Negative thoughts or a bad mood cannot survive in a state of gratitude. It can be so easy to get stuck in negative thought patterns that can consume your day. Learn to shift out of these and get back to productive, positive mindset. These short mind-shifting exercises can be powerful tools you can use where ever and whenever you need them. All it takes is a few minutes!
Mood Lifter
Ideal for: shifting away from a bad mood
Time: 1 minute
You cannot feel upset and grateful at the same time – focus on gratitude and let the bad mood disappear!
1. Close your eyes
2. Think of 3 things you are grateful for, Focus on each for 20-30 seconds. It can be anything – big, small, a person, place, thing, or emotion. You may be grateful for a sunny day, a great friend, a loving pet, a new job - anything that comes to mind in the moment.
3. Open your eyes, take a deep breath, and you are done!
The Obsession Obliterator Meditation
Ideal For: Breaking free from mental spirals
Time: 1-3 minutes
Break these obsessive thought patters with this exercise.
1. Close your eyes and think about what you are obsessing over.
2. Picture a computer screen, with your hand on a mouse. Direct the arrow to the topic in your imagination and click on it.
3. Visualize dragging that item to your trash folder. Literally see it get sucked into the digital trash bin.
4. Hit empty trash.
5. Visualize a blank, clean, clear page appearing on the screen. Take 10 slow, deep breaths.
6. If a pop-up of the issue reappears, simply view, drag to trash and repeat.
Traffic Meditation
Ideal for: Dissolving frustration, stress, & road rage.
Time: 1-3 minutes (repeat as needed)
1. A = Attention to the road. Focus on your awareness of the road and surroundings.
2. B = Body scan. Starting with your feet, scan your entire body to ground yourself. Feel your feet on the pedals, your rear in the seat, your hands on the wheel, and your eyes on the road.
3. C = Connect with your breath. Breath in and out deeply and slowly. In through your nose and out through your mouth. Inhale for a count of 4 and exhale for a count of 4, feeling your rib cage expand and deflate. Repeat this process until your feel more relaxed.
After your ABC’s, repeat the mantra “it is what it is” 3 times, either silently or out loud. The traffic may not disappear but your agitation will.
Article source:
Reprinted from Unplug: A Simple Guide to Meditation for Busy Skeptics and Modern Soul Seekers. Copyright 2017 by Suze Yalof Schwartz. Published by Harmony Books, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.
Read more: http://www.oprah.com/health_wellness/easy-meditations-that-improves-your-mood#ixzz4ufqBlB00
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