- Is work driving you insane?
- Do you feel pressured by money?
- Do screaming children drive you nuts?
- Maybe someone just cut you up in the traffic…..
If you’re slowly going insane, take a few quiet moments a day to practice mindfulness exercises.
Just 1 Minute of Mindfulness Per Day…
A mindfulness exercise can start with simply sitting down, relaxing and breathing deeply through your nose. Close your eyes and focus on your breath going in and out. After a few minutes, move your attention to your body, one part at a time, noting sensations of cold, hot, tight, soreness and anything else you identify. In a few minutes, start listening to sounds in the room, without thinking about them. Just listen.
When it feels right, open your eyes and look around as if you are seeing for the first time. Rest your eyes on an object for half a minute, examining it without talking about it in your mind. Then move to another object, and another, while still maintaining an awareness of your body, your breathing, and any sounds that come your way. Stay in this state of mindfulness until you are ready to get up.
Being aware of your body, breath and immediate environment, puts you fully “in the moment.” Your mind will be in a very receptive state, with fewer mental distractions that prevent clear thinking.
Trouble Sitting Still?
If just sitting still seems a bit hard at first, why not use an object to help focus your concentration and clear your mind. Start off the same as above. Find a quiet place, sit down and start breathing deeply through your nose. However, instead of closing your eyes, focus on a common object that you would never consider thinking about before such as a flower, computer mouse, cup or piece of paper. Hold that item in your hand and intensively state at it. Don’t just stare and glaze over it, concentrate on it and look for things you’ve never noticed about it before. If it’s a piece of paper, does it have folds, is it dirty, what type of texture does it have?
While your concentrating on the intricacies of the object, put yourself fully “in the moment.”
Doing a mindfulness exercise before important mental tasks will give you greater mind power, specifically more focus, clarity and concentration. Check out these mindfulness meditations that will help you increase your mindfulness meditation on a daily basis. Remember, just a minute or two a day can make a massive difference to your well-being.
I applaud this very practical post – it could literally save a person’s life. In my life I’ve experienced many times that a minute of mindfulness makes an amazing difference in the choices I make, and the things that I do as a result. Also, I’ve seen such results in the lives of my psychotherapy clients.
You’re so right to emphasize the notion of a minute of mindfulness a day. Sometimes, when a person feels they can do more than that, the one minute of mindfulness becomes more than enough.
Many thanks for this post.
Daly
Thank you for your support Daly, I truly believe that a moment of clarity can bring a lifetime of positive change.
I love this and would love to use it in my first ezine of 2012. (I am late getting it out because I started the year with jury duty and everything is behind.)
My readers would love this mindfulness information and as a matter of fact, I need it too!
I will include a link to your site.
Please check out my site at http://www.dianafletcher.com
I am a stress-reducing expert leaving my life coaching business and concentrating on writing.
Thanks for sharing this!
Diana
P.S. Let me know if you don’t want me to use this for any reason!
Hi Diana, happy new year! please feel free to use the post you want. Thank you for reading! I will head over and check out your site.
Thanks! I will send it out this week and give people this link to comment and learn more about you. Happy New Year! Diana