How to RESET your mind for the day

Have you ever been to a beautiful place like the one pictured above and just sat there for a moment to soak it all in? After a good soak, what words best describe how you felt? Energized? Rejuvenated? Fresh? Focused? Clear?

Well, those are feelings I tend to feel when I am immersed in a beautiful corner of the world. It's the type of feeling that I regret not feeling when I am too busy in the thick of running my business and directing my teams. How many of you wish you could escape to that place for just a few minutes to get back on top of your game and be ready to move forward with more energy and focus?

In writing this article, I am in no way professing to be a master of meditation or deep thought... But I am a huge advocate of sharing my experiences in learning to get myself better prepared to attack my day. Prior to 2019... I had NEVER made an attempt to sit in my office and deep breathe in an effort to put myself in an emotional vacation from the pressing thoughts in my head.

Like most people, I've always felt like you need to simply muscle your way through stress and just keep pressing forward through difficult situations without finding a way around it. Face it head on, and at some point you will get yourself through it! I've got a lot of will power... I can and have faced some super challenging tasks, and I've always managed to survive! But not without some scars!

After a couple of major physical and emotional setbacks last year, I learned that there actually IS a better way to deal with challenges and setbacks. It's nothing new, and I'm certainly not the first person to try it... but I have found a few simple techniques that put me in an emotional place where I am better able to handle the many tasks and challenges I face each day.

At the beginning of each day, I try to put myself in a positive mode before I jump into the projects I have set out to accomplish. The following steps have made a HUGE difference in my ability to reset for the day and get on it.

1. Review your objectives for the day and determine the emotional feeling you want to be feeling in order to best handle those objectives. It could be Peace, it could be Energy, you may want to be totally psyched up as if you were about to jump into the ring for a fight. For me, I love coming from a place of Gratitude. When I'm in a grateful mindset, I treat those around me much better, and tend to look at otherwise huge burdens as an opportunity... not a hindrance.
2. Once you have determined the emotional state you want to come from to handle your day, think of a recent experience where you had felt that feeling. For example, just last weekend my father in law let me take my family and some friends out on his boat for the afternoon. I thought of the amazing time my kids had while playing on the lake, and how grateful I was for him letting me create that experience. What an awesome guy!
3. With that experience in mind, this is where the deep breathing sets in. Don't pass out... but start taking a deep breath in through your nose, and then release through your mouth. The deeper the breath, you will notice your entire body will respond to the increase in oxygen to your body. Its kind of amazing actually. This physical exercise starts to have an effect on your emotional state as well. For me, after a short amount of time, say 30-60 seconds, I start to think of all the stressful things that have been weighing on me, and with each exhale, I try to eliminate that weight. The inhale generally brings on a new weight, while each exhale pushes it out of my body.
4. The time it takes to do this exercise varies depending on how stressed I'm feeling! Sometimes I'm done in 2 minutes, sometimes its 20! Don't stop until you feel your mind clearing up. As you start to have fewer stressful thoughts, take a minute to remember the moment of gratitude you felt in step 2. Think of the experience in great detail. The kids laughing, the feel of water splashing on your face, the smile from your wife that you were there to experience that with the family, and then the gratitude for the person who made it possible.
5. As you let that experience set in to your mind, you will notice that its as if you were actually back in that situation physically. Your mind is very powerful! All of the positive emotions can set in, and your body literally starts to release the chemicals that trigger your most positive feelings in your body. It is amazing how your entire set of emotions can be triggered by reliving actual positive experiences we have had in our lives.
6. Once you have the feeling you were looking for, open your eyes and continue deep breathing for another 30-60 seconds. Check your list of things that have to happen and start attacking the first one! See how much more effective you are when you are in this state of emotional well being!

If all of that sounds a little ridiculous to you... you are not alone. If I hadn't actually tried this on my own, I would be right there with you. However, now that I have discovered how to put myself in a better place, I consider it my secret weapon. I had no idea the weight I used to carry with me when trying to carry so much emotional baggage from day to day.

In an effort to get a little better at this, I started using an app to help me trigger the right thoughts and emotions. There are several out there, but I used "Headspace". I have a few other products out there downloaded, but haven't tried them yet. Other tools that help me get in the right mindset are pictures of positive moments in my life. Places or people that trigger a positive response. Don't be afraid to pull up some pics on your phone before a moment of meditation and let yourself go to that situation in order to trigger the emotional response you are looking for!

When and Where can I pull this off? Well, I get that it can be a challenge to do this at your desk in some situations, but just find a place where you are alone and un-interrupted. Remember... it doesn't need to take a long time! I have found myself in the parking lot before a meeting. At a bench outside the office door. Yes... I've even gone to the bathroom to find a quiet place to put my mind in the place I needed to be in order to trigger the emotions I wanted for the situation I was about to walk into.

There's no limit to how often you should or could meditate. In a different article, I will talk about "Moments of Transition", and how just a few breaths can help you get your body ready and clear to handle the next task ahead of you.

Good luck, and please leave comments on what you thought of my techniques of resetting my emotions for the day! You may have a slight variation that could help, and I'd love to hear about it!

This article first appeared on the Todd Westra Blog at toddwestra.com