Each morning before plugging into your computer, cellphone, or turning on a podcast, take a deep inhale and then exhale, then make your way to the comfortable space you have created for yourself. Once you are sitting comfortably with good posture, repeat the steps for Square Breathing and Learning to Be Present. Remember to be compassionate and patient with yourself while creating your practice.
- Square Breathing (remember to make note of how many cycles it took before you became centered).
- Once you find yourself centered, begin Learning to Be Present exercise.
- Once present, begin to create a view of yourself as engaged, open, compassionate, and curious (this is a state of self-energy, which you will use to understand your internal influences).
Daily Journal Questions:
From a self-energy lens, answer the following:
- After reviewing your journal answers, is there an answer that seems to have too much energy? Write down your response along with an alternative reframe more suitable to support your desired outcome.
- What response is getting too little attention? Write down your answer with the alternative solution.
- Write down the more adaptive or supportive responses for each of your answers to the questions in a coherent self-narrative.
- After you have completed your new modified self-narrative, visualize embodying these attributes – i.e., what it feels like, how your posture would be, eye contact, heart rate, respirations, etc.
- Once you have a strong connection with these traits, visualize yourself moving through different scenarios successfully. Picture yourself facing triggering situations and successfully employing these traits.
- Spend 10 minutes embodying and employing this new strategy.
Night:
- Reviewing your day, where did you notice positive momentum?
- Where were do you feel hindered?
- What parts need attention?
- What are you most excited about?
- What lessons or gifts are you learning from this?
- What mindset shift do you need to make?
- What needs to happen next?
- What does the ideal outcome look and feel like?
- What resources do you need to draw from to achieve this shift?
- Take a moment to review your answers, then become centered, and imagine yourself successfully implementing these changes. As you imagine, continue to refine and become detailed about how these changes will impact your daily life i.e., what you will not have to do, what you will be able to do, how it will feel without being overwhelmed by anxiety or continuing to implement the maladaptive patterns.