Breathing is the easiest thing to do to reduce stress and focus but how often do you take a moment to focus on it? When I was last in the Philippines I went scuba diving for the very first time. I was all wound up, worrying about everything under the sun. Our dive master kept saying that all we had to was focus on our breathing. I was only halfway listening but as soon as I was under water, it made perfect sense.
All I had to do was breathe. The surroundings were amazing but more importantly, there was a stillness that I hadn’t felt for a long time. All I could hear was my breathing. It brought everything into focus. My mind was quiet and I felt free again.
After I surfaced, I realized that my stress was no different from it had ever been. If you are pushing yourself, there will always be stress. That’s part of being successful. It’s how you deal with the pressure that sets you apart. I realized that I felt unusually stressed because I had cut back on practicing yoga and regular meditations. That was the missing link. From that trip on, I wrote down on my to-do list every day to meditate for 15 minutes. I now practice this in a sauna and my stamina and calmness has increased steadily.
I was reminded of this lesson in one of my business school courses. The class deals with the psychology of success and the most cutting edge techniques that leading businesspeople use to stay ahead of the competition. The very simple lesson for this blog is that success starts with one very simple task. Breathing. If you strip away all of spiritual aspects of meditative practices, it boils down to breathing and focusing on one thing. It doesn’t really matter what that thing is. The point is to just breathe and focus. Trust me, you will feel a lot better. I’ve had my most creative ideas and made strong choices after these sessions.
Take away: To mentally prepare for success, reduce stress, and stay on task, all you have to do is breathe.
Exercise: Take 10-15 minutes of each day and sit in a quiet place. Take deep breaths, inhaling and exhaling through your nose. Focus on one thing and try your best not to let your thoughts wander. You will be amazed at the results after only a week. I promise. If you start getting the hang of it, try it in a sauna.
Alex
Good Article, I’ve heard sth about the breathing as a theraphy!!Sometimes you don’t know Wth you’re worried about, when that time comes the best thing to do is to stop for a while, and then take a deep breath!!Works with me most of the time!!!Congrats Alex!
Breathing is such a simple thing to do to relax but its just as easy to neglect. Glad you take the time for yourself, Jorge. Keep at it!