Mini-Relaxation Minutes: Restore Concentration and Mental Acuity
Focus and concentration can feel like stress-- whether it is the "good stress" of enjoyable, captivating, discovery-learning; or whether it is the "distress" of authoritarian, who-cares?, "forced to grapple with it" boredom.
But, some quick as a blink strategies and techniques can provide needed respite. These tricks don't take 40 winks, but only 60 to 120 seconds.
What we are suggesting are easy to do, high recovery, catnap replacements that energize and revitalize your performance.
Respite Options
Here are some strategies and techniques to try…
- Sit quietly, close your eyes, lift your gaze slightly. This will stop your thoughts. Hold your eyes in this position for as long as you are able to rest
- Take a deep breath, breathe out slowly. Pay attention to your breathing without controlling it. Let your breathing settle into relaxation on its own
- Start at your feet and tense, then instantly relax each muscle group up to the top of your head. Feel any body part that captures your attention, then let go. Feel yourself settle into relaxation
- Sit quietly, and listen to any subtle sound. Focus your hearing on the sound, then listen to the sound below or around the sound that you hear. Follow the subtle sound to its more subtle source, to a more still and calm level
- Make a barely, even audible subvocalized hum, then let this sound trail off into silence. Feel, sense and focus on the properties of silence
- Hold a coin, button, thread or other small object between your thumb and one finger. Focus on feeling the indentations, holes, textures of the object. To get really focused, try to feel the texture and grooves of your fingerprints
- Sit quietly, then count down from 10 to 1. At the same time, focus your eyes downward in steps, one step down for each number. Hold your focus on the bottom step, until you are ready to resume your normal activity
After experiencing these mini-vacations, stand up, stretch, and hold happy, positive thoughts.
