Stressed Out? Wondering how you will ever feel good again? Take Five. Shut the door to your office or head out for some fresh air and find a place to sit down. Take three deep breaths. Breathe in through your nose as your stomach expands and then out through your mouth as your stomach contracts. Each time you exhale, let go of all negative thoughts. Then think about or write down five things you are grateful for in the past 24 hours. It can be something as small as that great cup coffee you had in the morning, a better than usual night’s sleep, the beautiful sky, an easy (or no) commute, that happy smile morning greeting from a co-worker or an unexpected check or gift (which by the way can also be a gift of love, appreciation or gratitude from your child, spouse, boss, co-worker or friend). Allow the thoughts to flow and focus on the feeling you had during these moments. When you focus on that feel good feeling, you shift your energy in a more positive direction.
Throughout the day, when you start to feel tense or something annoys you, go back to your gratitude list and the feelings you experienced during your gratitude moments. By stepping away from the external situation that is “causing” you to feel bad, step into a happy moment that allowed you to feel good. And then give thanks – again.
If you’re saying, “Wow, you’re asking me to do this every time I feel bad, or something bugs me? That could be most of my day!” This is the very thing that plagues the world we live in – most people spend the majority of their days and lives feeling bad. As Brian Scott, renowned meditation therapist states, “It’s not what’s happening externally, it’s our reaction to it.”
Remember the law of attraction – you manifest what you think – if you focus on the negative and everything that is going wrong, guess what happens. When you focus your energy on the glass being half full and seeing the good instead of the bad – or at least shifting your focus when you do feel bad – you manifest more good in your life, and the lives of others, because feeling good is contagious.
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