21 Dec 2023
At the Summer 2023 NAEO conference in London I asked delegates to fill in a survey. One of the questions was “what help would you like with Mindfulness”? A common response was “Finding time to do it”. So here are a few ways you might work on that.
We are all agreed that practising Mindfulness is beneficial to our Mind, Body and Spirit though you might feel you need a reminder to make it a regular practice.
Doing something regularly is key, until it gets part of a new routine and becomes a habit. We are told it takes 28 days of repeatedly doing a new ‘thing’ for it become a part of our day. I would say the number of days do not matter. What is more important is our Intention to change, or our Intention to ‘do different’.
Ask yourself 2 key questions. They are questions which might well get in the way of you ‘doing’ Mindfulness:
- What do I want Mindfulness to help me with?
- How much do I really want to make Mindfulness part of my new way of Being?
I believe, if something new is going to work for us, we really have to want it.
Think of anything you want to eat or drink. It’s no effort at all to remember to buy it, to find it in the cupboard and eat it.
If we are clear on what we want from Mindfulness before we start, then ‘finding time’ for it really should not be a problem. If it is on our radar, we are geared up to do it, and more importantly, we want the end result that this new activity will bring us.
Harsh as it might sound, if we find ourselves saying “I’ve no time for it’ or announcing “when do I have time to fit that in?”, then really, these are excuses or get-out statements.
That said, making Mindfulness part of our day is not hard, if we tweak what we do and how we do it.
Let us look at a few benefits we might expect, if we DO make the effort to schedule in a spot of Mindful Practice:
- Slowing down
- Sitting in the quiet
- Taking some space to slow down
- Enjoying some time in nature
- Being still with our thoughts
- Giving ourselves some ‘me’ time
- Noticing how we are interacting with life
- Become more aware of how we keep thoughts and energies locked in
Any one of these (or a mixture) may look appealing to you. If that is the case, look into how you might spend some time with yourself.
Working in prison, I see many who resist quiet. And I understand that being alone with ourselves and our thoughts can be too much.
Not to worry, if you feel that. Take a softer gentler option if you feel this Quiet malarkey is for others, and has no place in your busy lifestyle (but maybe that’s just the point, after all!)
But please do allow yourself the time to just BE.
- Without noise, or interruption
- Without having to do anything or be anywhere
- Without the need to think of anything except how you ARE In the Moment
That’s the essence of Mindfulness. Being Present. Noticing. Take a Pause when you Need To. Being Non-Judgemental to yourself and others. Allowing. Taking the path of less Resistance so you practice being ‘in flow’.
If you find you’re resisting making time for Mindfulness then really that’s Lesson #1.
When you are ready, you’ll find you have The Intention to find how you might include some calm space (and other Mindful aspects) into your day.
Let us look at some ways of merging possible Mindful actions into things you already do.
Slowing Down
- When things get overwhelming, take some space
- That could be a walk down the road or time in the great outdoors
- Calm your breathing and become aware of how your breath moves in and around your body
Notice
- Notice things around you
- How does the inside of your body look and feel? Notice any aches and pains, or where you are hanging onto feelings
- Do a quick Check In around the inside of your body. Release any tension and start seeing things look lighter and brighter
- You might do this in the morning when you wake, to be ready for the day ahead! Once you get used to doing it, it can only take a minute or two.
Sitting in the Quiet
- Tell the family you’re having some quiet time and turn off distractions
- Step away from any overwhelm and allow yourself a quick ‘Mindful 5’ or Meditation
- Buy yourself a nice journal and get your thoughts down and out of your head
Mindfulness practice should not be a chore or something you feel you have to ‘fit in’.
If you feel you need a reminder, set an alarm on your phone, or calendar or check out the Mindful phone apps available.
Whatever you go for, do it because you want to enjoy the benefits Mindfulness can bring you.
Love and light,
Geraldine
Get your one page cheatsheet at https://geraldine-jozefiak. com/time-for-mindfulness
Want to share Mindfulness with your Exam Students? I’ve 2 new Exam Resilience day workshops –a Thought Leader workshop for Teachers and an Exam Resilience workshop for Students
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