Feel better in just five minutes
Don’t worry, I’m not advocating that you exercise or eat anything in particular, though of course you can if you want to.
I’m talking about energetic shifts using gratitude and mindfulness.
Over the weekend, I read a piece in the Philadelphia Inquirer by Ashley Greenblatt that was titled “Practice gratitude as a way to cope with stress.” As you will see if you click that link, it has a slightly different title online, though the content is the same.
The article has two suggestions, which I’m going to repeat and then expand on here.
Write it down.
Scott Glassman, PsyD., author, and director of the applied positive psychology program at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, suggests keeping a gratitude journal. Those of you who are long-term blog readers will know this is something I’ve written about repeatedly, including in this post on appreciating small joys, and again here in this one on greeting each day with love in your heart. I even wrote about how it can help you sleep better. You can even grab a gratitude journaling page here.
The thing is, writing something down is actually part of mindfulness practice. To have a thought, such as “I’m glad I have this candle burning—it smells so good” takes only a nanosecond. Saying it aloud takes less than 2 seconds. Writing it down takes at least 20 seconds, even if you are writing it really quickly. (Yes, I timed myself, because I am that nerd.)
During the time you are writing it down, you have to focus on the thought in order to capture it accurately. If you allow your mind to drift, you either make a mistake that you need to correct, or you have to call your attention back to what you are doing in order to complete the sentence. That, my friend, is mindfulness practice.
May I suggest that you try it today, either with a statement of gratitude, or an affirmation? The 30 seconds or more of mindfulness may be just the time out that you need in order to reframe a situation or boost your mood.
Find five minutes just for you.
In the article, Ms. Greenblatt writes “everyone has five minutes to spare in their day.” I believe it to be true, even though it doesn’t always feel true to us, when we are busy or stressed-out.
The article outlines a quick five-minute mindfulness practice to help shift your mood or energetic vibration (though it doesn’t use that term). The framework outlined in the article is simple:
Take the first 1-2 minutes as a “gentle observer to your breath and whatever is happening around your breath — whether it’s stressful thoughts about the holidays or something you need to do that day.”
Then use the next two to three minutes to think about positives: something you are thankful for, something you are looking forward to, or something that made you feel good about yourself (something someone else did or said to you).
Finally, use the last minute to really bask in the positive feelings.
I like to think of the first step in the terms used by yogi Rodney Yee at the start of a morning yoga routine I do with a DVD that is ages old now. “Take a minute to observe and accept the present state of your body-mind and your environment.” The idea isn’t to judge things, but just to be an observer. That could include “wow, my muscles feel really tight,” or noticing that you have piles of papers scattered about, or that you are hungry, or something else.
The idea isn’t to fix it or judge it, just to notice and accept how things are right now. You can decide what, if anything, to do about it later.
The second step is to spend 2-3 minutes generating positive thoughts, which are likely to spark positive feelings and a higher energetic state for you.
That includes thinking about what it is you are grateful for.
These don’t have to be massive wins, either. It could be that you are grateful to have a pair of jeans that fit you (it was on my list today, since I just bought some bigger pants for myself). Or that you are grateful for electricity, running water, indoor plumbing, heat or air conditioning, etc. (My younger daughter lived in Lesotho, Africa for over two years without any of those things).
You might also think about one or more things you are looking forward to. Whether it’s the end of the work day (or week), an upcoming get-together, seeing the Christmas lights in your neighborhood, or planning a vacation next year . . . Spending time in that happy mental place is what matters.
You might think about something that you did that made you feel good about yourself. Maybe you set a boundary and refused to allow your family members to harp on your weight. Maybe you decided to be a “secret Santa” for a local family. Maybe you cleaned off part of the kitchen counter so you have a place to work (and rest your eyes). If you took any action that made you feel proud of yourself or happy, that’s an excellent thing to think about!
Finally, you might think about things someone else did for you that made you happy (maybe someone sent you an actual card in the mail, or bought you flowers, or treated you to coffee, or cleaned up the dishes after dinner). Or you might think about things someone else said to you that made you feel good. Maybe someone complimented you for your generosity, or thoughtfulness, or noticed that you always try to make the world a little bit brighter.
Once those 2-3 minutes of thinking about those positives have passed, spend the last minute of your five minute break really basking in your positive feelings. If you are holding a mental image of something, try turning up the brightness on that image, or making it even more vibrant in your mind. If you are feeling cozy or magical or pleased or joyful or excited, allow yourself to really feel ALL of it, rather than pushing it away.
This five-minute break from doing things for others, and focusing on the good things about yourself, will really shift your energy into a higher frequency, and will likely give you a huge boost for the rest of the day.
If you are interested in really shifting your energy, I invite you to join me for the special Solstice Session of Dream It, Do It, which will take place on the solstice, December 21st, from noon until 3 p.m., and will include some Yule traditions along with a guided visualization to help you see and feel your future, the start of an energized vision board, and some time spent mapping out the first few steps to your future vision.
Or if you have a desire to go deeper into energy work, you can spend six weeks with me in my Aligned Alchemy program, which helps you to harness all four elements (air, water, fire, and earth) and to infuse it with your own spirit so that you can manifest what it is you want.
