Stress impacts all of us these days. I don’t know anyone who can say they are stress-free for any length of time. Even though we are often surrounded by issues that can raise our blood pressure or get us tied up in knots, there are many ways to alleviate the stress. One of my favorites takes only two minutes.

A corner stone of meditation techniques is the process of tuning in to your own deep breathing. Take ten deep breaths, slowly and with your total attention. Random thoughts can be gently ignored and saved for later. When attention strays from your breathing, simply it back to the breath as it moves in and out of your lungs. Within two minutes, a change of outlook will occur. Heart rate slows down and a calm outlook takes over.

This technique requires a very short commitment to drop everything else for two minutes. It might seem obvious, but don’t try it while driving. (I tried – not good!) Meditation works better with eyes closed.

It takes some practice to master the mini-meditation. The good news? Once you’ve learned the technique, you always have it whenever you need it and it’s free!

-Pam Brooks