Can You Spare 5 Minutes?

Have you ever noticed how one day you react to a certain situation one way and the next day you might react totally different to the exact same situation?  Things are always going to come into our lives that we don't always love...but it's not the things that happen to us, it's how we react to them, or our attitude towards them.  If we are in a bad mood, we will most likely get angry, yell, pout, curse, etc.  If we are in a good mood, we might shrug it off, say oh well, or simply  move on with our lives.  I know it's hard to have a good attitude when you are in a bad mood or not feeling well, but it is all in our control.  We decide how we react and a simple shift in attitude can make all the difference when faced with a crappy situation.  So, how do we do this?  I have found that taking some time to cool off can really help.  My friend Shannon over at Free Spirit Knits recommends taking 5 minutes a day to sit still and breath deeply and this, my friends, is the key for me!  My hardest time of the day is after school and bed time.  So before I pick up my daughter from school, this is when I take my 5 minutes..if I miss this 5 minutes I do it as soon as I can.  The 5 minutes helps me get through the late afternoon/evening with a calm attitude and a relaxed mind.  For example...scenario #1 I don't get my 5 minutes, my 7 year old is doing her homework and starts whining about it being too hard.  I get annoyed with the whining and might tell her how her whining is annoying, then she gets mad and says I'm mean...then it spirals out of control until we are both crying and upset with no solution.  Scenario #2, I have had my 5 minutes of stillness, my 7 year old whines, I go over to her and ask what is wrong.  She senses my relaxed attitude and opens up to tell me her problems, then we work it out together, smile, hug, and move on. 

So, what is this 5 minutes all about?  Here is what I do.  First I let everyone who is home know that I will be in my bedroom for 5 minutes and to please not disturb me.  I set a little timer for my 4 year old so that she will know when the 5 minutes is up and it's OK to come into my bedroom (if I don't do this she will be knocking at the door the entire time).  Usually I lay down on my bed, but some times I sit up.  I take deep breaths in my nose and out my nose trying to even out my breath.  And that is it...I try not to think about anything else but my breathing and if my mind wanders (like thinking about what I will make for dinner) I bring my focus back to my breathing.  Some days I take 10 minutes, but most days 5 is all I can spare!

Give it a try!!  You've got nothing to lose and everything to gain!  If you don't like how a certain part of your day is going...the morning routine, dinner time, bed time, afternoons at work, your early morning College class...change your attitude towards it.  Whether you have kids or live alone, this breathing exercise can benefit you in any situation where you need a little attitude shift!

Let me know how it goes!!

Can You Spare 5 Minutes?