Relaxing to Focus, Using Both Meditation & Deep Belly Breathing

1.

Count backwards from 100 to zero, while deeply inhaling through the nose and mouth. After exhaling, count backwards.

-Vary this exercise by counting backwards, at each exhalation, by two's or five's or ten's.

*Make sure to focus on your belly, expanding fully with each inhalation through both your nose and mouth.*

2.

Tap on your dominant hand's fingertip, and trace initials into your dominant thumbpad for what you are thinking or feeling. Recognize, accept, and express your thoughts and feelings.

Then, resolve to look at a favorite, loving-kindness, or compassionate quote. One of my favorite quotes is on my keychain:

"Love mercifully. Act justly. Walk humbly."

3.

Meditate while stretching your entire body, and assign a favorite yoga pose (e.g. tree pose) for calming/centering your mind.

-Imagine each temporary feeling or thought as a small ripple in the center of a large, calm, koi pond.

-Accept, realize and express to yourself that each thought and feeling are simply a small, and temporary state.

-Visualize that as the ripple goes away, the bright, orange koi fish become clearer to your mind.

-Count the number of orange koi, of varying sizes, at different depths and directions.

-Try to clearly imagine and count at least ten bright, orange koi fish.

4.

When worried, do a simple check with yourself:

-Ask yourself, have you addressed mind, body and spirit matters related to that person, team/department or situation?

-Did you also address those matters in a controlled, thorough & focused manner?

-Did you also follow up with those situations, teams, departments or individuals? Set up a daily to-do list, e.g. "Top Ten" daily and weekly priorities list, in order to prevent worry from growing.

5.

Ask yourself, how would Stephen Covey realistically manage this situation?