Hello! I wanted to share a little trick with you that I have shared with my yogis in the past. It's called a Mental Time Out and it usually saves me time, energy and emotion on what really matters to me. It helps me eliminate distractions, focus on the authentic matters and realize how this moment plays into the bigger picture/goal.
A mental time out, MTO, is a moment to yourself without expectations, emotional rollercoasters or self judgement to determine if what is offered really matters. It's a way you can filter through the fluff and the stuff that is extra.
Instructions: Whenever you feel overwhelmed, bogged down, emotional, distracted, angry, agitated, annoyed, etc. Remove yourself from the situation and breather. You can get a piece of paper or you can mentally run down this list but inventory your life at this exact moment. One by one answer the following questions! In order for this to work accurately, you have to be 100% honest with yourself, operating in the present moment. Unfortunately, you cannot hinge your answers on the expectations you have. You need to take the moment at face value, even if your project or moment is going awry.
Top 10 Things to Inventory
Are you breathing? Breathe deeper
Are you Responding or Reacting?
Does this directly affect you, your loved ones or your career?
Will you remember this moment in 5 years?
Am you being clear, concise, cohesive, complete and courteous with the message?
How can you change your message to get across freely without barriers?
Remove yourself from the situation - how would an outsider view you, your stance and your tone?
Be objective. Remove emotion to really settle the energy and be the observer.
What are the potential outcomes (Read: If this goes south, what will you lose?)
IS IT WORTH IT.
After your objective inventory, a solution will present itself because the true authentic problem will be revealed. It's usually very simple. So simple, a conversation will probably solve it.
Mental Time Outs are great for students, teachers, business owners, parents -- anyone. You don't need anything special to practice this and you will learn to remove yourself from the "doer" role to being the "observer". Viewing your problem from the outside enables you to come up with a solution also from the outside. Then you are not operating from the emotional self!
Share your successes if you'd like!
Comments