Mindfulness Made Practical
As we go into what will hopefully be the last week of lockdown- how are you feeling?
I feel like its been a roller coaster ride of change- I have some days where I’m astounded at how productive I’ve been. And others, where I can’t concentrate and feel like I go around in circles. I’ve surrendered to that and realised that’s OK, in the middle of what will probably be the biggest shifts and change we see in our lifetimes. There is no one size fits all, in adapting to life during COVID 19.
Last week I wrote that Mindfulness- being fully present has been particularly useful for me during this time. This week I’d like to share 4 techniques to practically become more mindful, in the middle of huge change and uncertainty.
- Stop Multi-tasking
No-one can multi-task- not men or women as is often thought, as our brains are a single processing unit. We are designed to do one thing at a time- if we do more than one thing at a time then we just do 2 things badly. Notice how the quality of driving of the person in front of you in traffic immediately deteriorates when they start to text while they’re driving. I was introduced to the concept of “Deep Work” by Cal Newport in his amazing book, and I’ve found this to be a game-changer for both me and my team. Most of us are in the business of “Shallow work” where we constantly task switch from one task to another and multi-tasking has become the norm. This makes us unproductive and anxious as we’re busy all the time, but not necessarily accomplishing much. While I’m writing this article I’m practicing “Deep work” as I know that I need to focus and this is an important task. I’ve switched off my email notifications so I’m not being yanked around by my mail. Research indicates that even if you don’t open a new mail that pops into your inbox while you’re busy with a presentation or excel spreadsheet, you lose focus for 11 minutes by wondering about the subject line and who sent the mail. You then have to keep coming back to the task at hand, which wastes time. I also have switched my phone to airplane mode so I’m not being distracted by WhatsApp and texts. Deep work ideally should take place once a day for 90 minutes.
The lockdown presents a great opportunity to do Deep Work.
- Breathe/Meditate
Many people practice meditation as a form of mindfulness. I learned TM (Transcendental Meditation) when I was a university student and still practice it to this day. I find it calms me down and improves my focus for the day dramatically. There is a reason Google, Facebook, Apple and LinkedIn are teaching their staff meditation, as they know it improves the quality of your thinking. Our brains get full, and unless you have a way of emptying your brain every day then the quality of your thoughts becomes dull and not as sharp as they could be.
Joni Peddie, my amazing friend, and colleague taught me 4:7:8 breathing where you breathe in through your nose for a count of 4, hold your breath for 7 and breathe out slowly through your mouth for 8. There is a TED talk on 4;7;8 breathing which is really useful to watch, as breathing deeply is a key element in mindful meditation.
- Have barriers around technology
Technology is a huge enabler for all of us, but “Are you the master? Or you are the slave?” Your engagement with technology could be one of those warning red flashing lights on your dashboard I spoke about in my previous article. Are people complaining you’re always on your phone during meals or family time? One of the reasons we are constantly on our device is FOMO- Fear of Missing Out. I’d like to advocate JOMO- the Joy of Missing out as an antidote to FOMO. I’ve been experimenting with a digital detox on a Saturday where I leave my phone in the drawer for most of Saturday. I’ve also noticed how hard it is to “disconnect’ and I’ve also noticed how calm and rested I feel at the end of Saturday.
- Practice Gratitude
I have a gratitude journal that I write in religiously every night. Did you know that 70`% of your thoughts are negative- our brain is designed to protect us- it’s constantly scanning for “What could go wrong?” Your brain is like the Risk officer of your body, so it’s not designed to register and notice happiness and contentment, as neither of those is “perceived threats”. Gratitude has the power to re-wire your brain positively when you consciously notice and record all your blessings. You realise you have a lot to be grateful for.
“If we don’t feel grateful for what we already have, what makes us think we’d be happy with more.”
One of the most poignant quotes I read after Xolani Gwala’s recent death at 44 was
“You have two lives- the second one starts when we realise we only have one life” Xolani Gwala
I wish you presence and gratitude during these challenging times,
Much Love
Helen x
