three seconds, pushing your lower belly out as if it’s being filled with air. Hold that breath for about three seconds. Then, slowly exhale through your nose for four seconds, pulling in your lower belly as if squeezing the air out of it.
As you do this, mentally count each breath cycle until you reach ten counts. Then, start counting backwards until you reach ‘one.’ Repeat these steps for at least five minutes, being careful not to let your mind wander during this meditation exercise.
Start Eating Your Lunches More Mindfully
With today’s fast-paced lifestyles, it can be hard to justify a leisurely meal. And if you have a packed work schedule, sitting down to eat a decent lunch may seem like a waste of time. You might have even gotten into the habit of eating your food right at your desk, consuming it as fast as you can before diving right back into work.
However, eating too quickly can be bad for your physical health. For one thing, you may end up consuming more food than you need in a day. This is because it takes your body up to 20 minutes to send your brain enough signals to indicate that you’re full.
Instead of rushing through your meals, try to turn eating into a meditative practice. Take note of how your lunch smells, looks, and tastes. Slow down as you chew and feel the food in your mouth. Allow yourself to be fully present and appreciate what you put in your body. For those working from home, this time gives you a great opportunity to sit away from your desk and really have a relaxing meal alone or perhaps with your family.
Repeat a Silent Mantra to Yourself
A mantra is a sound or phrase that you repeat to yourself to meditate or relax. This can be done by chanting out loud or repeating it quietly in your mind. If taken to the next level, it becomes a powerful saying that can make a positive impact on how you feel about yourself or your environment.
Evidence for this can be found in a study done on the effects of repetitive speech on the human mind. Here, experts discovered that quietly repeating a single word to yourself can help calm you down. This is because mantras suppress the parts of your brain responsible for self-reflection and mind wandering.
To practice this at work, feel free to create a personal mantra to repeat whenever you meditate. Then, say it over and over in your mind, syncing your repetitions to the rhythm of your breath. This works especially well whenever you need to calm yourself in case, you’re anxious about something at the office or at home.
Visualise Your Success
Visualisation is the process of imagining the outcome of a situation before it happens in reality. This particular technique grew in popularity after many athletes found great results when incorporating it into their pre-game preparations. Indeed, many studies have found that athletes who visualised a successful performance were more likely to pull it off in reality.
The good news is that you can also practice visualisation meditation to succeed in your career. This works particularly well for confronting situations that scare you. These could include giving a talk in front of a large audience or going in for a job interview. Whatever it is you have to face, picture yourself doing it perfectly. Imagine everything from the clothes you’re wearing to the room you’re in. The clearer the mental image is, the higher your chances of knocking it out of the park.
Whenever you feel overwhelmed at work, try out any of these simple meditation techniques to release some stress. With a clear and calm mind, you’ll have a much easier time getting everything done.