Wake up! The buzz of the alarm, the hum of the television, the beeps of text messages, the dogs barking, the family chatting, the mental “to do” list for the day and you are off: to work, to school, to daycare, to Duluth for the day.
During this morning routine, many people feel rushed and frantic as the clock ticks closer and closer to the designated time, a constant reminder that you are late. What if you could take a step back from this daily grind and become present in at least one of the tasks you do in the morning? The idea of being present, also called mindfulness, is the concept of having focused attention on the here and now, not thinking about the past or future.
Mindfulness is also about noticing what is going on around you moment to moment, without judgment of what is good or bad. When picking a task— brushing your teeth, eating breakfast, making the bed or any other task you do— how present can you be? How is it different from doing the task in the first place?
Outwardly, this task may look the same. The difference is the focused attention on the task, namely being fully involved in what you are doing, and upon completion, letting it go and moving on. If you were to practice mindfulness while brushing your teeth, initially you may notice that your thoughts may wander—you are also walking around the house picking up an article of clothing or getting the dog water. Instead, while brushing your teeth, do just that. Brush your teeth and notice. Can your thoughts be on that present task? Can you resist the urge to not think about anything else besides brushing your teeth?
Another place to practice mindfulness is in the conversations we have with one another. While talking with others, how focused can you be on what that person is saying, instead of thinking about what you are going to say in return? How often do you want to be heard instead of listening? When your thoughts drift to what you might say in return, gently draw yourself back to the person talking. Doing so is a reminder that what that person says is important. In this society of texting and answering phone calls, how often are we having multiple conversations at once?
It is so easy to slip into the busyness mindset. We engage our mind in gossip, events, things we cannot control, but we lose focus of the momentto moment interactions, being present. A simple way to practice mindfulness is to take a set amount of time from the day, five minutes, maybe ten, and dedicate it to being fully present during that time.
Each month a mental health therapist will discuss an area of mental health. This week’s contributor is Kelly J. Senty, M.A. in Counseling Psychology, with Steps of Change.
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