TEN TO ZEN
Clear your mind in 10 minutes
You might be thinking, who’s got a spare 10 minutes in the morning? I barely have time to shower and wolf a bowl of muesli. But mental health expert and therapist Owen O’kane created this workout – a short mind-clearing exercise – to fit into the busiest life, and bring clarity and perspective. Stop!
MINUTE 1
Commit to a time and find a comfortable space. Next, check in. Ask yourself how you’re doing. Whatever emotions come up, acknowledge and accept them. Don’t try to change or get rid of the feelings. Calm
MINS 2 AND 3
The second and third minutes are about calming your mind using three stages: visualisation, language, and tapping – a calming technique. First, imagine a place that represents peace, such as a beach, mountain or lake. Choose a word or name for it, then close your eyes and visualise this place of calm, mentally repeating the chosen name or word five times. Tapping your body in rhythmic patterns creates a relaxing effect, which helps thoughts become less stuck, gives you mental distance from your problems and decreases worries. Once learnt, it is very useful. Hug yourself so that your right hand is on your left upper arm, and your left hand is on your right upper arm. Then, imagining your calm place, do 20 slow taps on your upper arms – one at a time, alternating left to right – at the speed of a slow hand clap. During this stage of your mental workout, your brain activity, breathing and heart rate slow down, and feelgood hormones (dopamine and serotonin) are released. Breathe MINS 4 AND 5
Take a moment to notice your normal breathing: are you breathing slowly or shallowly from your chest? For minute four, consciously focus on your breath, observe your in-breath and out-breath twice. After this, consciously breathe in a rhythmic manner for four seconds, then breathe out for four seconds. Repeat this for one minute. In minute five, keep focusing on your breath but now allow it to follow its natural flow. Observe your body while breathing in three sections: your lower body up to your hips; your upper body up to your shoulders; your head and neck. This action will release physical tension. Perspective MINS 6 AND 7
Minutes six and seven use techniques from cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) to identify unhelpful thinking patterns and manage them. The key negative thought patterns are: the Critical Judge, who relentlessly self-blames; the Military General, who makes you think you’re unlovable; the Dramatist, who flies into catastrophic thinking, where everything is a complete disaster; the Psychic, who jumps to conclusions; the Rubbish Collector, who makes you think nothing good ever happens to you; and the Terminator, whose harsh tone tells you you’re stupid or worthless. Do any of these sound familiar? In minute six, close your eyes and bring to mind your challenging thought patterns, welcoming them in. Doing this discharges some of their power. If your thought patterns start to play out the familiar old themes, decide to observe and consciously let go.
During minute seven, observe your thoughts as if you were watching a movie; don’t engage with or try to change them. Mindfulness
MINS 8 AND 9
The only thing to concentrate on is now. For two minutes, stay with a single point of focus – perhaps your breath or body, or sounds (allowing them to come and go, but not creating stories around them). Focus on one area and stay there. If you get distracted, bring your thoughts back. This activity will help to restore stillness. Return
MINUTE 10
In the final minute, visualise putting on a cloak of acceptance, compassion and authenticity. As you return to your day, you’ll feel a greater sense of stillness, control and perspective. Edited extracts from Ten To Zen: Ten Minutes A Day To A Calmer, Happier You by Owen O’kane (Bluebird) is out 27th December