Take "Ten Zen Seconds" to Reduce Stress and Be More Creative

Life can get very challenging sometimes. Even activities that are supposed to be fun - for example, creative things like writing or painting - can be stressful if you get bogged down in the details. But now there's a technique that can help you relax and focus on what you have to do with confidence. It's called "Ten Zen Seconds."

This technique was designed to help people relieve stress, get centered, and take control of their lives. It was developed by Dr. Eric Maisel, who is a licensed family therapist and specialist in the field of creativity. Dr. Maisel has found a way to combine the techniques of Western cognitive psychology - thinking - with those of Eastern mindfulness - breathing.

The Ten Zen Seconds technique is called "incanting." It combines breathing with specific thoughts like "I am taking action," "I am free of the past," "I am equal to this challenge," and "I trust my resources." If you're familiar with affirmations, these will seem similar. They're shorter and simpler, though, and they're always synchronized with breathing - a five-second inhalation and five-second exhalation. The first part of the thought is "said" in the first five seconds and the last part in the second five seconds - for a total of 10 seconds.

This technique is based on theory, but it isn't just theory. It was tested by real people who helped refine the process down to 12 basic sentences. That made it even simpler. But the testers also came up with some very creative ways to use their Ten Zen Seconds - for example, at the beginning and end of a specific task like washing dishes or writing an article.

The Ten Zen Seconds technique has some advantages over other forms of self-help. For one thing, it's fast - 10 seconds is not a lot of time - so it can be used even by people who are in a hurry. Also, it has a short learning curve - the sentences are short, so they're easy to remember and can be implemented almost immediately. Most people won't be able to count to 10 while "saying" the incantations to themselves, but they can always count the syllables, adding pauses as needed (if the sentence isn't a full 10 syllables).

There are lots of different ways to use Ten Zen Seconds. For example, if you're having trouble getting motivated to do something, you can use them to help you get started. If you're facing a potentially stressful situation you can use them to calm and center yourself - before or after. You can start your day with one sentence and end it with another. And of course the incantations can be included in a meditation practice, used just once or repeated like a mantra (which incidentally is very relaxing).

If this is hard to visualize, check out the Ten Zen Seconds web site. It has a slide show with each slide staying up for 10 seconds to help you learn to synchronize your breathing with the slides. Dr. Maisel has also written a book which explains the technique in greater detail, lists all 12 incantations, and gives more suggestions for their use.

If you've been looking for something to help you deal with the issues of life, but you don't have a lot of time or energy to learn something new, check out Ten Zen Seconds. It may be all the "therapy" you need.