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How many times have you heard or said it yourself: "I'm so busy I can hardly catch my breath"?
It's become a modern-day mantra, as so many of us find ourselves desperately trying to balance growing job demands with family obligations. Inevitably, we feel stressed out, overwhelmed, out of steam. Sometimes we may even feel as if we just can't cope.
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Stress facts
- Stress is linked to physical and mental health problems.
- Job burnout experienced by 25 percent to 40 percent of U.S. workers is blamed on stress.
- At least 40 percent of worker turnover is due to job stress.
- Some $300 billion, or $7,500 per employee, is spent annually in the United States on stress-related compensation claims, reduced productivity, absenteeism, health insurance costs, direct medical expenses and employee turnover.
- Women who work full-time and have children younger than 13 report the greatest stress worldwide.
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When that happens, it's time to take five, have a breather and retreat. If you find that easier said then done, then Rachel Harris, Ph.D., a Princeton, N.J. psychologist, can help. Harris is the author of 20-Minute Retreats, a collection of simple self-led exercises that can help revive your spirits in just minutes.
"The most important thing for you to know is that you can retreat anywhere, at any time, just by turning your attention inward," Harris writes. "A retreat is an inner condition independent of the external situation. Your inner life is always present within you, flowing through you like an underground river. Even in the midst of your busiest day, you can retreat to reconnect with your experience of the sacred."
So what is a retreat?
A retreat, Harris says, can be anything that allows us to intentionally enter another world where we aren't aware of time, and silence and tranquility prevail. Her 190 retreats are inspired by religious traditions, tribal practices and beliefs, as well as psychotherapy. She relies on a variety of techniques, including prayer, meditation, breathing exercises, journalizing, emotional art, dance therapy or range of motion exercises.
For those who lament that they don't have the time for a 20-minute ritual, Harris has created shorter ones, lasting five minutes and even one minute. Below are seven 1-minute retreats from Harris' book for those who find they are running through life at breakneck speed:
One-minute retreats
Yawn, just yawn. This retreat is for relaxation. The complete instructions are "yawn, just yawn." Yawning increases the amount of oxygen in your system. For politeness' sake, you may want to excuse yourself to find a private place to yawn and get in a great big stretch.
Faith in yourself. The fastest, most effective way to give yourself a confidence boost at any point during the day is to use this "Structural Awareness" technique. Structural Awareness is a series of movement lessons based on rolfing, a system of deep massages founded by Ida P. Rolf. You can do this retreat sitting, standing or even walking. Simply imagine that when you inhale, the breath goes straight up through your torso and out through the top of your head. As you inhale, feel your rib cage expand and lift. This slight shift in posture will give you the confidence to have faith in yourself.
Let go. This is a retreat for patience. When you feel yourself becoming impatient with a situation or a person, notice how you're trying to control to achieve a certain outcome. Take a deep breath and gently exhale through your mouth as if you were blowing out a candle. The exhale should be slightly longer than the inhale. As you exhale, let go of your expectations. Exhale and again let go of any expectations.
"Probably the most important retreat we can do while we're at work is simply to stop and take a breath," Harris says.
Healing eyes. This retreat is designed to help you relax and heal any tensions in your eyes. At your desk, in front of the computer or while reading, pause to give your eyes a rest. Simply rub the palms of your hands together in a vigorous fashion to generate energy and heat. Then quickly place your hands over each eye socket so that your eyes are at the centers of your palms. Let your eyes relax in this warm darkness for the full minute. You can experiment with keeping eyes open or closed.
Look for babies. Smile at babies. Babies are everywhere, especially if you frequent department stores and supermarkets. Look for them. Some will be asleep, others momentarily fussy. And some will be joyous and happy to share their joy with you. It's a blessing to make eye contact and smile at them. It's almost as if you share a secret in that split second of connection. This secret has to do with the miracle of birth and the joy of being alive.
Thank you. This retreat is much like the theory that to "practice random acts of kindness" is to help make the world a better place. Saying "thank you" is a simple approach to gratitude, Harris says. Simply say "thank you" consciously and from the heart whenever the opportunity arises. You'll be surprised how total strangers will respond differently to these words when they are spoken consciously with real meaning.
Bedtime wish. The moment just before you fall asleep is an important threshold in consciousness, says Harris. It's a good time to visualize your goals, review your day, plan your next day or request a special dream. This hypnagogic state, as it's called, is a moment when the veil is thinner between the material world and the unseen world, between the day dream world and the night dream world. Use this moment to think of something you'd like to do for yourself the next day. Give yourself permission to be intentionally "selfish." Remember, there is such a thing as healthy selfishness. Think of one thing just for you.
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External Sources
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U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
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The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
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Roper Starch Worldwide survey
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This article was reviewed and updated June 2007.
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