If I had a dime for every time I heard “I can’t do mindfulness, I don’t meditate” I’d be rich. If I had a penny for every time I said it well then, I’d be beyond rich. I hear you! Meditation can seem overwhelming, ridiculous, and one more thing to add to an already hectic day. What I failed to understand for some time is that mindfulness doesn’t mean sitting on the ground staring at the sunset in perfect peace. Mindfulness can be practiced at the grocery store, before you sit down to take an exam, while your helping your kids at bath time. Mindfulness is not about perfect silence it’s about being in the present.
We spend so much of our lives focusing on the past and the future. Think about how often you reflect on your day at work, a fight you had, or maybe even something good that happened. Then think about how often you plan out your day, think about your goals, and imagine where your life is headed. Where is your head? You spend so much time thinking about the past and future, but what about the present? Research shows that those that are able to stay in the present more have greater happiness.
Interesting information but it doesn’t change anything. How do you stop your brain from thinking about the past or planning for the future? Of course, you want to be happy we all do but what do we do?
Become more aware. Pick a task that you do everyday and try to focus on the details. It could be taking a shower, packing a lunch, walking the dog, anything. Whatever you choose I want you to try and stay focused on what you are doing. I like to walk my dog Mia on a beautiful trail by my house. We walk along the river and you can hear the birds its amazing. The problem is I often end up thinking about work, home, finances, and a million other things. There are plenty of days when I never hear the birds and I never looked at the river long enough to notice whether it was low or high. When I apply mindfulness I intentionally work to focus on the things around me and what I am doing. I pay attention to how the sun feels on my skin, what the gravel is like underneath my shoes, the pace of the energetic dog, and the sound of the river.
There is an exercise called 5 senses. When you are doing an activity go through all of your senses and try to identify what you can see, feel, hear, smell, and taste. Want to make it a little harder? Try 5 things you see, 4 things you feel, 3 things you hear and so on.
This and similar activities will help you to stay in the present more. It can help calm down your mind and reduce stress. You can’t fail at this activity unless you don’t try and will get distracted but what matters is that you recognize your mind wandered and work your way back to focusing on the present. You can do this. If you are interested in learning more bring this up in session.