Have you ever had a project or situation that you dread, because you know the outcome could reflect poorly on you or your team? Do you avoid the email or phone call because you imagine that it’s more bad news? Sometimes we delay the pain through avoidance.
But, avoidance of perceived negative information only does one thing: increases anxiety. To feel better, we avoid near-term pain, providing momentary relief, but multiplying the long-term anxiety by 100X.
How do you get off the avoidance train heading for a bridge that only partly spans the chasm of failure?
Here’s an idea: breathe.
In Eastern traditions, the breath is seen as a way to return to yourself. Zen Masters have been using and teaching simple breathing techniques to clear the mind and restore our sense of calm.
Whenever you feel that knot in your stomach because of a negative situation, follow these simple steps:
- Take a deep breath through your nose and count to seven during your inhale.
- At number seven, hold your breath for five counts.
- Then exhale slowly and fully for seven counts.
- Repeat three times.
This 7-5-7 cycle should take about a minute. If you still feel anxious, do another round of deep breathing.
Now, return to your “problem” and see if you don’t feel calmer and more in control. Your mind should be quieter and the negative thoughts are more distant or non-existent. With your mind calm, ask yourself how you can solve the problem in the most effective manner possible.
Write down all answers that come to you. Do not censor or judge them. Simply act as the scribe and write the ideas down.
You might try another round of deep breathing and then review the answers or ideas with your team. Are any of them feasible? Reasonable? What action could you take right now to move forward? Take it.
Anxiety should be a forgotten shadow and now you can see a realistic way forward. There is no need to avoid anything, because there is nothing to fear.
And all because you remembered how to breathe.
Gip Erskine, CPM®, CCIM® is a 30+ year commercial property management veteran and the founder of EverSmarts™. Blending his MBA and industry experience with intense study of personal development, he trains property teams and individuals just like you. He developed a unique success curriculum calledChange Course designed specifically for property managers tasked with doing more with less. Through his teachings, Gip gets you past the state of overwhelm and helps you focus on what matters in your career and in your life.
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