A little while ago I provided you with some ideas on how to stock up your kitchen to keep your body well nourished during your time of stress.
Any time the project or semester is over, you’re looking forward to relaxing and enjoying yourself. Right before this moment, however, the performance anxiety heightens your perception and experience to the max.
This it the time to simplify your rituals and rely on what’s readily available to you.
Very few things help you to do this as well as breathing (and in this particular case, short-term meditation).
When I was young, I often had trouble taking exams, mostly due to my inability to focus. One day my mom sat me down and said, ‘when you’re struggling with the right answer, put your pen down, look at the ceiling in the right corner of room and count how many flies you see there.’
To be honest, I always thought this was one of the most ridiculous suggestions until…
One day it occurred to me that probably unknowingly my mom was teaching me the surprising powers of meditation. I recognize her approach was a bit unorthodox.
However, counting imaginary flies took my mind away from exam, and helped to concentrate on something small and perhaps completely irrelevant (like a dot on the wall or a number you repeat in your mind when you meditate.)
How many celebrities on this list do you admire or follow?
Oprah Winfrey, Ellen DeGeneres, Soledad O’Brien, Howard Stern, Martin Scorsese, Jennifer Aniston, Jeff Bridges, Cameron Diaz, Clint Eastwood, Heather Graham, Hugh Jackman, Naomi Watts, Eva Mendes, Russell Brand, Jerry Seinfeld, Katy Perry, Sheryl Crow, Paul McCarthy and Gisele Bundchen.
Do you know what’s in common between all of them?
Did you just say ‘‘they meditate’? You got that right! These people mention a variety of reasons for their meditation practices.
I’d like you to explore meditation as a way of decreasing anxiety and stress while enhancing your focus, creativity and problem solving.
Earlier this year I started to meditate. I have to admit some weeks are easier for me in that respect than other. The weeks of intense stress (like final exams) is the perfect opportunity to test the powers of meditation for enhancing your performance.
Next time if you’re feeling anxious give this simple exercise, called short-term meditation, a try. (You can also count the imaginary flies in the right corner of the room per my mom’s suggestion.)
What do you have to lose?
- Gently close your eyes
- Count to 4 as you are taking a deep breath to inhale
- Pause briefly
- Count to 4 as you are slowly exhaling
- Count to 2 before taking your next breath
- Repeat 3 times if you are in the middle of any stressful activity that requires your concentration
If you really want to see what’s the whole focus and creativity benefit all about, try the same exercise but repeat it 5-10 times when you have a bit more time (as you are studying, for example).
Questions: Are you surprised by the number of leaders and celebrities that meditate on a consistent basis? If you give short-term meditation a try, please let me know if it was helpful during your exams. Would you ever consider meditating on a daily basis?
Image courtesy of Pixabay/JohnHain
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