Tag: meditation

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Slow Down to Speed Up

slow your mind

The constant influx of emails, social media, and staying afloat is exhausting. Slow your mind and you’ll reap the the benefits in all aspects of your life and business.

Stillness, Silence, and Space

When you don’t make the time to sit with yourself, your mind becomes a small, studio-sized apartment. But when you make the space to sit with your own stillness, your mind transforms into a home, with room to bring others in. Special thanks to meditation teacher, David Nichtern, for introducing this concept to me (and it’s one I think about often).

When you sit with yourself, you realize you had a mentor with you all along. Nobody knows what you need better than yourself. Listen to this mentor, and go one step further by asking your future self the business decisions you’ve been struggling with. When you sit with these questions you’ll find the guidance you’re searching for.

Before you sit, consider some beliefs that might be limiting you. These may include:

  1. There is only one way to grow a business.
  2. Everything has to be perfect.
  3. Excessive effort is required.
  4. You aren’t smart, you don’t work hard, there is no hope.

You already know these aren’t true, but sometimes it takes sitting to really believe them. If you need more guidance on how to sit in stillness, there are a plethora of free resources available on YouTube.

Inspiration for this post comes from “Listen to Your Authentic Inner Voice” by Beth Montpas published in the February 2023 issue of Creative Retailer.

If you’re looking for more information to guide you in owning a retail business, subscribe to Creative Retailer today. Already a subscriber? No worries—join our Facebook group for insights and dialogue from industry specialists like you. And don’t forget, you can always purchase single issues if you prefer that instead.

If you still can’t get enough, register for the Creative Retailer LIVE Spring 2023 event May 2-4 in Pawhuska, Oklahoma for opportunities to learn from peers and network with industry professionals.

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How to manage your anxiety

Anxiety

Anxiety can happen anytime and anywhere. It’s something that can creep up from behind or happen all at once. Since anxiety it something we all suffer from, check out these tips to help manage your stress levels in ten minutes or less.

Meditation and mindfulness

There are a variety of meditation techniques and apps that can help you find which technique you like the most. Some are free and some aren’t free, but they can be found in your app store with a simple “meditation” search.

One of the most common meditation techniques include a body scan, where you imagine scanning your body from head to toe then back again to notice how your body is feeling. It’s a good time to see where you’re holding stress, and to release those areas.

Another technique is a mindfulness exercise. Start each day with an affirmation and watch as your mindset changes for the better. Chose simple verbs such as, “I respect,” “I love,” or “I honor” and finish the sentence. At first it may be difficult but after some repetition the statements will become easier to finish.

These, along with simple breathing exercises, are quick and easy ways to center yourself back to reality.

Anxiety tools

Journaling is one simple practice you can start to manage your stress. The best part about journaling is that it can be as unstructured as you want it to be. You can write every day, or whenever you think about it, and both ways can be incredibly therapeutic.

Adding yoga into your exercise routine can help your anxiety levels too. Yoga classes are in abundance everywhere these days and instructors even have their practices on YouTube. If you’re not familiar with yoga, each practice ends with something called shavasana, which is a time meant to sit alone with your thoughts. The practice of stretching beforehand is to prepare your mind for the moment when it can sit alone and focus. Whether you carve out ten minutes or an hour, yoga is a tradition that has lasted centuries (probably for a reason).

Studies have shown that anxiety techniques increases productivity in the work force. Has your business considered offering tools to it’s employees? Managing your anxiety can help you keep your business on track.

If you’re looking for more information to guide you in owning a retail business, subscribe to American Quilt Retailer today. Already a subscriber? No worries—join our Facebook group for insights and dialogue from industry specialists like you.