Thanksgiving now behind us and Christmas-themed commercials abundant, it’s safe to say that the holidays are officially in full swing. But with gifts to buy, festivities to attend, and relatives not to offend, we at Murray Resources, one of the premier staffing agencies in Houston, understand that this time of year can get pretty stressful in both your personal and professional life.

In the spirit of keeping your holidays merry and bright, try these stress-relieving meditation techniques next time you begin feeling overwhelmed at home or in the workplace:

The Inner Smile

Often used in Taoist and Buddhist circles to relax before meditation, this technique helps to loosen the facial muscles that tend to unconsciously tense up as your stress level builds. Close your eyes and imagine yourself smiling with your forehead, exuding positive energy and releasing tension. Once you feel the muscles begin to relax in the areas you’re concentrating on, apply it to other parts of your face such as your temples, cheek bones, and jaw.

Diaphragmatic Breathing

Diaphragmatic breathing has a calming effect on both mind and body, as the physical act of releasing a breath is associated with the mental release of negativity and stress. Breathe in through the nose, imagining your abdomen as a balloon filling with air. Push your diaphragm down and out as you inhale so as to make as much space as possible for the balloon to expand. Once you have no more room to expand, exhale through the mouth just as deeply, envisioning all of your tension draining out of you with each release. Attempt to match the duration of your exhale to that of your inhale to create a measured, even pattern of deep breathing.

Body Scan Meditation

This technique attempts to relax your entire body by concentrating on certain body parts piece by piece. Close your eyes and clear your mind. Imagine you are being lowered ever so slowly into a warm, glowing hot spring. Concentrate on the sensation of warmth first in your toes, and let it slowly move up your body. If you’re pressed for time, you may only be able to focus on relaxing one or two parts of your body (i.e. shoulders and neck). If you have a little more time, however, slowly guide the warmth through your feet, ankles, calves, knees, thighs, hips, lower back, spine, shoulders, arms, hands, neck, back of the head, and finally forehead.

We at Murray Resources, one of the top staffing agencies in Houston, understand that holiday cheer comes with holiday responsibilities, which are often a source of stress at both home and the office. Keep this time of year from becoming overwhelming with these stress-relieving meditation techniques you can practice throughout your day!

For more detailed descriptions of each of these techniques, as well as even more types of meditation, check out the “12 Meditation Techniques for the Office” piece that inspired this post.

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