It is possible to replenish your energy, clear your mind, feel more alert and at peace in only 5-10 minutes using a simple yet powerful relaxation technique that you can use in most situations.

This technique brings you peace and calm by bringing your nervous system back into balance. It is particularly effective at reducing anxiety, stress, worry and tension and improving your wellbeing. When practiced often, it has very positive long-term effects.

The technique is so simple, it would be easy to dismiss it without trying it, yet it is highly effective. It works by bringing your mind into a different state of consciousness where it rests and heals, yet you remain awake throughout the whole process.

​Find a space where are unlikely to be interrupted (though it is perfectly safe if you do get interrupted) and where you can may sit comfortably (or lie down if you prefer), and:

1. Close your eyes
2. Take a slow, deep breath in through your nose, and out through your mouth.
3. Repeat this twice more.
4. In your mind, say each of these lines to yourself–it helps if you use a sleepy, slow, deep inner voice. Continue to breathe deeply, saying each line to yourself as you breathe out.
   breathe in

• “I let go and relax my forehead”
  breathe in
• “I relax my eyes”
  breathe in
• “I relax my cheeks”
  breathe in
• “I relax my jaw”
  breathe in
• “I relax my tongue”
  breathe in
• “I relax my neck”
  breathe in
• “I relax my shoulders”
  breathe in
• “I relax my arms”
  breathe in
• “I relax my hands”
  breathe in
• “I relax my chest”
  breathe in
• “I relax my upper back”
  breathe in
• “I relax my stomach”
  breathe in
• “I let go of any worry”
  breathe in
• “I relax my lower back”
  breathe in
• “I relax my pelvis”
  breathe in
• “I relax my bottom”
  breathe in
• “I relax my thighs”
  breathe in
• “I relax my calves”
  breathe in
• “I relax my feet”
  breathe in
• “I put down any weight I am carrying”
  breathe in
• “And now I relax my soul”

Take three more long, deep breaths in through your nose, and out through your mouth.

If you still feel tense, anxious or stressed, go through the exercise again until you feel more at peace.

Once you feel your mind is calm, bask in this feeling for as long as you like.

When you are ready, gently move your arms and legs, move your head from side to side, slowly open your eyes and you will return to a normal state of consciousness.

Enjoy using this technique often – I recommend using it a few times a day to boost your energy, keep your mind focused and instil a sense of peace, calm and tranquility into your life.

​Thank you for reading.
​I wish you a life of fulfillment.
–John

For each problem that we face in life there is often a small yet important change of behaviour which can make a huge difference in solving it.
There is a guideline in life called the 80-20 rule, which says: for many things that happen, about 80% of the results come out of about 20% of the causes. This means it is really important to identify which causes are within the '20%' to get the outcome you want, far more easily.

I'm here to share with you one very common–yet often overlooked–example of this today, that will help you live a life of fulfillment.

When you:

• Have a headache (or even a migraine)
• Feel tired during the day
• Feel hungry (especially when you've already eaten recently)

what do you normally do?

Do you think these are caused by different things?

Is there one thing you know to try first in all of these cases, rather than perhaps reaching for a snack, a pain relief tablet, or pushing through the tiredness?

Next time, try this:

1. Drink a large glass of water (plain, still water, with nothing added to it)
2. Wait a minute and see if you feel any better
3. If you do not notice a difference, try a second large glass of water (but only if you can do so without 'forcing' it and feeling unpleasant)

Lack of water (dehydration): this one simple thing is very often at the heart of hunger, headaches and tiredness. Your body–especially your brain–is made up largely of water, so even the beginning of dehydration has significant effects on your feelings, health and wellbeing.

Here are some things to consider:

• By the time you feel thirsty, it usually means you are significantly dehydrated already
• It is very common to mistake feelings of thirst as feelings of hunger, because they feel very similar, yet thirst is far more oftenthe cause of these feelings. If you eat because you feel 'hungry' but the real cause is lack of water, you will not feel fully satisfied after eating and will probably continue to eat more than what your body actually wants. This will cause you to feel sluggish as your body pours its energy into digesting too much food at once
• One of the most common causes of a headache is dehydration.
• If you feel tired (especially during the day), it is probably caused by dehydration

An example of this in action: recently, a workmate who gets migraines felt one coming on and I suggested he try drinking two or even three large glasses of water within about 15 minutes. He tried this and said that after half an hour, the migraine went away and stayed away for the rest of the day. Normally, he would have taken pain relief and whilst it would have reduced the pain, he would still put up with a lot of pain for the rest of the day. He was very grateful to see how a simple change of awareness and behaviour to address the real cause was able to relieve his problem, something difficult he has been 'living with' for a long time.

​Fill your glass and drink to live a life of fulfillment

Even better than learning to react to the feelings of tiredness, hunger/thirst or headache is to be proactive about getting enough water.
The amount of water you need may be different than what I need since it varies based on your own body and also the climate/conditions you are in each day.
I find that a good basic level if (like me) you spend most of your day in a fairly sheltered climate (e.g. indoors or at least not out in the hot sun) is to drink a large glass of water (about 500 ml/17 oz) immediately after you wake, then a large glass of water every hour-and-a-half throughout the day.
To do this, I fill my (reusable, aluminium) water bottle before I go to bed and leave it on my bedside table. I have pre-set, repeating alarms on my mobile phone which go off at the following times with the message “Feel alert & alive: drink water” at these times:

• 8am (in case I forgot to have a glass immediately upon awakening)
• 10.30am
• 12pm
• 1.30pm
• 3pm
• 4.30pm
• 6pm
• 7.30pm
• 9pm

I set the alarm so that it does not make a noise, since I found that to be too intrusive (and was discouraging me from drinking rather than encouraging me) – it only displays a message on the screen of my phone, and I have my phone where the screen is visible throughout the day.
Another idea is to identify any habits/routines you are already in which happen several times throughout the day (evenly spaced), and add drinking a glass/bottle of water to the existing routines.
There are also water reminder apps you can get for mobile phones – if you think these may work for you, please try them and see what works (I have not tried any myself, but would be interested to hear of anyone's recommendations – please contact me to let me know.)
As you become in the habit of drinking plenty of water regularly, so many things become easier: it helps with energy levels, alertness, digestion, happiness, strength, health, creative thinking and overall wellbeing.

Thank you for reading.
I wish you a life of fulfillment. Sometimes, filling a glass with water and drinking is all it takes.
–John