3 'No Time' Mindfulness Challenges
If you’ve had ‘Starting a Mindfulness Practice’ sitting on your to-do list since January 2020, you’re not alone.
As we approach the Thanksgiving and holiday season, plus another shelter in place order here in Illinois, we could all use a bit more mindfulness. But, who has the time to add anything more to their chaotic schedule?
Tina Shrader offers 3 challenges to kickstart your mindfulness practice that take zero extra time to fit into your schedule.
3 ‘No Time’ Mindfulness Challenges
Limit Multitasking
Identify an area that you are often finding yourself multitasking, and commit to staying present during that time or task
Maybe you are using your lunch time during the work week to catch up on emails or the news. Try to eliminate that distraction and practice mindfulness of really enjoying your meal.
Relishing Silence
If you are lucky to find a few minutes of silence in your house full of your family…. ALL THE TIME… consider yourself lucky! Resist the urge to fill that silence with productivity, and instead offer yourself the rest (and hopefully peace) that comes with a few minutes of silence. Your mental laundry list, the tv, the news, music, and the new podcast that came out today can wait. Take a deep breath and give your ears and mind a break.
Whole Body Listening
Catch yourself falling into the bad habit of half-ass-listening. You may notice yourself replying with “mmhmm,” “yup.” or even exclamation marks that don’t need to be there- all as a way of trying to seem more interested or attentive. Commit to practicing full body listening at one part of your day, possibly dinner or evening time when everyone is around.
A quick tip to help you turn on your listening ears- try to envision whoever you are listening to within all the many systems they are a part of. Keeping in mind the many forces that may be impacting their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors will help you listen with more empathy.