Take that moment for yourself.

With the holidays here, it is common for individuals I coach to have a mile-long list of work-related and personal things that must be done before the end of the year. Often these lists have competing priorities, and all are “musts” in the category of do they need to be completed right now. Many clients plan to put in more hours and burn the midnight oil to meet all the requirements placed upon them, whether by someone else or themselves. During this time, how do you take a moment to relax and give your mind and body a quick break?

I’ll bet many of you laughed or scoffed at the thought of giving yourself a moment to relax. Who has that time? We all do! It comes down to choices and priorities. That quick break can be as short as a minute between tasks or calls, but it can get you a reenergized state of mind or body. The result can be an improved mental, emotional, and physical state.

Here are a few things I share with clients when they are searching for an outlet to get a small break.

Breathing exercises.

There are different breathing exercises out there. Pick the one you are comfortable with and work to start with just a focused minute. It can be invigorating to have that minute we focus on nothing other than our breathing, which for most, also slows down the thoughts bouncing around in our head and allows a moment to focus on our body and what is going on. Clients have told me a minute can lead to increased clarity and more remarkable performance. I always recommend starting your exercise by sitting or standing with a straight spine, closing your eyes, breathing through the nose, and focusing on using your diaphragm. If you do not have a go-to for breathing exercises, I recommend a quick search of your phone’s app store. Another option is to set a timer for a minute and get it done.

Shifting your focus.

One of the practices I find helpful to stop ruminating in my mind is to shift my focus to something else. A good practice is to stop and lightly rub a few fingers together while paying attention to the feeling through the fingers. Are they warm or cold? Soft or hard skin? How about the ridges of the fingertips? Really focus on feeling them. Spending a minute doing this will allow you to become focused on the fingers and pass some of those thoughts off that are not allowing you to focus. I have had clients use this practice in meetings when they find they have become distracted, generally by a fear of their upcoming discussion or presentation in the meeting.

Meditation.

Meditation can be as long or as short as you need it to be. It is a great practice to give yourself a break. I know that for myself and others, it is tough sometimes, as so many thoughts are present and distracting. But continued practice will allow for the shift and enjoyment from this practice. One of my go-to meditations is a body scan. The body scan causes me to keep shifting focus to parts of the body and helps prevent the other thoughts from taking over my meditation time. There are many videos on the web as well as apps to use. UCLA Mindful is an excellent free iOS and Android app with guided meditations and techniques.

Get up and move.

A majority of us sit most of the day. Getting up and taking a short walk can do a lot to get our creativity going. You do not need to go out for a long walk. Just a short walk around the office can be helpful. During your short walk, you can focus on something you see. What are the colors, textures, and shapes you see? Or you could be deliberate in how you walk, feeling how your feet touch the ground and how your legs move with each step. If you want more movement with each step, move each knee to cross the body or touch your heel with the opposite hand.

I hope some of these tips can help you take a moment for yourself. If you would like to learn more about these or other practices, you can start for yourself, reach out, and we can set a meeting to assist you with demonstrations and training. I would also like to hear any best practices you have. Please send them to me.

Written by Steven Schultze