Calm down dear, its only State Management
 Have
you ever noticed how we use the word ‘state’?
We say look at the state of this equipment, I got in a
right state etc. But what actually is state?
Put simply, state is energy and it can be positive and
negative. It operates on four levels; physical, mental,
emotional and spiritual and they are in process in us all
the time.
When we get in negative states physically, we feel tired
or listless. Mentally we feel dazed and confused, we can’t
think straight. Emotionally we can feel angry or upset
without really knowing why. Spiritually we just feel out
of touch with our selves, for example, why we bother doing
what we do and what’s the point?
Sometimes these negative states can descend on you slowly,
but sometimes they can happen in an instant. For example,
just before you are about do something important. This
feels like panic and all of the above have a possibility
to kick in.
The good news is that most of us have usually developed
strategies to get out of negative states. We call these ‘state
breakers’.
For example if you were in a negative, physical state
you might do some exercise, step out of the room, go walk
in the park. Mentally you have the capacity to think things
through, to come out of the other side. Emotionally you
can let your anger out, hit the pillow or go chop wood.
Spiritually you might get your board out, find a beautiful
or special place to go sailing, you might go walking in
the mountains. There is nothing better than land or seascape
to reconnect you with what’s important; simple and
profound.
But there is one ‘state breaker’ that will
always work, that hits on every level. In fact in a very
short period of time this ‘state breaker’ actually
has the capacity to alter your brainwaves; and you are
already an expert at it.
It’s called breathing.
- Many people have never really taken the time to learn
to breathe properly so I’m going to run you through
an exercise which, very quickly, will show you how. It’s
great to do it with others too.
- Sit upright in a chair with
both feet flat on the ground and your legs slightly apart.
- Place
your open right hand over your left hand and rest them
in your lap, just below your belly button. Close your
eyes.
- Breathe in deeply from where your
hands are. Fill your belly then your lungs; keep
going until you have filled to capacity. Think of yourself
taking in clean crisp air.
- Hold for a count of three.
- Breathe out, pushing the
air from your lungs and belly until you feel completely
empty. Think of yourself letting out stale used air.
Hold for a count of three.
- Repeat three times. Then
resume breathing normally.
You will find you feel calmer and if you are doing this
in a group, check out what the atmosphere is like. I
can more or less guarantee someone will say ‘a
lot calmer’.
Sometimes the easiest strategies are the best.
Breathing; the first thing you do; and the last thing
you do.
Bernie Evans is a co-active coach and consultant,
who runs creative think tanks for leaders of organisations,
trains people in creative problem solving, and works
with individuals and teams, on how they can best improve
their performance and gain fulfilment.
Please email him your thoughts: bernie@boardseeker.com
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