Tips on How to Stay Centered in Any Storm: Quiet Your Mind – Take Five – Hold On – Make Space | Expand Your Breath – Belly Breath – Long Exhale – Box Breath | Align Your Body – Get Your Head on Straight – Plumb Alignment – Respect Your Body Needs | Final Thoughts

Let’s face it – whether it’s inflation, the economy, supply chains, or instability in the world, you and your business will always be encountering storms. So how do you stay centered in a rapidly changing world? 

Centered can be defined as a state of emotional and spiritual equilibrium. That means you – the genius– maintain a high level of stability when the storm hits the fan. This means that:

• You do not lose your temper 
• You do not fall apart
• And you do not have a pity party

Instead, you confidently face the storm. You buckle up and rise to the occasion. You recognize this as an athletic feat that needs to be mastered. And you apply these skills to stay centered in a bad storm.

3 Tips To Help You Stay Centered in Any Storm

Here are three strategies you can use to achieve emotional and spiritual equilibrium in the face of any storm:

1. Quiet Your Mind

The human brain is about the size of 10 tennis balls. It weighs approximately three pounds. Therefore, your brain needs recovery time! On the days when you feel like you are “losing your mind,” try these three hacks to stay centered. 

Take Five

Take a five-minute break from ALL screens. Let your eyes focus on the blue sky or any blue object. Gazing at the color blue reduces stress and invokes feelings of serenity and peacefulness. Allow your breath to flow easily through your nose and out through your mouth.

Hold On

Place your right palm across your forehead and your left palm at the base of your skull. Breathe in and out slowly for five breaths. The touch helps manage emotional reactions by slowing down the thousands of thoughts that could be racing through your mind.

Make Space

Stand and reach both arms all the way up to the sky. Breathe in and out slowly for five breaths. This action stimulates blood flow and invigorates your central nervous system. The stretch creates space for muscles to stretch, lungs to breathe, and your brain to work more efficiently. 

2. Expand Your Breath

On average, the lungs hold approximately six liters of air. 70% of your body’s waste is eliminated through your lungs just by breathing. On the days when you feel like you “can’t catch a break,” try these three breathing hacks to stay calm.

Belly Breath

Place your right hand on your abdomen at your navel. Place your left hand on your chest. Inhale through your nose. Feel your abdomen rise. Exhale through your mouth. Pull your navel toward your spine. Repeat the entire sequence five times. Deep breathing reduces your blood pressure and heart rate. 

Long Exhale

Begin in a seated position with your feet flat on the floor and palms on your thighs. Inhale through your nose for four counts. Exhale through your mouth six counts. Repeat the entire sequence stretching to a longer exhale each time. Slow breathing shifts the nervous system towards a more restful state.

Box Breath

Begin in a seated position with your feet flat on the floor and palms on your thighs. Inhale through the nose four counts. Hold four counts. Then, exhale through the mouth four counts and hold four counts. Repeat the entire sequence four times. Box breathing helps you cope with panic and stress when you feel overwhelmed.

3. Align Your Body

Your body consists of approximately 206 bones and 600 muscles. You also have 78 internal organs, which include five vital for survival (brain, heart, liver, lungs, and kidneys). On the days when you feel “off balance,” try these three hacks to stay centered. 

Get Your Head on Straight

On average, the head weighs 10lbs. Staring at a computer screen for hours cranes the head forward. This creates tension in the neck, shoulders, and upper back. Sit tall and draw your chin back horizontally – the feeling of a double chin. Breathe. You have literally “put your head on straight!”

Plumb Alignment

Stand tall. Draw your chin back, pull your shoulders back, and lift your abdominals. Stand right on top of your ankles. In profile, become aware of your earlobes over your shoulders, shoulders over the side of your hips, and fingers. Reach down the sides of your legs toward your ankles. Now you can think straight!

Respect Your Body Needs

Your body constantly sends signals – tired, hungry, stressed, well-rested, satiated, and ease of mind. Even geniuses override body signals to hit a deadline. Listening to the wisdom of your body will foster deep respect. Your health will be in a full alignment, doing exactly what your body needs.

Related Read: A Good Night’s Sleep: 11 Tips to Get Quality Zzzz Time

Final Thoughts

And how do you know if you are staying centered in a bad life storm? You have quieted your mind, expanded your breath, and aligned your body. Your breathing has an easy flow. You trust your body as a resource of information, you are reliable and unshakable, and you do not worry. You live with humility and continue to stand up for what’s right. And you know to your very core, that you will confidently stay centered in any storm.