03 Feb Read, Follow and Gain Focus in Just 5 Minutes!

These meditative exercises to increase focus are proven to increase energy, especially when you feel lackadaisical as the day unravels.

How do you gain focus? You can build focus as you energize yourself.  As you start to become more energized, you become mindful of the smaller things. When this awareness is enabled, you are able to pay attention to finer details.

Begin by Meditating For Five Minutes. (Set a timer and follow the instructions as you read)

Sit down, relax, and for the first minute or two, settle into your breathing and your observer stance. Notice your energy level and how it affects your posture and your mood.

Then, as you’re noticing the breath, visualize taking in energy. Visualize your breath as pure energy coming into the cells, oxygenating the cells; see it as the fuel that drives the cellular process that creates energy in our bodies. Then, on each exhale, visualize letting go of fatigue, dullness, or anything that weighs you down mentally or physically.

Remember: Rather than trying to actually deepen or control the breath, you’re just watching the natural pace of the breath; this isn’t a breathing exercise. As you inhale each time, you’re visualizing energy coming in naturally and just acknowledging that energy comes in through the breath into your body to invigorate you. And then as you exhale, you’re letting go of anything that weighs you down.

Do this for a few minutes, then drop back to just noticing and observing the experience of your breath in your body. If you enjoy this and lose track of time don’t worry, you can do it for the entire 5 minutes if you like whatever feels comfortable to you. When you reach the end of the meditation, once your timer goes off, take a moment with your eyes still closed, just to notice the change in your energy level and how your body feels.

Makeover for your mind: Today you’ll make a note about your energy and vitality.

1. Write down what you ate yesterday, and note any dips in your energy during the day.
2. Based on the past few days’ experience, what have you learned about your habits, and how can they inform today’s eating? Write down a general meal plan for the day.
3. Decide on a few specific moments today when you will check in with your energy, and write them down.

Today’s mantra: I am energized

Improving Awareness

As you go through your day, recall your mantra, noticing any changes in energy as an extension of what and how you eat, so you can start to construct your own food map. Study yourself as if in an experiment. How do you feel when you eat certain foods? Does your fatigue limit you? Remember that sometimes cravings are our bodies telling us they need something nutritionally different. Also recall that by doing simple things, such as chewing better and slowing down during meals, we can increase absorption of nutrients and indirectly increase energy and decrease cravings.

Nehita Abraham

Nehita is a mindfulness expert who writes extensively on lifestyle management, wellness and ways to lead a healthier and a happier life. She is a part of Aware’s expert team on meditation. She is also an avid artist who spends most her time dribbling amazing stories through art.