There is only one thing in life which remains the same throughout - your breath.
From the moment you’re born to the moment you die, your breath is the one constant you have. You can also use your breath to help you in many different situations, from times when you’re anxious and stressed to times when you’re angry and need to calm down.
Within a workplace, it’s likely that at some point you’re going to become annoyed with a colleague. This is normal, however, it’s a situation you have to control in order to avoid it becoming a full-blown conflict.
When you’re working with colleagues around the boardroom tables or you’re perhaps collaborating at the stand height tables, it’s normal to disagree sometimes. A little disagreement can be healthy because it helps you to see other viewpoints and a different side of the story. However, it’s not healthy if you allow those disagreements to turn extremely sour and let them cause disruption and fractions within the office space.
A good way to avoid this happening is to tap into the power of your breathing as a tool for calming yourself down. When you’re calm, you’re far less likely to find yourself acting out of anger or saying something you wish you hadn’t.
Mindfulness is another method you can use, but this also uses the power of breath to help you stay in the here and now and avoid jumping back to the past or far in the future. Both of these are extremely good ways to control your reactions to problems, but how exactly can you use your breath in the most effective way?
Here are three breathing exercises you can use when you notice your anger or annoyance starting to rise.
- Method 1 - Take yourself away from the situation to somewhere quiet and close your eyes. Focus on your breath and breathe in through your nose for a count of five, in a slow and steady manner. Pause for a count of three, and then exhale through your mouth in the same manner, for a count of five. Repeat until you feel calmer.
- Method 2 - Again, move away from the situation and close your eyes. Place a hand on your belly, covering your naval. Breathe in deeply through your nose and notice your belly rising underneath your hand. Pause for a second and exhale through your nose once more. Repeat this until you feel calm. This is also useful for helping you to avoid shallow breathing, which often occurs when you’re stressed or angry.
- Method 3 - This method uses visualisation at the same time as breath focus and it’s a great way to calm down. Yet again, you need to be away from the source of your anger, so take yourself somewhere quiet. Breathe in through your nose and imagine that as you inhale, your body is being filled with calm and happiness. Pause and then exhale through your mouth, imagining stress and upset dispelling itself from your body. Then, as you breathe in the second time, imagine the words “I inhale calm and peace”. On the exhale imagine the words “I exhale stress and anger”. Repeat until you’re calmer.
Being away from the site of the annoyance, and away from the person who has upset you, is vital if you want these exercises to work. That means getting away from your office desk and perhaps heading to a place where there are elements of nature. If you can go outside, go for it, but if not head somewhere within the office which is quiet. If you have hardwood floors, these are ideal because they link back to nature too.
Many employers provide time out areas for this specific reason, perhaps with booths and comfortable chairs. It’s something to think about installing in your office space if you want to focus on avoiding conflict and ensuring a calm and harmonious working environment for your employees.