Much has been said about shifting our mindsets through meditation, self care and retreats to fully disconnect to reconnect. But when we get thrown back into our day to day we immediately spiral back to our old ways falling pray to the tyranny of the mind. It doesn’t need to be this way. Equip yourself with these real-time tools that can be easily deployed when you notice you are being tempted to get caught up in your head.
Physiological Sigh
A tool popularized by Andrew Huberman, that has been discovered in the 1930’s. A deep nasal inhale followed by an extra inhale and extended exhale. Our lungs are not just two big bags of air but it is surrounded by millions of mini sacs that if we were to lay it out would cover an entire football field. Isn’t that fascinating?
- Deep nasal inhale
- Another inhale
- Extended exhale
- 1 -3 times
It will instantly calm you down and what I love about this is you can do this real-time, no equipment, no audio, no meditation room, just straight up operating on your biology to get to balance. Once we get our chemicals balanced in the blood and in the brain we will operate with more clarity. Learn more here.
“Positive thinking is not about being delusional. It’s about learning how to take control of internal processing and knowing it’ll shape your external environment.”
Andrew D. Huberman
5 Second Rule
Popularized by Mel Robbins, It is the idea that you do a count down from 5 to 1 just like a rocket ship launch. If you have an instinct to move towards a goal you must physically move towards it in 5 seconds. If not the idea will stay in the brain and eventually you will be talked out of it by the brain because, you will have been persuaded by the mind’s reasonings protecting its comfort. The mind doesn’t like new things, and change, but the inner you is driven and destined yo evolve so commit to your actions using the 5 second rule. “The 5 Second Rule is simple. If you have an instinct to act on a goal, you must physically move within 5 seconds or your brain will kill it.
“If you have an instinct to act on a goal, you must physically move within 5 seconds or your brain will kill it.”
— Mel Robbins.
Why does this work? It is because of Metacognition. The ability to interrupt the sub conscious pattern and flips on your pre frontal cortex. The moment you start counting backwards you lean towards action, as you count, you skip the brain’s resistance to change. If you want something new to happen, you gotta start something you have never done. What is your gut telling you? Use the five second rule before you get talked out of it by your patterns. It’s like ripping a band aid off, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, off we go! Watch more here
Tapping (Emotional Freedom Technique)
Made famous by Poppy Delbridge. Is a technique combining tapping parts of the face and affirmations. Identify what is bothering you, affirm a solution and tap for 7 seconds the eyebrows, sides of the eyes, under the eyes, below the nose, the chin and the. The top of the head. It might seem a bit funny at first but, all we gotta do is try. Affirmations plus a specific activity such as tapping activates the Amygdala, the part of the brain which processes threats. Identifying what causes anxiety leads to clarity of solutions. The mere act of tapping too has the same effect of mindful body scan. Shifting away from the distress and towards ease and solution. We have meridians too all over our bodies which are path ways of life force which I think benefits from tapping. So when you are about to do something that scares you, tap away and affirm your power.
“The basic component of the Universe, energy, occurs in either materialized or un-materialized form. All that we see and feel is an expression of energy. All energy is the love of the Divine flowing through us. When we resist the flow of love, we experience discomfort. When we align with the love, we feel joyful and at peace.”
Arnold Patent
Grounding Object
It maybe helpful to have a grounding object like your favorite stone, a prayer card, a small bottle of essential oil. Something that you can touch and bring your attention to. I have a small obsidian stone that I keep in my pocket. We can embody the meaning behind the object; an example would be the obsidian stone being a highly-regarded protective stone, known for its ability to block, absorb, and transform negative energy. Obsidian is believed to be a stone of clarity, with the ability to release emotional, physical, and spiritual blockages, drawing out stress and tension. So from time to time during the day I reach down and touch the stone and automatically centers me back to the present. What is your grounding object?
“Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is a nobler art of leaving things undone…. The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of nonessentials. ”
– Lin Yutang
Calming Imagery
I’m n whatever situation you may be. You can always pick a quiet spot, close your eyes and imagine your safe place. It can be a beach, a tranquil zen room or just out in nature. This soothes the anxiety response and shifts your attention to calm and safety. We get anxious because we believe that we are being limited or constrained by a certain situation, by using the power of calming imagery, consciousness expands and brings forth a stability.
“The thinking mind is best controlled by the imagination. ”
– Carson McCullers
Worry Time
Designating a time for worry. If anything that causes you to be anxious pops up, write it down and a lot a specific limited time to worry about it. An example would be “I will deal with this thing that is causing me anxiety at 6:00 – 6:15 pm”. In designating a specific time for it, you will then force yourself to come up with a solution for it on the time decided upon. You will not spend your whole day ruminating on it because you know that from 6:00 – 6:15 you will be dealing with it and will come up with a perfect solution. So whatever is bothering you, box it up in your head and put a label “to be opened at 6:00-6:15pm. A little time management goes a long way.
“He who every morning plans the transactions of that day and follows that plan carries a thread that will guide him through the labyrinth of the most busy life.”
– Victor Hugo
S.T.O.P.
Whenever you feel overwhelmed, use this acronym STOP. S is to literally stop what you are doing. T is to take a deep breath. O is observe yourself and surroundings and really assess the situation for what it is. P is for Proceed with compassion for self and others. I find this one very handy because sometimes all we really need to do is to Stop, and everything seems to revert to balance. I learned this one from Tara Brach.
“What would it be like if I could accept life–accept this moment–exactly as it is?”
– Tara Brach
R.A.I.N
The acronym RAIN is an easy-to-remember tool for bringing mindfulness and compassion to emotional difficulty.
Recognize what is going on;
Allow the experience to be there, just as it is; Investigate with interest and care;
Nurture with self-compassion.
You can take your time and explore RAIN as a stand-alone meditation or move through the steps whenever challenging feelings arise.
“Mindfulness is a pause – the space between stimulus and
– Tara Brach
response: that’s where choice
lies.”
Conclusion
Hope this post provided some tools for your kit. What’s more important is using these tools whenever challenged. We all know what we need to do but do we really put them to practice? I hope you be your best each day, track your progress and keep on getting better even 1 % a day goes a long way. I believe in you and together we can make this world a better place.
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