Project: The #KeepCalm Challenge!

‘Give your stress wings and let it fly away.’ — Terry Guillemets

Calm mind brings inner strength and self-confidence. To manage my nerves and anxiety, I tried couple of basic and intermediate breathing exercises.

The first exercise I tried was Progressive Relaxation. This activity involves tensing and relaxing of each muscle for 2–3 second my keeping your eyes close. I have been practicing this exercise for couple of years but not in this systematic way. This is very unusual case with me. Whenever I have short period available for sleep, this behavior happens. For example I have to wake up for my lecture and I have only 2–3 hours of sleep. I get tense and anxious. For the few hours available, I keep on thinking that at any time my alarm will ring. To overcome this I try to relax my each body part and pretend that my each of my body part is sleeping one by one. Starting from toes and all the way to the head. It really works. But for this activity dizziness is not the goal. I tried this activity activity at 16 00 each day because body need a dose of relaxation halfway through the day. After 5 days of regular practice I can clearly see the positive effects. This technique is very helpful. I have tried it before and I am well aware of its miracles. This is the exercise I will definitely try before and interview. It requires no special arrangements. You don’t need to put a hand on your stomach or thumb on your nostril. A five star ratings for this one.

I also tried Guided Visualization exercise which involves closing your eyes and vising that “Happy Place”. Breathe deeply and focus on pleasant and positive images. I tried this exercise by lying down and place I visited was from my two years old memory. I went to Siri Lake. It was cold, calm, and quiet. I visualized myself sitting on a wooden bench and observing the surroundings. After finishing this brief exercise with a big smile on my face. I feel calm and more in control of myself. I have doubt on using this technique before an interview because I think it might distract or divert my attention. But on daily basis, this is an excellent exercise.

I have an alternative version of Guided Visualization for interviews. Instead of going to a “happy place”, do some “happy activity” according to your taste. For example, while waiting for your turn, if you are fan of indie games, play Subway Surfer or Traffic Racer. I have tried it my my self and it was an instant stress reliever.