Counting the breath — My most valuable technique for remaining calm and acknowledging my anxieties.

Counting the breath is my most valuable weapon in my arsenal for tackling the day, getting shit done and being mindful. I can point my recent promotions and my doubling in salary in 18 months to this activity and the benefits it pushes through me.

You can do this technique anywhere. Although this would take it to a whole another level.

The Technique

So counting the breath is a technique that I have used as my main form of meditation for the last 18 months. I now meditate using many more techniques and I have even recently started using Headspace which is one of the greatest apps I have ever used.

But this is my most precious of techniques — think of Gollum with the the one ring here. This is how much this means to me.

So the technique is simple and I first started employing it to control my anxieties and stress levels after undertaking a role in sales. I hated this role and was doing purely to get some money together for a house. The role did give me some awesome new skills though and I value it massively in my development to date.

All you need to do is take one deep inhale through the nose and count 1.

You then exhale through the mouth and count 2.

You then inhale again through the nose and count 3.

Then exhale and count 4.

Repeat this pattern of breathing only ever counting from 1–4.

When the mind drifts off and you realise you are counting number 36 return the count back to one on your next inhale. This brings you back to the moment and helps you be mindful.

The effectiveness of this technique

This meditation technique is incredible for remaining mindful and this is why.

When you realise you are counting in the thirties this means that you are thinking of other thoughts rather that focusing on the breath and the current moment.

When your mind drifts it may be making poor assumptions, reliving stressful or sad events or going into overdrive and causing anxieties. When you work hard at this technique and only count 1–4 then this will not happen. Those stressful and anxious feelings will be there, but you will not be swamped with them but you will be acutely aware of them. It allows you to acknowledge there existence without them overtaking you.

This then allows you to stay rooted in the present and be self-aware. These are two state of minds that are required to get shit done and to stop your mind freaking out about everything.

Let me know how this technique works for you. Just remember it is not an overnight fix. I have been working at his technique for a long time and I still have to work hard at it.

Give it at least a week and make sure you do it at least twice a day for a few minutes. You do not need to be sat down with your eyes closed. I employ this technique whilst taking a walk to get some fresh air outside Of the office.

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