Integritus Prime

Since the launch of Mornings with Marilyn, my viewers have been engaged, giving me valuable feedback. One viewer has turned into a new client, and she asked me to do a guided mindfulness meditation, which I did this past week. The response has been wonderful. Another viewer, for example, had this to say about the guided mindfulness session:

“It is easier to practice mindfulness with guidance then to be told to be positive and meditate. In addition to affirmations, being mindful is really helping me to stay calm in the presence of stress. I am so much happier too. Meditation is an act of self-love.”

 

— Mornings with Marilyn community member

My new client, and this viewer’s response inspired me to write this post about stress reduction. It’s not that difficult to calm ourselves, even if we’re dealing with trauma. For instance, one of my viewers had two deaths this week, and she wrote to me saying she successfully completed the mindfulness exercise. I am so proud of her!

So, here’s your quick guide to stress reduction:

Step 1: STOP 

Give yourself permission to stop whatever it is you’re doing, even if only for 5 minutes. You can slowly increase by 5 -minute increments until you get to 30 or 45 minutes. The more time you put in, the greater the benefit.

Step 2: SIT

Assume the position for a mindfulness meditation: Sit with a straight back and close your eyes. Choose a spot where you can spend a little time without anyone disturbing you, or just let them know you are going to meditate to refresh yourself. At work this could be the roof or empty conference room or meditation room if your organization has one. You could also be outdoors in a park.

Step 3: FOCUS

Focus on something that is happening now. Your goal is to be in the moment, not in the past or the future. A good choice is sound. You can sit and listen to your breathing, or to any other sounds you can hear, such as traffic, birds singing, and so on. When you notice your mind is wandering, bring it back to sounds. Do this for at least 5 minutes.

The key is not to judge anything you hear. This nonjudgmental quality of being in the now is what we mean by being mindful. Try this act of self-love today and let me know how it goes. And if you’re so inclined, join the community and try my guided mindfulness exercise – look for the video dated June 25.

Find a place where you can sit and reduce your stress in as little as five minutes. Photo by Mari Lezhava on Unsplash.