“Breathe, Sylvia, breathe. Breathe harder. Breathe deeper. Calm down please.” I repeated to myself as I huddled into a ball behind the closed door of a toilet cubicle.

“Oh God, please help me.”

Just two minutes ago, I was in the middle of a group conference call with my boss in the U.S when I was suddenly seized by tightness in my chest. It was like a sumo wrestler leaped out of nowhere and landed squarely on my petite frame. Squashed under this invisible attacker, I felt my heart pounding hard, my muscles cramping and hot flushes trembling through my faint body.

I muttered under my breath that I needed to use the bathroom, took leave of the room and as inconspicuously yet quickly as I could and raced to the nearest toilet on the floor.

I was having an anxiety attack. I knew it right away because it wasn’t the first. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the last either.

A year ago, I would never have recognized myself in this way. To all who know me, I was the “energizer bunny,” living every aspect of her life to the fullest. I was the life-of-every-party, an avid traveler and an ambitious working professional.

Almost overnight, I went from that to a virtual recluse. Adrenal fatigue had taken control of my body, leaving me with 10 percent of my usual energy if I was lucky. As I struggled to identify with this lifeless person I had become and resisted hard against my new situation, I began developing chronic anxiety and became a regular recipient of anxiety attacks. Speaking of being struck by Murphy’s Law!

Since then, it was an arduous journey back to some kind of normality.

I wished I hadn’t gone through what I went through but this painful period taught me that life is about being alive in each little moment, not racing through it. With this realization, I began working on healing myself, starting with learning to slow down and live mindfully. I found the below six ways simple yet effective for me and I hope they would benefit the readers of elephant journal too.

In each moment, awake our five senses and paint the scene in words.

I learned this exercise via my creative writing class and found it immensely effective in channeling my spirit to the present moment. No single day is the same. Notice what’s new in each moment even if we’re just going through the motion of our daily routine. Employ our five senses and describe the scene like we would as a writer. What do we see? What do we smell? What do we hear? What do we feel? Do this when walking down the street we always take. Pay attention to where we are and what’s unique about that very moment.

Focus on one task at a time.

For a long time, I used to cook, wash the dishes, listen to podcasts and reply text messages all at the same time. A year ago I decided to stop that and at each point focus on either cooking or washing. As I do so, I find myself breathing better and enjoying the activity more. Time slows down when we’re fully immersed in an activity, instead of multi-tasking. This state is called “flow” and when one is in it, he/she experiences an energized focus, a complete engagement and spontaneous joy or even rapture in the activity.

Relish the silence and practice deep belly breathing.

Every moment is an opportunity to release the tension in us. Here’s a simple deep belly breathing practice we can do anywhere. Close our eyes. Inhale through our nose to a mental count to four. Feel our belly expand. Hold our breath for a count of seven. Now exhale through our mouth to a count of eight and feel our belly contract in the process. I do this at my desk, during my commute and in the restaurants waiting for my food, basically bringing my inner paradise to virtually everywhere.

Enjoy “cloudporn” whenever and wherever possible.

Since six months ago, I started saving mental images of the picturesque sky and recall them whenever I needed a moment of calm. This simple exercise kept me grounded on countless occasions when I was hijacked by negative emotions. For the majority of us these days, we move from one “box” to another—our home to our car/the bus/the train to our office to a bar or restaurant and repeat. Whenever possible, relish the opportunities in our day to enjoy the “cloudporn” and fresh air.

Walk as if your feet are kissing the floor.

I found myself smiling to myself whenever I practice this and the wonderful thing is people on the streets would smile back at me! We are wired to think that time spent waiting in commute is a waste of life. We develop the reflex of chasing after the bus/train or the green light, even when we’re not in a rush to get somewhere. For a change, try walking as if our feet is kissing the floor! This inspiration came from the Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh. Engage in every single step like we would in a sweet kiss with someone we love. As we do this, we’ll find the journey becomes as rewarding and joyful as reaching the destination.

Savor each meal like it’s a feast.

Whenever I savor my meal instead of mindlessly chomping it down, I derive so much satisfaction from the meal and by saving the movie for after the meal instead of eating and watching at the same time, I enjoy the film a lot more than I would with my divided attention. Every meal is an occasion to not only nourish the body but also the soul. For our next meal, make it a point to be fully present with our meal. Chew our food, feel the texture and appreciate the flavors, colors and presentation of the dish.

I hope you enjoyed this article. Do you struggle with finding space and peace in your everyday life? What do you do to slow down and be more mindful? Share them in the comments below.

Relephant:

16 Sweet Reminders to Slow Down & Savor This One Precious Life.

Author: Sylvia Huang

Editor: Catherine Monkman

Photos: Wikipedia Commons