We all have struggles, challenges and issues that are on our mind. Previously being in an office or going to a client meeting put us in the present moment. Providing bookending, the mental starts and stops to certain activities, like the morning commute, meeting time, the evening commute, etc. The effect of being geared up and geared down that we used to have in our day. Being alone together and being the energy of others.
Many of us are experiencing distraction and having to multi-task without having breaks in between. I was reminded of this through Steve's open and honest blog on home schooling (The rambles of a home schooling parent). I would suggest that multi-tasking is the opposite of mindful.
I wanted to share some of the techniques that have helped me. One of them is being aware of your senses in the present moment. It made me think of some personal examples. I have a cockerel that's sings or crows – in a daily cycle. Almost all animals have daily cycles of activity, circadian rhythms. Whilst working from home I'm benefiting from following my own circadian rhythm. Similarly I’ve added an essential oil diffuser to diffuse ‘energy high’ and ‘mind clear’ into my space to help with gearing up and down.
The practice I’ve introduced to refresh my work life balance is to be more mindful.
My journey to mindfulness started from reading a short book called Behind the Mask by Andre Funnel, that put me in touch with my true values.
From there I began to practice positive thinking and taught myself to be mindfully present, become aware of the senses around (such as sound and smell)
Mindfulness is not just about meditating with candles and setting time aside, it is about being in control of our minds to better manage our challenges and difficulties.
We all have the cognitive capacity to be in control of our mind and find a balance that works for us, through positive thinking in the present moment.
