Ease

Can one word change your life?

Pause for a second. Take a moment to breathe. Now take a deep breath for four seconds, then breathe out slowly for eight seconds.

If, like me, that simple exercise sheds tension & stress, you know the power of ease.

Life isn’t always like that. Humans are often lost in thought. Our minds deliver a near-ceaseless cacophony of thoughts and ideas, as they collide & explode into yet more mental images it’s often antithesis of ease. As you will know well, this barrage of thoughts is often a sure sign of stress and tension.

It’s easy to become distracted and lose focus. Your breathing becomes shallow & it’s easy to move from here to feeling ill-at-ease or even overwhelmed. Welcome to the human response to danger: fight or flight. If you ever wished you had a tool to combat the distracted, stressed state & remind yourself to breathe, you’re in luck. I have one word: ease.

Try it. Say it to yourself. When I remind myself of the word ‘ease’, it pulls me into a reflection of where I am right now. Am I comfortable? Am I present? Am I paying attention? Am I breathing properly? It’s a single syllable, yet acts as a trigger to transform my thinking, physicality & mindset. Almost every time I consider ease, my stress reduces & I begin to understand a feeling of being in tune with myself. Sometimes when I’m particularly stressed, I’ll use it as a mantra, repeating the word as I breathe in & then out.

Moving through the world with ease is pure pleasure. Not glued to your phone, seeing people & nature around you, smiling. Living at the same pace as your body. When it comes to work, ease is the first stage of that much lauded & desired state, flow. Ease is your problem solving & creative hero. It helps you filter your thoughts to the ones you need right now, whether that’s thinking, physical movement, or just experiencing what’s around you.

Ease. Try it.