You know how some days you seem to be skating on the top of everything, rather than diving in like you are supposed to? I now hate that I made myself think of diving into icy water, but please bear with me.
I’m referring to those days that are so hectic that all you can think of is the hecticness, and you can’t even begin to try and figure out how to relax and feel better.
Start with three deep breaths* but make these three breaths happen while you are either boiling the kettle or peeling an orange (choose your poison!).
If you choose the kettle option, here’s what you do:
1) fill the kettle with fresh water
2) plug it in or put it on the burner
3) close your eyes, and take three deep breaths
4) put your tea in the pot, or the bag in the cup
5) pour the boiling water in the pot or the cup, and let it steep while you breathe in the steam (if you used a pot, pour the tea into a cup before continuing)
6) sit with your tea, smell it, taste it, enjoy how warm the cup feels in your hand, drink your tea
7) breathe some more
now pick one thing to do that will move you a step forward
For oranges
1) pick out an appealing orange (ha!)
2) take three deep breaths, inhaling the orange scent
3) focus as you peel it, does the inside smell different, stronger or weaker than the outside?
4) how does the skin feel in your fingers? how about the inside?
5) separate the orange into sections, and eat one at a time, enjoying the scent of the orange sections
6) breathe some more
7) now pick one thing to do to move yourself forward
Now, I know I’m not tricking anyone here. These are clearly mindfulness exercises but there is a huge difference in saying BE MINDFUL and in saying Do X, then Y, then Z. If you have a ritual to call on when you feel the hectic hit, then you can put yourself back in a more peaceful frame of mind more quickly. And a peaceful frame of mind beats the heck out of a frantic one.
Now, breathe again!
*yeeeessss, I do think that they help everything – well, except for cracked ribs, three deep breaths aren’t going to help there.
