Hustle and Bustle: How to Stay Mindful in a Busy World
In today’s day and age, it seems that the mark of a successful entrepreneur or an individual who has their “shit together” is being swept up in the tides of a busy schedule. Even though being busy may be approved of by others, it can tend to leave us neglecting our very simple need to recharge and re-center. While the feelings of productivity that come with being busy are certainly real, so too are the feelings of emptiness that come from neglecting our primal needs for spiritual groundedness. So, how can these needs be met within the confines of a busy schedule?
Mindfulness has long been a spiritual practice of becoming present with oneself and has recently become the target of trend-setters and tabloids reaching out to those striving for success, but implementing this practice into one’s life can seem futile in the wake of endless responsibilities.
Throughout this discussion, we will assess the normality of a busy schedule and its detrimental effects on our psyche, the differences between mindfulness and meditation, and how you can integrate mindfulness into your life of task-after-task-after-task.
Busier is “Better”
Whenever you run into an old friend and begin the exchange of measuring each other’s external circumstances, we almost always praise one another for being “busy.” For some reason, being busy is like the acquisition and flaunting of the gold stars received in elementary school.
What if this busy-little-bee mentality and showmanship is actually not as great for our internal being as it seems to be on the outside? There is nothing wrong with focusing on one’s career, fulfilling one’s dreams, or achieving a certain level of success that one has always sought after, however, when we allow these things to become our primary focal point, our internal health and equilibrium can fall to the wayside and render us ungrounded and unfulfilled.
Mindfulness vs. Meditation
Despite the numerous studies that have found countless benefits in both mindfulness and meditation practices, many people still believe that they simply don’t have the time to implement these beneficial processes in their daily lives. With the meetings, the assignments, the long hours and the compounding stress and angst, it seems nearly impossible to make time for anything, let alone mindfulness and meditation.
Considering this lack of time for formal practice, many people might simply put the thought of such practices out of their mind and continue on with what they are doing. This may work for a while, but after some time it will be necessary to become reacquainted with yourself and get in touch with the inner you that yearns for your attention and nourishment.
While meditation is a practice that typically requires one to set aside time and cultivate an environment for optimal effect, mindfulness is a simple practice of self-awareness and presence that can be integrated and implemented into any schedule and time-frame.
“Too Busy?” — Take Mindfulness with You on the Go!
If you are concerned that your schedule simply does not allow you the freedom to practice meditation, there are various ways you can practice mindfulness while you are on the go so that you can keep your productivity high and your psychological health at its best.
Bring it Back to the Body
A sure-fire way of centering and grounding oneself is to bring one’s awareness back to the physical body.
If you sit in front of a computer all day like I do, sometimes all it takes is closing your eyes and doing some quick deep-breathing exercises. Now, I’m not telling you to take a tiger snooze (unless that if that is what you need in the moment), but taking your attention away from the all the wear and tear of your daily tasks and redirecting your attention to your breathing is an easy and effective way of bringing yourself back to square one.
To practice heightened awareness with your breathing, breathe from your diaphragm (your belly) instead of your shoulders. As we age, we tend to move our breathing from our bellies to our chest and shoulders; however, breathing from the diaphragm promotes deep relaxation and stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, which helps to relieve excess stress.
Mindful Eating
When you are enjoying any of your meals or snacks throughout the day, take the time to be in the moment as you eat. Feel the texture of the food, smell the aromas wafting up from it, notice the way it tastes and how it makes your body feel. Being present as you eat is a sensory experience that will induce great clarity and appreciation for the many bounties you have the opportunities to enjoy in your life.
Mindful Strolling
Whether you are walking to your place of work, a nearby coffee shop for a pick-me-up, or going on a little sunshine stroll to clear your head, walking is a great activity for practicing mindfulness.
As you are walking, direct your awareness to the sensation of your feet on the pavement, grass, or dirt beneath you. Hear the “clomping” of your shoes on the ground, the rustling of the leaves crunching under your feet, and allow yourself the courtesy of gratitude and appreciation for such simple motion.
Mindful Observation
Observing your surroundings with a mindful eye is another great way of inducing presence. Take a moment away from it all to give your full attention to something around you, and allow yourself to look at it in a way that you perhaps haven’t before.
Whether it be a pencil, a chair or a tree just outside the window, allow yourself to really see whatever it is you are directing your attention toward. Look at the way the branches of the tree dance in the breeze, observe the patterns and grooves in the sides of the pencil or really take a moment to appreciate the simple design of the chair that you sit on every day. You will be amazed at the benefits of simply giving your fullest attention to the seemingly mundane things in your everyday life, and the magic that you find right before your very eyes.
Listen Attentively
More often than not, we listen with the intent to respond, but when we listen with the intent of speaking, we don’t really hear whatever it is the other individual is actually saying. We are only ever listening to our innermost voice and what it is we want to project onto the other.
When you listen with awareness, you listen with fresh ears and a fresh mind that is apart from judgment and preconceived notions. Listening to understand opens one up to learning and connecting with another on a much deeper level, and increases our capacity for growth and connection.
In upholding this perspective of freedom through learning, one will relay fewer judgments and feel less stressed and anxious about the world and others around them. The less negativity that one harbor, the less stress, and anxious one will feel and the less stressed and anxious one feels, the more productive one has the means to be.
Intermittent Breaks to Ground Yourself
If you are always on the go-go-go, you will get swept up in the waves of angst and worry that cripple your creativity and mental clarity. As such, it is of the utmost importance that you take time throughout your day to hang out with yourself and return to your natural state of complete freedom and enjoyment of life.
Taking little 5-10 minute breaks throughout your work day to sit quietly and observe, listen, smell, feel, or think, are great ways to welcome in the magical essence of life that gets washed away by meaningless schedules and same-old routines. Keep your mind fresh, and your reality will seem fresh along with it.
For those who don’t have the luxury and leisure of meditating once or twice a day, mindfulness is the next best thing. Mindfulness is to fast food as meditation is to a fine-dining experience. Now, this isn’t to say that mindfulness is lesser in quality, so much as a faster means to an end-goal.
So, if you hardly have time for a sit-down meal, you most likely won’t have time for a little meditation session. With that being said, don’t hesitate to incorporate mindfulness practices into your daily regimen to keep yourself grounded, centered, and full of clarity so that you can conquer your everyday tasks with confidence and excitement.