We’re busier than ever in this day and age. We’re bombarded by beeps, messages, and advertisements 24/7. We live in an age of constantly being connected and constantly being interrupted. It’s a wonder we get anything done. Without a doubt, these constant distractions are a big part of why we feel so stressed out all the time. With all the noise and flashing lights, it’s hard to hear yourself think sometimes. It’s time to fix that and today I’m going to show you how.
Some of the most successful business people set aside time regularly to think, plan, and learn. Bill Gates takes an entire week twice a year to unplug and do nothing but read and think. Warren Buffet states that he’s spent about 80% of his career reading and thinking. Quite a few other successful CEOs schedule time to think and plan, and even allow employees to do the same. In short, carving out time for quiet contemplation isn’t a waste of time. It’s how you get ahead.
As an added benefit and why I’m including it in this series about relaxation and reducing stress is that it gives you time to get away from it all. It gives you time to rest up and distress and that’s important. In fact, this rest is what gives your mind the time and ability to come up with the next great idea or solution. It’s what makes you a better partner, a better boss, a better co-worker, and a better business person.
The first thing you need is a little mindset shift. Don’t think of taking time for quiet contemplation as a waste of time, or one more thing you have to squeeze into your already overflowing calendar. Instead, think of it as the solution to the stress and overwhelm and a way to cut back on the hours you spend working.
Put it in your calendar, schedule it, in fact, go ahead and make it a high priority. There’s no reason for you to toil away at busy work for 5 hours per day when you could spend one to come up with a better solution that would automate all that work for example.
If you’re still skeptical, please give it a serious try. It works and it works well. Once you see what having quiet time to think and strategies will do for both your professional and your personal life, you’ll gladly find time for quiet contemplation on a regular basis. Don’t forget to notice how the stress and pressure start to disappear or at least lessens when you do this.
If it works for some of the most brilliant minds of our generation along with every spiritual leader across time, shouldn’t you give quiet time to think a serious try and make it part of your own life? Your mind and your body will thank you as you start to stress less and relax more.
To Your Health,
Bina
Practicing Meditation
One of the best ways to develop your inner strength and power is to practice meditation as it has helped me relax in many ways, provided relief from stress, and boosts my energy levels. A few relaxation techniques you can follow are:
1-Strictly focus on breathing and nothing else.
Count your breaths, as this will help you in concentrate on breathing.
The sharpness of your focus will lessen, once your breathing evens out. You will begin to think more clearly and other stray thoughts that often seem to jumble our minds will be cleared. Try again to return your concentration to the breathing, and begin counting again.
2- Breathe Deep
Learn the art of deep breathing appropriately, so that your inner strength and power are enhanced. The demand of oxygen for your brain increases, when you feel tensed, whereas shallow breaths reduce the intake of oxygen that leads to suffocation of the brain cells.
Breathe through your nose until you feel full, though not excessively so. While you deep breathe, your abdominal area will increase and your chest will rise. While exhaling, draw your lower abdominal area in, followed by the upper. Stay in that position for half a second, and then continue with the exercise.
3- Laugh Freely
Laughter helps a great deal in boosting your inner strength and power, as it causes the release of endorphins. Having a good laugh makes you feel good about yourself, which makes your energy levels rise.
When you genuinely laugh, there is a rise in your blood pressure and heart rate that makes the blood flow more efficiently throughout the body. Remember, that more blood flow results in higher energy levels.
4=Forgive Easily
If you hold a grudge against anyone, the pent up stress can make you feel as if the weight of the world is on your shoulder. Such a feeling of emotional drain can be very unproductive and can completely consume you, thus it is better to forgive and let go.
Forgiveness doesn’t mean that you should forget what hurt or angered you; instead you should be the higher person and show that nothing can keep you down. It takes you beyond the role of being a victim, and places you in the driver’s seat. You should not be a victim, instead, take control of the situation and expend your energy elsewhere.
5- Handle Obstacles
Learning to handle obstacles is the best way to exercise your inner strength and power, stand your ground, and succeed. The world presents you with various challenges so that you learn how to develop mental strength, grow more confident and strong.
To succeed in overcoming obstacles, you need to have the inner strength and power to stick through any adversity. You must have the mindset to believe more in yourself than in the obstacles, and have the willingness to do what it takes to turn the obstacles around. Take action and overcome them!
Your personal success and personal failure, all start in the mind. Success in life is about managed thoughts, focused attention, and deliberate action.
You need to eliminate negative beliefs that have been holding you back from reaching your goals, by tapping into the power of your unconscious mind. Your inner strength and power develops by overcoming inner resistance.