No more missing out!

One of my client’s goals last week was to create more moments of mindfulness in her busy life, to help with feelings of overwhelm and distractability. With mindfulness, instead of feeling like we have to add something NEW to do, on top of our existing pile of responsibilities, we just change the way in which we do something, and then we somehow seem to free up more time.

It doesn’t sound like it makes much sense, but the magic of mindfulness is just simply being in the present moment and noticing all the sights and sensations around and within us. By being present (again, not doing anything new, just differently) our nervous system takes a step back from being ON, from always preparing us for the next thing, and it allows us to see that right now is a safe space to be. Once we can see and believe that, then the constant overwhelm of everyday life starts to quieten down, therefore giving us the feeling of “ooooh, I actually DO have time!!” and “woah, life is pretty beautiful sometimes isn’t it!” 🤩

A great example of everyday mindfulness is if you think about when you’re on holiday (especially if it’s abroad and you don’t have an internet connection!) You usually take more notice of everything around you on holiday. You notice the weird trees, maybe funny-looking insects, you peer down quiet streets and watch people going about their normal, mundane lives with more interest and enthusiasm. It’s like everything is intriguing and colourful when we’re on holiday (sometimes, I suppose it depends on what kind of holidays you have 😉)

On holiday we are more present because we (usually) allow ourselves to tune out from everyday life for a little while to make the most of this new place we’re in. This is absolutely possible whilst going about our day-to-day lives. Yes, it’s possible if you have a full-time job, children, other caring responsibilities, all of the busy things.

Think how many things we probably miss out on every single day because we are too busy or too distracted to see them.

We can implement more mindfulness into our daily lives by just focusing on the seemingly mundane things we have to do. For example:

- Walking from A to B

- Waiting for or taking transport

- Brushing our teeth

- Eating a meal

- Sitting in a boring meeting 😜

All of these times are now so often filled by doing something like watching a reel on Instagram, scrolling online or sending a WhatsApp message. To be more mindful, we simply have to put down the phone (bonus points for turning it off!) and focus on the action at hand.

Tune into all the sensations; what can you see around you? What can you hear, smell, taste? How do you feel in your body?

The focus is always to try to get out of thinking of the next thing, the To-do list and how stressed we feel, and instead just notice the sensations and being present in the here and now.

How about setting yourself a challenge for this weekend? Choose one mundane activity you know you have to do and try doing it mindfully. Notice what comes up for you when you do. Even if it's hard, keep trying. When this becomes a habit, then you’ve mastered the magic and unlocked the tool that mindfulness!

I wish you luck, and love as always,

Nicola