Relaxation/Meditation
Brilliant things happen in calm minds. Be calm! You’re brilliant!
Yawn and stretch for 10 seconds every hour.
Do a fake yawn if you have to. That will trigger real ones. Say “ahh” as you exhale. Notice how a yawn interrupts your thoughts and feelings. This brings you into the present.
Then stretch really, really slowly for at least 10 seconds. Notice any tightness and say “ease” or just say hello to that place (being mindful — noticing without judgment). Take another 20 seconds to notice and then get back to what you were doing.
Listen to sounds. Several times a day pause and simply listen. According to Bays, “Listen as if you had just landed from a foreign planet. See if you can hear all sounds as music being played just for you.”
Notice trees. Notice their different shapes and heights. Notice their different colors, branches and leaves. (If there are no trees where you live, focus on cacti or bushes or grass, Bays writes.)
Notice the wind. “Wind has many forms,” Bays writes. Of course, there is a gust of wind, which has many varieties. There’s movement in our breath, when we smell something and when we blow on a hot beverage. The air moves when we walk. It moves inside appliances like dryers and refrigerators.
Use your non-dominant hand. Use your non-dominant hand to perform ordinary tasks, everything from brushing your teeth to combing your hair to writing to eating.
Feel the bottoms of your feet. Become aware of the tiny sensations on the bottoms of your feet, along with the surfaces they’re touching. Pay attention to the temperature, to the warmth or coolness. Bays suggests doing this especially when you’re getting anxious or upset, because shifting your attention in this way helps you to feel more anchored and stable and maybe even serene.