Has it been stressful before? Yes, but not like this. Supermarkets are empty, businesses are closing, and everyone is afraid to get sick – globally. We are amidst multidimensional challenges on personal, business, and family levels all at once, and no one knows how long it will last.
Whether your stress keeps you awake at night or manifests as a tight, uncomfortable feeling in the chest or neverending thoughts in the head, it is smart to do something about it. Stress inhibits our immune system, which is what COVID-19 and other disease attacks.
Here are three mindful hacks that will take you 2-minutes or less to bust stress and stay well.
HIT THE RELOAD BUTTON
Working from home, managing clients and teams remotely, having family and kids around more than you are used to overloads our senses, brain capacity, and sense of self.
When a computer has too many open tabs and gets overloaded, the best thing we do is to hit the restart button. It takes about 2 minutes to wait for reloading, but it solves 90% of simple IT issues every single time.
The same happens within your brain and the nervous system it governs. In times of stress, your body and the mind are working overtime and burn more energy, whether you are aware of it or not. There are too many open tabs.
To help yourself function better, hit the 2-minute “mental reload” button as much as you can throughout the day.
PRACTICE: Set the timer for 2 minutes and get still. Exhale. Relax. Breathe slow and deep.(Or listen to this 2-minute guided “Restart The Brain Button” practice). Repeat 2-minutes 5 times a day.
GO BEYOND TIME
What is your experience with time right now? Do you feel like you have no time or “too much to do – too little time” kind of feeling?
Now, remember the time when you were happy, in love, or laughed like you are going to explode. What was your experience of time then?
Our perception of time determines our stress levels. When we feel rushed and pressured – the time shrinks. When we feel joyful and expansive – the time becomes infinite. So what is the real sense of time then? Time is only our internal experience of it. Your time perception is up to you to control.
Take the pressure off from yourself and the team by realizing and acknowledging that in times of uncertainty and stress, you cannot do it all. Stay mindful and patient when it takes a bit longer than before to finish anything. Allow a grace period of 1-2 weeks to get into new routines and practice higher tolerance for “things not going as planned.”
Make your time infinite by expressing gratitude, joy, and communicating withing your team with kindness and compassion.
PRACTICE: Take the sticky note and write on it “THIS TOO SHALL PASS” and place it on a visible spot. Think, how significant this temporary life experience is on the scale of the whole universe? Remind yourself that feeling of joy, connection, and love are timeless.
INVEST INTO YOUR WELL-BEING
On the other hand, with social distancing and working from home, most of us have more time than before. What are you doing with these extra 1-2 hours that you are not commuting or visiting clients?
The unusual global situation has put us all outside of the autopilot zone. Autopilot is a time-saving mechanism. We trained our subconscious mind to do things out of habits and routines, so we do them faster. Autopilot turns off when we have to do things in a new way, in a different environment, while adjusting to ever-changing life scenarios.
Uncertainty is the perfect time to reconstruct yourself with better, healthier routines and habits.
Create a morning routine that includes drinking water, stretching, and meditation. Look at your weight, nutrition, and exercise routine. Evaluate the quality of your sleep (check out “10 Mindful Tips for Restful Sleep” article).
All these pillars of well-being create a more robust immune system that fights off the viruses.
PRACTICE: List 3 healthy habits that you know make you feel more energized and healthy. Combine them into one consecutive routine. Schedule it on your calendar during the times where you used to commute or visit clients. Do not cancel – do it!
You can find more information, tools, and practices: www.sattvameonline.com
Oksana’s Book, “NEXT LEVEL YOU”, www.sattva.me
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