Exercise: how to focus

Remember this morning. How many things did you take on at the same time when you were at work? How many letters were answered and how many calls were made while typing messages on a smartphone and being angry at their fingers, which always miss the right letter? Everyday stress forces us to do a hundred things at once. Because of the many activities, urges, and obligations, we lose inner peace. After all, we not only have to cope with a continuous stream of tasks at work (be efficient), but also keep the bar in other areas of our lives. To be a hospitable host or hostess, a responsible parent, an understanding and faithful friend, a partner — attractive, inventive and seductive in any circumstances and despite the hectic pace of events around! Each «field of activity» is carefully separated from the other. And it encourages us to separate our mind, body, and emotions as if they could exist alone.

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Faced with difficulties in at least one of the areas, and especially in work, we easily lose faith in ourselves, our strengths, our own significance and value. After all, most of us work not only and not so much for the sake of money: we often have strong narcissism, a desire to receive praise from management or high marks from colleagues. “It is important for us to maintain a positive image of ourselves, to think well of ourselves,” reminds psychotherapist Margarita Zhamkochyan. – When something doesn’t work out in at least one of the significant roles, the whole image of oneself can collapse. So, failure in one thing strikes at our idea of ​​ourselves as a whole. It is often really difficult to reconcile family, professional and other spheres. This is a real challenge that modern life throws to each of us.” And sometimes we feel so exhausted that we deliberately undertake to do something else. And further. “This is how the psychological defense mechanism works,” the therapist continues. “Hide behind a million things to do none of them well enough. This is a way to protect yourself from feelings of inadequacy, imperfection. Add to this lack of coherence and a sense of instability, which has escalated markedly in recent months. “Uncertainty about what will happen tomorrow, the fear of being on the sidelines of professional and social life can further undermine self-confidence,” emphasizes Margarita Zhamkochyan. “However, losing time and regaining confidence in your abilities is absolutely normal. This happens to each of us many times in our lives.”

Dissatisfaction with oneself can be expressed, for example, in dissatisfaction with some part of one’s appearance. We suddenly notice a pigment spot on the hand or a wrinkle on the forehead, which did not bother us before … Whoever seeks will find. When the shell is cracked, we break it into pieces, hardening against ourselves. Our consciousness focuses on some part of the body, chosen by pure chance, which we begin to actively dislike. To regain confidence, you need to come to terms with yourself, returning a sense of inner wholeness.

Unity of soul and body

Self-confident, according to Margarita Zhamkochyan, makes us purposeful, «when we see the goal and know how to go towards it.» Surprisingly, yoga can help. “To achieve a goal, we often lack not desire at all, but concentration,” says Iyengar yoga instructor Maria Schiffers. — Humans are made that way. To achieve the goal, you need to concentrate on it not only the mind, but also the organs of action and perception. If the body is constricted, the thoughts dissipate. To correct the situation, in yoga (translated from Sanskrit this word means “connection”), we rely on two pillars: postures and breathing.” The exercises and recommendations on the following pages will help you regain your integrity and self-confidence.