It's Monday, and while many people hate it, I try to always ..

It's Monday, and while many people hate it, I try to always see it as a new beginning with new opportunities and a blank canvas. It's another #MindfulMonday with Riley, and I'm bringing you another thing that I love to do from time to time to ease anxiety, stress and anger. Are you sometimes sitting at your desk or just working at whatever you're doing and feel stressed? Anxious? Angry? Completely pissed? When I have this feeling, I'm taking a minute, I stand up, and I knock on heaven's doors. UH? You may ask ;) Let me teach you how to do it. Stand with feet hip-width apart with a firm footing and a soft bend in your knees. You can leave your palms open or close your hands into fists. Then, begin to swing side to side. As you get into the swing of things, try to connect your movement with your breath, inhaling and exhaling in sync with your movement. Just have fun with it and get lost in the movement. Try to smile while doing it. You can even laugh at yourself. You may look silly, but WHO CARES? You can do this exercise for about a minute and once you're done, bring your feet together and bring your palms together at your heart. Take a huge inhalation, and a big exhalation. Leave your eyes closed for about 10 seconds, and bring back your breathing to normal. Open your eyes, and get back to what you were doing. Remember to continue to breathe and enjoy how you feel because the chances are that you're going to feel great. That's because we tend to carry a lot of tension and responsibility in our shoulders, and moving our arms this way, helps us relax not only our arms but also all that nasty tension too. Smiling and even laughing can release some endorphins that will make you feel happier and better. Personally, that 1-2 minute break does a big difference. I get back to my task feeling refreshed and with a different outlook on what needs to be done. It's way healthier than opening a can of Red Bull, a beer, or any of those other things we use to ease stress. Just give it a go right NOW. What do you have to lose? The walls won't laugh at you...and if they do, maybe you had one too many beers ;) Remember, those techniques are just tools to help us control those bad feelings / emotions. I still get angry, stressed and anxious. But if I can control them a little bit better, and don't let them dictate my life, it can do a big ass difference. Oh, and I'm leaving a video of a quick Yoga practice I do from time to time in my office. You will also see the swinging arms technique I mentioned if you want to see it in motion (the technique starts around 2:20 of the video) Ok, off I go! Have a wonderful Monday, everyone! Smile, you deserve it. https://youtu.be/qiKJRoX_2uo?t=140