“I’m never going to get through it all!”
“I’ve too much to do but I’m too tired to do half of it.”
“I want to sleep until spring!”
It’s not just that Christmas is coming… this feeling that there’s too much to do (or worry about) is often with us the whole year round. A sense of overwhelm can feed anxiety and exhaust us.
This isn’t a blog about prioritising, being more productive and better organised. We’re not looking for streamlined solutions. In fact, you may find that your rational, problem-solving approach makes you feel worse when you’re overwhelmed.
What you need is some space, a chance to press the pause button. Here are four simple, mindful hacks that might allow us to find that space to respond more skilfully in our busy lives.
So… this is not a to do list (PS the questions are delivered in the spirit of genuine inquiry; they're not a test)
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Listen differently
This may sound counter intuitive but try it. When you’re having a conversation, focus 50 or 60% of your attention on the other person and the rest of your attention on your body. Notice any sensations that arise, whether they’re pleasant or not and see if you can just be with them.
Let go of the need to plan a response...
note the urge to talk and
refocus on listening to them.
See if it’s possible to rest your attention in this way. What difference does this type of listening make to the next thing that you do or say?
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Hands down
Drop your hands palms down onto your lap or the desk/table and immediately follow by dropping attentioninto your hands and say silently to yourself,
“Here I am.”
Pay full attention to all the sensations in your fingers, thumbs, palms and backs of hands, repeating “Here I am,” to yourself in a kindly way. If you like, extend awareness to the rest of your body, becoming aware of what’s here right now; let your shoulders drop, too, and experiment with bringing a slight smile to your lips. What's happened to your mood, your thinking, your body?
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Finding your ground
Stand up, if you are able, and direct awareness to your feet, especially the soles of your feet. Maybe rock backwards and forwards a little and find your balance. If you have to stay seated, focus on your seat - your sit bones and buttocks.
Whether it’s feet or seat, explore physical sensations – weight, pressure, feelings inside the body.
At the same time, you might take 3 deliberate breaths in and out if you choose, counting 6 to breathe in and 8 to breathe out. Has anything changed?
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Mindful Steps
Every time you go to the bathroom, drop your attention into your feet and legs as you walk. You might slow down a little and say silently to yourself, “Coming home to this moment.”
See if it’s possible to synchronise words and steps: one step, one word.
Another challenge might be to see how many steps you take to breathe in and how many you take to breathe out. How does it feel to slow down?
Try these for a week, finding which work best for you in any given situation.You could just focus on one each day and then on the fifth day use all four. Experiment. All of them should be possible in a busy work environment with other people around as well as at home. Let me know how you get on with these via the Contacts page. I’d love to know what does and doesn’t work for you.
