Tap Your Power Source
Episode #6 of the course Maximize your energy and productivity to live your best life by Linda Hardenstein
Welcome back!
Yesterday, you learned how eating energy-boosting foods can keep you fueled throughout your day. Today, we’re going to learn about a power source that you always have with you and that you can easily tap to boost your energy.
Let’s talk about stress. It’s just a fact of life that’s unavoidable. It is also a real energy sapper. A sustained high level of stress can affect every area of your life: your productivity, your health, and your relationships, to name a few.
Even though none of us can get rid of stress, you can learn how to manage it so it doesn’t deplete your energy reservoir.
People experience stress in different ways and for different reasons. Most of the time, stress happens because we have a negative reaction based on our perception of an event or situation.
For example, you may think someone is angry at you, so you are stressed and worried about how they’ll treat you the next time you see them. In fact, that person may not feel any anger toward you at all. It’s your perception of how they will treat you that has you feeling stressed.
Stress can cause all kinds of problems, from anxiety or shortness of breath to having high blood pressure or a heart attack. Stress can also cause irritability, overeating or undereating, treating others unkindly, and contributing to drug or alcohol abuse.
One way to combat stress is as simple as taking a couple of deep breaths.
When we’re under stress or pressured with so much to do, your breathing naturally becomes restricted and shallow. Deep breaths pump more blood through your system, raising your energy level and your capacity for greater productivity. Deep breathing also helps calm you down, bringing greater peace and a feeling of being more in control of the situation.
You can use a five-minute mindful breathing practice to calm you down, reduce stress, energize your body, and clear your mind.
Or, you can do this simple Laughing Buddha exercise from your chair. If you’ve ever seen a statue of a laughing buddha (below), that’s exactly what you’re going to do.
Image by PDPicks, from Pixabay
Laughing Buddha exercise instructions:
1. Sit in a chair (it’s easier if the chair doesn’t have arms).
2. Slowly take a deep breath, all the way down to your belly. Lift both arms out to your sides (with your shoulders, so they look like airplane wings).
3. Hold for three seconds, then breathe out.
4. Take another deep breath, and lift your arms up and over your head. Turn your palms up and touch your fingertips to each other just like the Buddha statue on the picture above.
5. Hold your breath for three seconds.
6. Breathe out, and let your arms fall back to your sides.
7. Repeat several times.
To take action, do this exercise several times a day. For example, in the morning when you start your day, right before lunch, in the middle of the afternoon, or any time when your energy is waning.
Answer these questions.
Which breathing exercise appeals to you? When will you start incorporating it into your daily routine? How often will you do it?
Bonus Tip
When you do the breathing exercises, you can add a positive affirmation like:
“I have all the energy I need to get everything done that needs to get done.” Or, “I’m taking care of myself and bringing new energy into my body and into my day.”
Saying something positive to remind yourself that you have the power to energize and manage your energy is much better than telling yourself, “I’ll never get all of this done!”, and having it become a self-fulfilling prophecy!
With just a few minutes of mindful breathing each day, you will have re-energized your body and tapped your power source to get more done.
Tomorrow’s lesson will cover another simple energizing hack that you can apply to keep you supercharged during your day so you can feel good and be more productive.
To an energizing day!
Linda
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