This step-by-step instruction will come in handy on those days when the alarm clock didn’t ring for some reason, you didn’t have time to take a shower and were still late for work. Or when you feel like everything is falling apart and the only thing you want is to rush back to bed… but you have a meeting in an hour! Or maybe even when you feel like a little more, and you just explode.
Most importantly, take a break. Slow down for at least a second and think about the fact that right now you need to restore inner balance. Even if you only have five minutes: take five steps to restore inner balance in just five minutes.
1 minute deep breathing. Retire, close your eyes and breathe deeply, inhaling with your belly. Inhale through your nose for a count of five and exhale through your mouth for a count of five. You don’t need a timer, just repeat this breath in and out six times. Your time is up: a minute of deep breathing is enough to release accumulated stress.
2 minutes of power poses. Harvard Business School social psychologist Amy Cuddy’s famous talk on the postures that give us strength takes 20 minutes, we have less time, only two minutes, so we will briefly tell the essence. Even when we don’t feel confident, the “power pose” affects the levels of the hormones testosterone and cortisol in the blood. Find an empty meeting room or any other room and take a “power pose”: spread your legs wide, put your hands on your sides, keep your back straight, lift your chin. You will be surprised, but this simple tool works: after standing for two minutes, you yourself will want to quickly hold a meeting.
3 minutes of laughter. Funny videos on the Internet, collections of pictures with funny captions, videos with cats … Yes, yes, their time has come: find a video that will bring you joy, or watch a fragment of your favorite comedy. Laughter is the best medicine, in three minutes it will allow you to feel free and light and relieve stress.
4 minutes of dancing/stretching. Now is not the time for lounge and intellectual jazz, you need to throw your energy out. Turn up the volume and give in to the beat (if you can’t get away, just put on your headphones). Even if you dance only in your thoughts, it will shake you up and add energy. It is also useful to bend down to the very floor, completely relaxing your neck, shake yourself, throw your arms over your head, stretch from the heart.
Read more:
- Circadian Rhythms: When is the best time to get up, eat, work and exercise?
5 minutes outdoors. The power of sunlight and fresh air is priceless. Leave the room for five minutes, walk or sit, but leave your phone on your desk to completely relax. When you return, you will be able to convey your opinion to the meeting clearly and concisely.
These five simple steps have saved many times. Not only when there are those terrible days when everything goes wrong, but also when you feel that work is draining the last juices out of you and makes you forget who you are. On days when you are about to explode and either scream, or cry, or walk away, or all at once, set aside just one minute for deep breathing or four minutes for moving in an energetic rhythm. These minutes will fill you with positive energy.