Did you ever wish you had a reset button to change your mood or create an open mindset?
This is a simple, effective tool that anyone can use, whether you are new to compassion practices or an experienced practitioner. You can engage in this personal reset practice in less than thirty seconds. It is patterned after a practice doctors and nurses rely on during the very brief time available moving from patient to patient.
Not only is the practice quick, but if you can remember the first letters of Ready, Set, Go, you’ve got the acronym for the practice’s three steps: R S G.
STEP ONE: Ready?
Relax with a simple breath.
Breathe in, breathe out. Allow your breath to move consciously and slowly in and out of your body. If comfortable, breathe through your nose. With each exhale, allow any tension in your body to drop away, such as letting your shoulders relax and softening the muscles around your jaw and face. Also, focus on being present in the moment. Feel your feet on the ground. Take three conscious breaths.
If focusing on your breath feels unsafe in any way, choose another anchor for your attention. You might listen to sounds, set your gaze on a single object, or notice your feet on the floor.
This first step will calm your nervous system, reward you with self-compassion and kindness, and allow you to anchor into the present moment.
STEP TWO: Set.
Set a positive intention for what’s next.
Now you can turn your attention and set a clear intention for what you hope to do next. Set a positive goal for yourself. It could be a behavioral goal: “I want to be open and receptive to what I am about to hear,” or it could be an outcome goal: “I want us to leave our meeting with a clear understanding of what must be accomplished by Friday.”
Whatever intention you set, it is valuable that it be positive and that it involve things that are within your control. You can’t control other people’s behaviors or reactions, so avoid having a goal focused on their behavior such as “I want my team member to remain calm when I express my concerns to them.”
This second step invites a posture of compassion for others, and supports mutually beneficial results.
STEP THREE: Go!
Greater good focus.
You have a choice in every interaction to focus on what you share or on what separates you, how to cooperate or how to compete. Reminding ourselves that we have more in common than our differences makes working together more easeful and creates an environment of trust, psychological safety, and well-being. Sometimes this is easy because we are working with people who view things similarly to us. When that is the case, focusing on your shared goals is easy.
Other times, we face situations with others where we have many differences. At these times it is important to come back to our shared common humanity. We all want to be happy. We all want to be loved. We all want to be seen and heard. Taking a moment to compassionately recognize our common humanity can give us a starting point for working together cooperatively, rather than competitively.
ADDITIONAL PRACTICE:
If you would like to go deeper, try another practice from the Center for Compassionate Leadership practice series – the “Just Like Me” practice – to help bring yourself more awareness to our common humanity.
Photo Credit: Jose Martin Ramirez via Unsplash.