Silence is rare in our lives today. We are busy all the time with work, family, friends, children, pets and life in general. Today I am focusing on taking a moment for yourself at somepoint in your day to try sitting in silence whilst focusing on your breath.
Finding the time might not be easy, concentrating might feel impossible but you will be surprised what you can do when you take one minute to breathe and sit in silence.
Whilst meditation might not be something you practice or even want to do, give this a go and see how you get on. You don’t have to sit cross legged or wear anything floaty, listing to plinky spa style music or even hum. All you need is you and perhaps a quiet space.
If your household is busy, then grabbing five minutes of silence may be impossible. Equally if you are never at home due to work and personal commitments then you may have a similar problem. However this works whether you have one minute or five minutes free.
Most of us should be able to find one minute in our day when we can have a moment to ourselves. It really isn’t long at all, and you could even do this in the shower if your household is full on and that is the only time you can get to yourself.
If you prefer to try this during your working hours and you have your own office, great, if you are working from home, you might manage to close the door of the room you are in.
Start by setting a timer for one minute. Take a slow deep breath in and try to relax your shoulders down. Pause. Then slowly breath out. Repeat until your timer goes off.
It sounds simple, however, notice if your mind wanders, it likely will and that’s ok. If you get distracted by the thoughts that come up, then say to yourself ‘it’s time to focus on my breath’ then go back to breathing slowly until the timer goes off.
Repeat throughout your day if you wish or focus on once a day. You might think one minute won’t do much good, but you’d be surprised with continual daily practice how you will feel after.
You can do this for as long as you wish. If you have never done this before, then start with one minute and build up to longer when you are ready.
Remember it doesn’t matter if you can only afford one minute. It’s good you are allowing yourself the time to focus and take time for yourself.
I know I love silence, I love peace and quiet. But I struggle to focus on my breath too. So starting with one minute has helped me, it isn’t long, although it can feel long when you are starting out. But once you complete one minute and get on with the rest of your day, you will soon discover the positive impact it has.
An alternative breathing pattern you can do is box breathing. This can help to calm your nervous system and great for this time of year when overwhelm can creep in.
Start by breathing in slowly to the count of four, pause and hold for the count of four, then breathe out slowly to the count of four and finally hold for the count of four.
Repeat for one minute or five minutes. Once you get the hang of it, you may find you prefer this to the other method above. If your mind starts to drift, bring it back and focus on counting and breathing. The counting helps you to focus and slow down your breathing and mind.
It doesn’t matter the time of day you do this or if you have one minute or 10 minutes to dedicate. Make yourself comfortable, relaxed and try some ideas to help:
- Put on your comfiest clothes or pyjamas.
- Grab a blanket and wrap it round you or get comfy on the floor with blankets and cushions.
- Light candles for a relaxing environment.
- Use an oil burner or vaporiser to allow your favourite essential oil to envelope you.
- Lie flat on your back on your bed before you go to sleep.
- Snuggle on the sofa with your pets.
If your workday has been full on with no signs of relenting or your household is too busy with lots of children and pets running around, then take a moment to sit and breath. That is all you need to do.
Be kind to yourself and take the minute you deserve today to breathe slow, deep and relax.
Have a great week and look after you.
Love Emma xx
Wellbeing with Relaxing Lavender 