Be Present Where You Are!
/Have you ever driven your car home and when you arrive you can’t really remember the drive but you somehow still arrived at your destination?
Do you remember when your Mum was giving you one of those ‘Mum lectures’ and at the end of if it you have no idea what she said?
If that’s ever been the case, then you can sum it up by saying that your mind wasn’t present at the time even though your body was. When our minds are full it’s so easy to be distracted by things other than what you’re actually intending to do at the time.
If this does happen when you’re driving then maybe it would be best if you started practicing being present sooner rather than later!
Being present, also known as mindfulness, can bring calm to a stressful day. It can also be an antidote to procrastination or other unproductive times.
Research shows that mindfulness can:
Reduce stress, anxiety and depressive symptoms.
Increase resilience and peace of mind.
Enhance cognitive performance e.g. concentration, memory and processing speed.
Improve study and work performance.
Improve relationships and overall wellbeing.
Mindfulness has become a powerful, evidence-based psychology technique in treating anxiety, depression, OCD, Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSD) and a number of other mental health challenges.
It has also become a technique used in coaching and mentoring as it has been increasingly recognised as an effective practice for not only personal and spiritual benefits but also for all the benefits it brings to the workplace.
If you find that your mind wanders and your days aren’t as productive as you’d like to them to be then check in with yourself to see where your mind is. If it’s not present on where you are, who you’re with or what you’re working on, then put your blinkers on and re-focus. Switch off any distractions and bring your mind back to where it’s meant to be.
Multi-tasking is out and mindfulness is in. Focus on one thing at a time and be safe on that drive home tonight.