This post is for you if you belong to the camp of people who think you “should” meditate or engage in some kind of mindfulness practice and a) you don’t have time or b) it doesn’t “work”.

 

Scan your thoughts and see if you can identify with any of the following:

Mindfulness takes too long.  I have stuff to do.

I’ve tried practicing mindfulness and it doesn’t work.

I just want to feel happy.  Why does this take so much effort?

I don’t have time to help myself.

I don’t have time for self-care.

I’m not the kind of person who can sit still.

I just can’t focus when I try to practice mindfulness.

My mind is going 100 miles a minute.  What a waste of time.

 

The point of practicing mindfulness is not to fix you, nor is it to control your thoughts or solve the problems in your life. The point of mindfulness is simply to bring your attention to what is happening right here and now; there really is no other agenda.  So the first thing you can do to help yourself is untangle from the idea that mindfulness can “fix” you or that you can use it to stop or  control your thoughts. 

 

Practicing mindfulness does not have to take long, and you do not even have to be in a good head space to do it.  There are a ton of mindfulness skills you can easily learn which are so convenient and portable that you can pull them out of your back pocket whenever.  In just moments, you can be immersed in mindfulness without anyone around you knowing.

 

There are basically three parts to any mindfulness exercise: 1) Notice X. 2) Let go of your thoughts. 3) Let your feelings be.  That’s it.  Try the following three exercises, each of which take mere minutes.

 

1. Most of us log a decent amount of time in our vehicles so why not take advantage of a couple of minutes of your drive? As you are driving, feel the bumps on your steering wheel.  Notice your thoughts.  Let your feelings be.  Keep gently bringing your attention back to the bumps on the steering wheel.

 

2. Set a timer for three minutes. Put your hands on your belly and inflate it like a balloon.  Hold it inflated for a couple of seconds and then slowly breathe out, deflating the balloon.  Notice your thoughts.  Let your feelings be.  Keep gently bringing the attention back to your belly breathing.

 

3. Pick one activity that takes under 3 minutes. Some examples are: make yourself a coffee, organize the top of your desk, fold the laundry, brush your teeth, soap yourself in the shower, cut apple slices.  Perform the activity more slowly than you usually would.  Notice your thoughts.  Let your feelings be.  Keep bringing your attention back to the activity at hand. 

 

Keep in mind that honing mindfulness is a skill, and skills take repetition and practice to feel comfortable with and achieve mastery.  Practice these "pocket skills" regularly.  Do not get fancy.  With repetition, you may find yourself returning more and more easily to a baseline of presence and calm in many areas of your life. 

 

Until next time,

 

 

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