From Five Good Minutes in the Evening

When you return home from your workday, the first few minutes can be challenging. For example, maybe you have six unreturned phone messages, it’s trash night, the kids are yanking on each leg for your immediate attention, and you still have to unpack the groceries and prepare dinner. You need a quick, mindful stress reduction exercise to help you get through the rest of your evening tasks in a calm and focused manner.

Take the next several minutes to get grounded and to transition more smoothly from your workday. This guided visualization will help you symbolically detach from work:

Take five deep and relaxing breaths. While seated comfortably with your eyes closed, transport your mind and body to a peaceful lagoon with a gentle waterfall. From where you sit, you can see and hear the refreshing cascade of water showering over ancient rocks worn smooth over time. You approach the waterfall and find the temperature is just to your liking. As you stand beneath the falls, you feel the inner serenity that is washing over you, refreshing and renewing you from head to toe.