How To Calm Down - power-up #1

I have been playing the single shooter game Doom 3 for some time now. It is and old computer game where you try to save the planet Mars from the Devil by fighting monsters and demons while collecting power-ups and other cool stuff on the way. In relation to this game I have been noticing that I have collected a few real-life "power-ups" as habits that I use in my daily life as well as when I perform and need an extra energy boost or a way to change my mental and/or physical state for some reason. I have decided to share a few of these power ups on this blog starting with this small technique I use when I need to calm down and gather my energies.

What I do is focus on the chest area, and breathe in for 4 seconds and out for 8. Sometimes if I feel anxiety for some reason I bring up intense feeling of gratitude by thinking about positive things that are obvious and quite wonderful, like just being alive, having fresh air to breathe, healthy beautiful family etc., everything and anything I can think of, things that I sometimes take for granted and can feel greatful for. After a breathing round of 5-10 cycles I have gained a calmer mind, broader perspective on what I was doing before and a clean slate to operate with.

The trigger for using this power-up is when you notice that your body is tense or your mind is wandering off the things that you need to be working on, or, if you simply want to feel better than you do right now.