Simple and effective technique to reduce stress and improve performance at work
Did you know the focus of your eyes is tied to your level of stress? Think about how exhausting it can feel spending all day squinting at tiny words on a computer. Compare that to going to the beach or another place with a beautiful view. Think about how relaxing it can feel to allow your vision to open up and take in a wide-open space in front of you.
Learning to tap into the way in which the focus of the eyes influences our levels of stress can have noticeable benefits reducing anxiety, tension and helping our brains fire more fluidly.
If you’re looking for ways to better manage overwhelm at work and prevent burnout, try this simple technique that takes less than 5 minutes to practice and learn.
3 Steps for Open Focus:
1: Gently relax the muscles around your eyes:
- Take a moment to notice the muscles around your eyes as well as the muscles you would use to focus on small text when reading.
- Imagine allowing the muscles around your eyes to gently relax and allow your eyes to become more unfocused
2: Expand your visual field to take in both your peripheral vision as well as what is directly in front of you:
- Imagine staring off into the distance as if you’re looking at a faraway beautiful view (a beach, mountains or other scenery)
- Try to be aware of both the visual field in front of you and, your peripheral vision at the same time “take in the whole picture at once”
3: Imagining empty spaces: Visualizing empty space also has the effect of slowing down the brain into a more relaxed idling state:
- Pick an empty space somewhere around you in the room
- Consider: the space under a chair, the space between the floor and the ceiling, the space between your toes, the space around your personal space etc.
- Try to imagine in your minds eye the idea of nothingness, the empty spot in the space you’re thinking of
- Every 5 seconds or so switch to a new empty spot and focus on that
Continually repeat steps 1-3. The longer you practice the more you will help to regulate your body and level of stress. Even a few seconds of practice can be grounding. We recommend trying for at least 5 minutes of dedicated practice per day.
If you need help or just want to chat, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at info@rootsinwellness.ca, or visit our team page.
By Cavan Edwards
Associate Therapist, Roots in Wellness
MACP, RP (Qualifying)
