Moments of Mindfulness….
Hi There,
Thanks to my growth mindset, seldom do I facilitate a virtual workshop without learning a great lesson myself. This week’s work was no exception. My mission was to support the wellness and effectiveness of a group of driven professionals who take ownership of their work and are constantly expected to perform at their best, no matter the circumstance.
During the final session of the series, participants discovered how to anchor mindfulness techniques and practices into their workdays. But they soon learned that it takes more than just the willingness and commitment to successfully embed such Moments of Mindfulness (MOMs).
One comment in the chat box left me intrigued. Gina wrote, “We all understood the importance of incorporating these practices, but it can be hard to put them into action.” That is true! These seemingly simplistic grounding moments require a thoughtful strategy. It’s the act of remembering to come to the present that is the tough part, as many of us struggle to keep pace with the corporate hamster wheel. We are perpetually rushing from what we’ve finished to what’s next. Therefore, the present evades our attention.
Then there’s another aspect of mindfulness that needs to be recognized: “How could a minute here and 10 seconds there actually change anything?” The beauty of mindfulness is that it doesn’t take a lot of time.
Over the following days, as I marinated on these two realities, I devised a reframe opportunity to the sentiment of “hard and worth it”. It’s called, “What do you have to lose” from practicing a couple of these MOMs?:
To practice presence & focus, and build emotional resilience:
• Taking 3 breaths before an interaction or “high stakes” work to define your focus.
• Stopping for a moment to literally smell the flowers, or the coffee or tea, or even the muffin, and giving a nod of appreciation to aromas.
To support your mental resilience:
• Setting an alarm to remind yourself to take a 3-minute break every hour. • Gazing at the horizon for 30 seconds.
• Packing snacks that are considered brain foods to enjoy during a mid-afternoon energetic lull.
To support your spiritual resilience:
• FEELING a loved one’s smile reverberate within you the next time he or she sends you one.
• Starting a gratitude practice.
There’s ZERO downside to employing tiny tactics to remind yourself to appreciate your environment or breathing to center your nervous system and focus your attention. The bonuses are the benefits derived from greater mindfulness!
What one mindfulness practice listed would you be most inspired to anchor into your day?
Cheers!
-Deborah
Deborah Goldstein
DRIVEN Professionals / Forbes / Linkedin
info@drivenpros.com | LinkedIn
DRIVEN Professionals, 35 Adrienne Lane, Garrison, NY 10524