Vacationing, exercising and meditation are good for your health. That's a well-established fact. Our pedal-to-the-metal hard-charging life styles and work habits run our engines too hot. Unless we cool off regularly, stress, depression and high blood pressure are just some of the rewards awaiting us. But it is also a fact that most of those really cannot afford time off for long vacations, or get up 3 a.m. in the morning for an hour of yoga and meditation. Evenings are no better either. Long commutes back to home are becoming a standard routine in many metropolitan areas around the world. Instead, you can try taking micro breaks, each perhaps 5 or 10 seconds long, in situations where your body is captive but your mind can do what it pleases, like when you are waiting in a doctor's office or riding an elevator. I find out that sometimes even when I'm driving I'm still working in my mind, still trying to solve a problem I've left unfinished in the office or back at home. When in those situations I give my mind the silent command to stop working and let go, I always find out to my great surprise that that's precisely what my mind does it immediately lets go my body into a state of great peace and tranquility. The effects of such a self-directed command is immediate. I can literally feel my blood pressure instantly going down, my breathing become deeper and fuller, my nerve ends washed with a soothing physical sensation and my mood right on the spot changing to a much more pleasant one. I sometimes add some positive visualizations to increase the let go effect. I think about that beautiful sunny beach that I wanted to visit for some time. Or I think about attending the Wimbledon... I image having a great front seat to the fantastic final match between two world-champion tennis players. In just 10 seconds I find myself smiling and humming and back in good shape. Try taking such small micro breaks throughout the day when you have the time, and you'll become a believer in the micro miracles of micro breaks as well. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
