We all know the feeling of being overwhelmed, stressed out, or that our mind is producing a lot of negative thoughts. Managing our time or our tasks might not really help, but we rather need to manage our thoughts and our feelings; in other words, our energy. It is easy to say, get into the present moment or allow your feelings to be there. But how are you actually doing this?

Here are a couple of exercises that work very well for me, as I can easily embed them in my daily life, they are fun, and I experience instant change of my emotional status.

Let me know, if they work for you, or what you are doing to refresh yourself!

 

Get out of your head and into your body!

A good starting point is to follow your breath and the sensations you are feeling in your body (don't fall in the trap of focusing on a narrative about the feeling in your head, but focus only on the actual sensation). You may expand that by saying to you “Breathing in I see myself as a flower, breathing out I feel very fresh”.

What also works very well for me is to work out. I love jogging or going to a spinning class or other high-intensity workout. Walking with your dog has the same effect as animals help us to feel calm, centered, and be present already after a few minutes.

This gives your mind a break, brings you into your body, you will feel instant relief, and you will be much more open minded and creative afterwards. Give it a try!

Stimulate your positive thinking!

We think way too much about the negative things in our live and not enough about what goes right. So, what can you do to stimulate positive thinking? Well, first notice the good things in your life, be grateful, and practice random acts of kindness.

Before you leave the office, write down three things that went well today, that you enjoyed, or that you are grateful for and next to each positive event answer the question why this happened, why you feel good about it. For example, if you write ‘I am grateful my wife picked up chocolate yesterday’, write ‘because my wife is really thoughtful’. It might feel difficult at first, but even on a bad day there are some good things that happen, however small. I promise you will be much happier instantly. And if you write it down, you can actually look back after a week what you have written. How does it feel when you look at all these good things? Do you notice any themes?

Write an uplifting statement on your banana… (believe me it works!)

Practice random acts of kindness! Research shows that being kind to others increases our own levels of happiness as well as theirs. Buy a stranger a coffee or write “love letters” and leave them for strangers to find. These notes are meant to brighten people’s days, or inspire them in some way. And in a world where we are so connected virtually – it really is a wonderful thing to receive a physical message you can hold: More about these letters to strangers in Hannah Brencher’s TED talk.

https://www.ted.com/talks/hannah_brencher_love_letters_to_strangers

Or send a simple thank you note…

 

Last but not least, (and I got this from the book “Tribe of Mentors”) add a special folder to your mobile phone gallery with photos from quotes and photos from your family, or short videos that make you smile, grateful, happy, and calm. Visit this folder often, it will refresh you whenever you may feel overwhelmed.

And don’t stop there…

Once you are refreshed, ask yourself “what is the next loving thing I can do for myself and/or others right now?”.

Try it! This should give you an instant refreshment and you should be able to think more openly and creatively. And remember to take good care of yourself, start today, you are worth it!

Let me know, if they work for you and what you are doing to refresh yourself!

Volker Hack is an Executive Director at one of the largest Contract Research Organizations and dedicated to Improve Health. He is an advocate for incorporating mindfulness into the work life.