Just stop thinking for 5 minutes!

Things you can do instead:

1. Observe that your mind is racing and determine the subject matter of what is appearing in your thoughts

2. Observe your breathing. Is it deep or shallow? Shaky or smooth? Go ahead and take a deep breath, you probably really need it!

3. Close your eyes and listen to what is surrounding you (hopefully nature). What do you hear and smell?

4. Ask yourself “how am I feeling?” and truly feel that emotion in your body

5. Observe your body and posture. Are you tense and constricted or are you relaxed and open?

6. Perform a full body scan starting from your toes and rise up the body. Focus your intention on each body part and relax each muscle (look into the Progressive Muscle Relaxation Technique for more on this).

7. Your mind will probably start racing again-sometimes within seconds! Just become aware and come back to observing the mind, breath, and body.

8. The more often you practice this brief meditation, the longer you will experience the pauses between your thoughts and receive the clarity you are seeking. Thus, the less anxious you will feel!

You will suddenly realize that even though there are no more thoughts running through your mind, you are in fact still very much “there”- focused and alert. You are “conscious”. You are “Being”.

By the words of Eckhart Tolle, this is how “you” become “The Perceiver” of the mind and the body. You still very much feel YOU without your thoughts.

“You” are not anxious, but there was the experience of it in your mind and body.

This calm serene state of Being that you are now experiencing is always right there inside you….and you have the power to return to it at any time.