Wellness Tip: Mindfulness & Meditation

How many times a day do you feel yourself getting side-tracked when trying to complete a task.
Perhaps, you are about to make a phone call, but an email pops up and you feel a need to respond.  Or you are driving home from work, and your mind is running as fast as a hyper hamster on a wheel; you keep thinking of things that need to be taken care of at work or at home.

Whether you are a student, a business professional, a stay-at-home mom or dad or a small business owner, the following tips can help you relax and focus.

I know from first-hand experience.  Working full-time for both my Real Estate career and for a nonprofit charity my family started, (The Salgi Esopahgeal Cancer Research Foundation), I find it hard to manage work, friends, family and the ever elusive: time for myself.

There are only 24 hours in each day, and some days it feels as if one moment it is morning and I am opening my eyes and shutting off my alarm.  Then I blink and suddenly, it is night-time and I am getting ready to set my alarm, close my eyes and go to sleep.

Do you ever wonder: Where does all of my time go?

Are you stressed?  Do you feel overwhelmed? Finding it hard to focus?

Then 'Mindfulness Meditation' may help you as it helps me.

Often, our lives are so stressed and there are so many "things" overflowing our plates that we feel as if time is slipping by.  When we are stressed and overwhelmed, work productivity decreases, our heath is at risk and not to mention our personal lives suffer.

To reduce stress and increase focus, try this easy exercise:

First close your eyes, then take a deep breath and exhale.  Make sure you are not driving, or doing any other physical activity which requires your eyes to be open :)

Don't let your mind wander and become preoccupied with other tasks.

Just focus on your breathing, in and out, in and out...

Then ask yourself a few simple questions:
     Where are you?
     What sounds can you hear?
     Do you feel cold or warm?

Take a few minutes each day to breathe, relax, meditate and focus on the "now."
Allowing yourself a few moments, of deep breathing and relaxation can help reduce stress, increase productivity and promote health.

While vacationing in St. Thomas earlier this year with my family, I took a short video of the beautiful ocean.  When life gets too stressful, I take a moment to watch this short video and listen to the calming sounds of the waves crashing onto the shoreline. You'd be surprised what a :30 second video can do to relieve stress.