Today we are going to talk about mindfulness. For many people, that sounds a bit airy-fairy (which is why it’s not immediately appealing), but it absolutely is not. And I understand that you might quickly tune out when I say that mindfulness has to do with ‘attention training’, ‘being present in the here and now’, ‘awareness without judgment’, and ‘acceptance of what is’, but please keep reading.
What is mindfulness?
Mindfulness is being consciously engaged with what you are experiencing. If you are spreading and eating a rice cake with peanut butter while checking your email, you are not being mindful at all. You don’t smell the peanut butter, you don’t taste what you are actually eating, and before you know it, it’s gone. During lunch here at the editorial office, the same thing happens. I serve myself salad, I spread a cracker, I chat with my colleagues, scroll a bit through my Instagram feed, then I check if there’s something funny on Facebook... Everything but mindfulness.
A little test
I recently showed Liesbeth this video. Just watch it first.
Ready? The video lasts 3 minutes. I think Lies grabbed her phone again after a minute. She was shocked by how quickly she lost her attention, and the video is about how you should not do that.
Does everyone have this?
God, how much more relaxed the world would be if we paid more attention to each other and especially to ourselves. Because that’s what it is too. Give yourself a bit more rest and remove that unrest from your body (because we actually have that 24/7, right?). Always try to focus on one thing. Not everything at once. While writing this post, I also did this:
It occurred to me that I still needed to sign up for a lesson with my trainer. So I did that.
I checked Instagram.
I have sent a (pointless) message. While researching mindfulness, I came across a nice site about food, so I lingered there for a bit.
In three minutes to calm.
I’m going to give you a mindfulness lesson that you can do anywhere. At your desk, on the couch, even in the toilet, on the train, you name it. It only takes three minutes. I’m curious if you can do it. This works really well in stressful moments when you don’t know where to start. I think everyone can use this.
Sit up straight, close your eyes, and ask yourself: What do you feel at this moment? What thoughts are going through your body and what do you feel exactly?.
Then bring your full attention to your breathing. Take a deep breath and slowly exhale. Your breathing can help you relax and give you a moment for yourself. Keep your eyes closed, okay?
This is an exercise that can make you feel very calm. You focus entirely on your breathing and your body. You can also do the same with music in your ears. I always find that very pleasant. Close your eyes again and take a few deep breaths in and out. It probably feels very strange because you never do it and feel that you are completely 'one with yourself'. Sorry for that airy-fairy description, but I don’t know how else to explain it.
