It’s that time of year. Schedules are packed. Money is tight. Relatives are on the way. Shopping incomplete. Projects crying for resolution.
It’s a time of year when a ticking clock is the best image to summarize your day. There is a driving sense of immediacy and completion. It’s less about the means and all about the end. It’s the ultimate “hurry up and wait”. You sprint full out these next couple weeks so that you can finally sit back and “relax”.
In all this holiday hustle and bustle … here’s one thing you can’t do without.
Breathe.
When at rest, the average person takes about 16 breaths per minute. This is about 960 breaths an hour. Or around 23,040 breaths a day which ramps up to about 8,409,600 a year. The person who lives to 80 will take about 672,768,000 breaths in a lifetime.
Consider your breath life’s omnipresent pause button that you can push anytime you need a second to regroup. You get to step inside and enjoy a few seconds of calmness. You’ll feel your shoulders drop, your forehead relax, your vision expand. In an instant, you are a little more prepared to rejoin the chaos.
Just find that moment — it can be anywhere — to take a full breath. Breathe in through the nose and then a steady, slow exhale through the mouth. Do it once. And if it feels good, do it again. Repeat as necessary.
We have a virtually endless opportunity to pick one breath and think about it.
- In the car to work
- Waiting for your Eggnog Latte at Starbucks
- During a presentation
- At the Macy’s cashier
- In the shower
- Waiting for a file to download
If you’re looking for the perfect holiday gift for yourself, try this one. It also happens to be free.