Your alarm goes off at 6 AM and immediately your to-do list flashes through your mind. Before brushing your teeth you check your phone for important emails and updates. While putting on your mascara your mind jumps ahead to your noon appointment. At breakfast you rehearse what you are going to say, anticipate objections, and the entire meeting runs through your mind, over and over again. “It’s going to be a long day,” you think to yourself and it’s only 7:30 AM. Sound familiar?
This kind of mental projection is time consuming, unproductive, and exhausting. But you can train yourself and your mind to be present, productive, and supportive with these four easy and effective mindfulness techniques.
1. Accept that thinking is inevitable: Over thinking is not the cause of an unproductive mind, allowing yourself to be distracted by your thoughts is the problem.
All of your power, energy, and resourcefulness exist NOW, in this moment. Allowing yourself to be distracted by your thoughts is like removing the plug from the wall and wondering why the lamp doesn’t turn on. When you take your attention away from your source of power, the present moment, you feel depleted.
Accepting that the process of thinking is normal and natural is the first step in retraining your mind and your attention. Acceptance is the first step in gaining control.
2. Train your mind with gentle repetition: Lack of focus is a habit. No matter what your personality type, genetic predisposition, or up-bringing you can re-train your mind with gentle and consistent repetition.
Just by noticing that your attention has wandered during a client meeting or phone call, immediately reconnects you to the present moment.
Watching the mind is the essence of mindfulness practice. The more you notice or watch your mind when it wanders the more focus you create for yourself.
3. Refocus on the present moment: When you find that your attention has wandered toward a future event, ask yourself one of two questions: “Is that happening now?” or “Do I need to think about that now?” Unless it is something that needs your immediate attention, the answer is, “No, that is not happening now” or “No, I do not need to think about that right now.” Repeat the question until you feel your attention settling back to the present moment.
4. Take three deep breaths, three times a day: Deep conscious breathing takes focus and it is a wonderful way to train your mind to be present. If you need to, set your calendar on your phone to alert you to “take three deep breaths.” This technique feels really good especially when you’ve been holding your breath for most of the day.
Your mind is your greatest ally to creating success in all areas of your life. Use these steps to gain control of your attention and create a mental environment is productive, energetic, and successful and you will be too.
Guest Writer – Krista Magidson
Krista Magidson has been teaching people how to enrich their lives with guided meditation, visualization, relaxation, and mindfulness techniques since 2001. She is the author of three guided meditation CD’s including, “Guided Meditation for Relaxation and Inner Peace.” Presently, she is the meditation instructor at the Redondo Beach Center for Spiritual Living, Director, Board of Trustees Redondo Beach Center for Spiritual Living, co-founder of Sanctuary of Peace Ministries, and co-chair for the Peace Makers Gathering and Unity Breakfast. She has been happily married since 1997 and is the mother of two children. She earned a B.S. in Business Administration and a certificate of Religious Studies, both from CSU Long Beach.