Perfect for the Xmas season and/or if you are prone to rumination.

Things you can do in 1 Minute to give your brain & body a break from overthinking and stress.

1.

Pick 1 daily activity that you plan to do mindfully (with your full attention).

For example, kiss your child mindfully when they are leaving for school.

2.

One minute of paying attention to something relaxing.

e.g., looking out the window at the movement of leaves in the wind.

3.

One minute of mindful single-tasking on whatever you are doing right now. Each time your mind wanders to the past or future during the one minute, gently bring your attention back to your single task.

For example,

- If you are walking, then walking mindfully for 1 minute. Pay attention to how your body feels walking, the air on your skin etc.

- If you are eating a chocolate, pay full attention to the sensory experiences – the weight of it in your hand, the feeling of it against your lips, the smells etc.

4.

One minute of mindful breathing. Drop your shoulders then just slow breathing. Approx 3 seconds in, 3 seconds out for a total of 10 breaths in 1 Minute.

5.

One minute of mindful lying down. On your back. Let your feel fall away from each other (fall outwards). Stretch your arms out palms up. If you are at the computer a lot this will give your pecs a nice stretch. You can use bolsters like in this pic.

I recommend just doing this on the floor. If you do it on your bed you might start to feel sleepy.

Or, any other “Restorative Yoga” pose for 1 minute. Restorative Yoga is yoga that gives your body a break from holding itself up. You can just google

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People with panic disorder become hypervigilant in monitoring their internal sensations (e.g., “Do I feel light headed?” “Is my heart beating faster?” “Am I going to have a panic attack?”).

Therefore part of treatment is learning how to successfully shift attention away from internal sensations when needed.

We do this using the following technique. Many of my other clients find this technique very relaxing and useful for shifting attention away from rumination.

Here’s a basic version but once you understand the principles you can do any DIY version to suit yourself.

Method

- 5 Minutes Total

- Pick 3 visual cues and 2 auditory cues, or vice versa.

If you were looking out a window you might pick:

- Leaves moving in the wind (Visual)
- Sound of traffic (Auditory)
- Reflections in the windows of the glass buildings across the street (Visual)
- Sound of wind (Auditory)
- Shadows on the footpath outside (Visual)

- Practice 2 times per day if possible. For example, once at home and once at work. You might pick different cues depending on what is available to see/listen to at different locations. Pick out the cues in advance and write them on a piece of paper.

- If you live near nature e.g., a creek, it can be nice to do this at that type of location.

- Initially practice somewhere you feel very comfortable, such as sitting outside at your letterbox or looking out a window. Then go practice in a few places you feel less comfortable e.g., sitting outside of the mall or sitting in a coffee shop by yourself.

- You don’t have to do 5 minutes. You could reduce this to 3 minutes if you wanted (3 x 1 Minute).

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