The Energized Accountant—
Guided Meditations for the Financial World
Long work hours and high expectations from clients, administrators, and management keeping you from relaxing?
Striving to complete accurate returns while battling insomnia, achy body, and sore eyes from staring at the computer for hours?
Meditation may help to alleviate these pressures, so you can relax.
Dear Fellow Finance Enthusiast,
My sincere hope is that this guide will help you in your journey as an accountant, bookkeeper, tax professional. Whatever your financial background — that is not important. What is important is that you’ve chosen to take this time for yourself to find energy, peace, and happiness.
Remember, though, that this is merely a guide, not medical advice for any ailment. But it certainly can’t hurt. As Herbert and Benson, Harvard medical doctors, have pointed out: “Meditation decreases oxygen consumption, respiratory rate, and blood pressure, and increases the intensity of theta and delta brain waves — the opposite of physiological changes that occur during stress.”
We all strive for less stress.
The value of meditation is not in the length, but the starting.
For you, the change might be fast and profound; a transformational change — or it might be slow and less profound at first. “It is for those who wish to change.”
Meditation reorients and reprograms the brain to give you a sense of control over your days and your life in general.
Feel More Energized Today
From Frustration to Calmness
Meditation can take you from frustration to calmness, from impatience to empathy, from anger to compassion, from arguments to peaceful agreement, from procrastination to complete focus, from disagreements to harmony, from absolute obedience to peaceful negotiations, from dysfunction to order. That’s a big promise, but if you keep on with the 21 days, your life can change. You will feel more peaceful; you will have more harmony, compassion, empathy, order, focus, and control over your days and life.
It is a commitment, but I hope the reason you looked at this was to find a lasting solution to a problem, your frustrations, lack of control, — not just a one-time deal to get through this one day. Meditation can give you just that. I believe these are words worth repeating: “It is for those who wish to change.”
Enjoy Sense of Control
Meditation gives you a sense of control. Many times, we feel utterly lost in the hustle of everyday life, trying to juggle work, family, friends, and commitments.
To take control of your day and life, you need to be mindful of each moment and event. This will take time. Meditation and mindfulness is not a cure-in-a-minute-type hype. But don’t worry if even after several days and weeks of meditation your thoughts wander off while at an important event. This is perfectly normal. In fact, you probably shouldn’t try to be in the moment 100% every day, every minute of the day. That would be exhausting. Your brain needs the “downtime” to recoup and rethink events, happenings, and thoughts.
The “daydreaming,” if you will, should always be part of your day and life and with meditation, it can become more vivid and real. You might be inspired by your daydreaming in totally different ways than before.
Feel More Energized Today
Breathing Promotes Physical Wellness and Restores Cells
Breathing promotes healing and ensures circulation of both oxygen and blood throughout every fiber of your body. And because breathing is automatic, we can make it a focal point of meditation.
If it can do that on its own, imagine what conscientious breathing can do for you.
So, the first thing to do is to figure out how to breathe and focus. Now, this can be very hard at first, so don’t give up. I often notice while I’m meditating and practicing yoga that I’ve stopped breathing deeply, with intention, and that’s okay. Just re-start.
Notice how you breathe. Take a deep breath and exhale. If you are sitting in a relaxed position, you probably filled the upper part of your lungs and then, as you exhaled, you slouched. It’s okay, don’t worry, most of us do it exactly the same way.
How to Breathe in Meditation
Inhale through your nose, exhale through your mouth. Some people like to breathe only through the nose. This takes a bit of practice, so if that’s your way, just keep practicing even if it doesn’t feel right immediately.
Now, sit in a chair with your back straight and pretend there is an empty balloon in your stomach and you are going to fill it. Breathe in and fill the balloon. When you exhale, think of the balloon and try to get all the air out of it. This means that your exhale is about twice the length of the inhale. You could count to 3 to 4 as you inhale, and then count from 6 to 8 as you exhale.
Another variation of the inhalation/exhalation in calming and meditating breaths, is to use the 4/7/8 regulation. Inhale for 4, retain breath in for 7, and exhale for 8 counts. Now, again, remember, any type you adopt, will take time. And as with meditation in general, the longer it’s taking and the harder it is, the more you need it. 😊
The breathing helps you stay present in what you’re trying to accomplish. “Live in the moment” as they say.
Posture in Meditation
There is no right or wrong way to lie or sit while meditating. Choose a posture that is comfortable for you. You don’t have to contort your body into a Lotus position (this is the posture you see established yogis use — sitting with a straight back and legs crisscrossed on top of each leg). I’ve been practicing meditation and yoga for over three years now, and no matter what, this is not comfortable for me.
You can simply sit on a chair or lie on your bed. It is recommended that either way, your back is straight. So even if you can’t lie all the way down on your bed, still try to have your back straight — propped up by pillows, if needed.
Feel More Energized Today
Devote Yourself to Action
You only need to get up a few minutes earlier to reap the rewards. Or maybe it will be easier for you to do this at the office, before anyone else is in the building. Give time for yourself — take the time.
Take the 15-minute break you always feel that you need but never take. Or carve out 15 minutes out of your lunch. And believe me – I know how hard that can be – mine used to be exactly 35 minutes long. And that included going up and down the stairs to the breakroom.
Perhaps the easiest thing for you to do is to sit in your car before you leave home or when you get to the office. Or even after work, before the drive home.
Whichever time of day you choose, Choose to Take a Break — control your day.
Pledge to yourself, decide, and commit.
Feel More Energized Today
Most sincerely,
Taru Nieminen, M.A.T.