Count To Ten

Posted by Tom Locke on April 24th, 2013 filed in Business, Education, Life

Did you ever get into a situation where you got so mad that someone said to you, “Count to ten”?   I can certainly remember my Dad saying that to me a few times when I was growing up.

But what does counting to ten do for you?   Basically, it is a cooling down strategy that provides some time before deciding what to do next.

Richard Carlson, PHD, supports this and it is his belief that you should incorporate this with breathing.   In his book, ‘Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff … ‘ he says, “When you feel yourself getting angry, take a long, deep inhalation, and as you do, say the number one to yourself.   Then relax your entire body as you breathe out.   Repeat the same process with the number two. all the way through at least ten … What you are doing here is clearing your mind with a mini version of a mediation exercise.”

So when anger wells up in you, be your own guru, create calm by counting to ten.

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