Crosspost from Gretchen Rubin - Clean Desk = Inner Calm

Do you keep a cluttery desk, or cluttery home life?  I have found that when I know what needs to be done, and basically keep everything in its place, I can relax and feel calmer, even if I have not yet completed tasks.  They line up in my mind's eye and I know when things need to be done, and what I need in order to complete those tasks.

When my desk looks like a volcano, I know that everything is there, but things are harder to get to and that causes me some angst.

Please take a look at this quick piece from Gretchen Rubin, posted to LinkedIn, on decluttering your sacred space in order to find inner peace - really!

4-Square Breathing for Mindfulness and Calm

I've learned several techniques for square breathing. Basically, it is an easy way to help yourself feel calm and bring your thoughts back to the present moment. Awareness is the first step to mindfulness. We can make changes in the present moment and breathing helps us be in the present.
Breathe in for four seconds
Hold breath for four seconds
Release breath for four seconds
Rest for four seconds
Repeat this four times.
That's it.
We often breathe in our throat only. This shallow breathing doen't allow enough oxygen into the lungs. Deeper breathing helps the oxygen circulate throughout our bloodstream, relaxing our muscles, soothing our mind and helping us get renegade thoughts in check, bringing us back to ourselves.