10 Things at the same time. ALl the time.

I need a lesson in mindfulness.

Today we’re talking mindfulness. Sounds airy fairy to a lot of people (and therefore not immediately attractive), but it is absolutely not. I understand that you probably want to walk away when I start telling you that mindfulness is to do with ‘attention training’, ‘staying in the present’, ‘being aware without judging’ and ‘accepting for what it is’, but please stay and keep reading.

What is mindfulness?

Mindfulness is being aware of what you experience. If you’re spreading peanut butter onto a rice cracker to eat while checking your emails, you’re not being mindful. You won’t notice the smell of the peanut butter, you won’t taste what you’re eating and it’ll be finished before you know it. Lunch at the office is pretty much the same. I dish salad on to my plate, butter a cracker, talk to my colleagues, scroll through Instagram, take a look at Facebook…Anything but mindful.

A little test

I showed this video to Liesbeth. You should watch it too.

Done? The video was 3 minutes long. I think that Lies reached for her telephone after just a minute. She was shocked. How quickly does your attention wander even though the video is exactly about not doing that?

Does everyone do this?

God, the world would be so much more chilled if we paid a little more attention to each other and to ourselves. Because that’s what it is. Allow yourself to have more rest and get rid of the unsettled feelings (which we have 24/7 right?). Try to focus on one thing at a time. Not on everything at the same time. While writing this post, I did the following:

• Remembered that I needed to register for a lesson with my trainer. So I did that.
• Checked Instagram.
• Sent a (unnecessary) Whats’App.
• Found a cool food site while researching mindfulness, so checked it out.

 Find peace In three minutes

I’m going to give you a lesson in mindfulness that can be done anywhere. Behind your desk, on the couch, even on the toilet, in the train, wherever. It takes three minutes. I’m curious if you will manage. It works really well for stress moment or if you simply do not know where to start. Everyone can use it.

• Sit straight up, close your eyes and ask yourself the following: What am I feeling at this moment? What thoughts are going through my body and what do I feel?
• Bring your attention to your breathing. Take a deep breath and exhale slowly. Your breathing can help to relax you and give you a moment for yourself. Keep your eyes closed though okay.

This is the exercise to help you calm down. Your focus should totally be on your breathing and your body. You can also do it to music. I love that. Close your eyes and breathe in and out a few times. It might feel strange because you don’t usually do it and because you’ll be at one with yourself. Sorry about the dreamy description, but I don’t know how else to explain it.

You could also download the app Headspace. The VGZ mindfulness app is also a good one. Take it seriously and allow yourself the time and space to find some peace. If I can do it, so can you.