Realize that your headaches, sweaty palms, fast heartbeat, or other physical symptoms are telling you that you are experiencing tension, which is stress.
The Quick Relax takes only six seconds to do!
Step one: Become aware that you are upset.
Realize that your headaches, sweaty palms, fast heartbeat or other physical symptoms are telling you that you are experiencing tension, which is stress.
Step Two: Smile inwardly and tell yourself that you can calm yourself down.
This step is very important! It must not be skipped! It changes the way you feel about the situation you are in. Rather than feeling like you are a victim of the situation and helpless to change or control it, you tell yourself that there is something you can do to make it better.
Step Three: Breathe slowly and easily through imaginary holes in your feet.
Imagine small holes dotted over the surface of the bottoms of your feet. Inhale and imagine cool air flowing up through these imaginary holes, up through your legs and into your stomach. Hold the air like that for a few seconds, then push that stressful air down your body when you exhale, pushing it back down your legs and out through the holes in your feet.
Step Four: Go into your mind to a place where you are fully relaxed and happy.
Imagine your most favorite place, doing your most favorite thing, adding all the details you can, feeling relaxed and peaceful. Then come back to the present moment.
When we change the way we breathe, we change the way we think and feel about a situation. Breathing is a part of life’s rhythm. When we breathe slowly, we feel quiet, peaceful and clam. When we practice slow breathing, we clam down and reduce stress.
You can do this anytime you want!