Feeling Stressed? Try Taking a Mindfulness Break!
Stress affects all of us. No one is immune, especially during a global pandemic. In fact, new research finds adults in the U.S. are feeling their highest levels of stress since the pandemic began. And if you are a wellness professional, educator, or parent, you may spend a lot of your time focused on caring for other people rather than focusing on your own mental health.
Whether you’re easily agitated, feeling overwhelmed, or having difficulty quieting your mind, incorporating a brief mindfulness practice to your day can help. Before you say you don’t have time, we’re talking about as little as 30 seconds up to 3 minutes a day.
When a lot of people think about mindfulness or meditation, they think about sitting on a cushion in a serene place without any distractions. While that may sound lovely (or not depending on your opinion), mindfulness doesn’t have to look that way. These mindfulness exercises can easily be done when you wake up, in between appointments or classes, before bed, or wherever you are feeling stressed.
Pause and Breathe Before You Hit Send
One technique you can use to manage stress doesn’t require you to sit in any particular way or even close your eyes if you don’t want to. When you are getting inundated with emails or texts, whether business-related or personal, take a moment after you’ve written your reply and pause before you hit send. Then take a few slow, deep breaths. Notice how you are feeling mentally and physically. Notice any sensations you feel in your body. You don’t have to name these feelings or find the perfect word to describe them, simply notice what’s happening in the present moment. See if you can pay attention to your actual experience instead of rushing to get to the next task. After a few breaths or whenever you’re ready, then hit send. You can even try doing this a few times throughout the day.
Make Yourself a Cup of Tea
If you enjoy drinking tea, you can use this time to practice mindfulness with an emphasis on focus. Begin by observing the teacup, notice its color and shape. Place your hands around the cup and feel its warmth. Enjoy the smell of the tea for a few seconds. Lift the cup, take a sip, and taste the tea. See if you can try to be more fully present just with this one activity. If you don’t enjoy drinking tea, you can choose an activity that you do each day that doesn’t take a lot of time like brushing your teeth or doing the dishes. As you do this activity, try to complete the chore with your full attention. What do you see? What do you feel? What are you thinking? Bring your awareness to the direct experience, stepping out of automatic pilot and connecting to the present moment.
Take a Mindful Walk
Since walking is something we normally do without thinking, it can literally be a step-by-step way to learn how to be mindful. And it can be done anywhere– in your home, office, classroom or neighborhood. Bring your attention to your feet and feel them. Then begin to walk. You can start slowly or walk at your normal pace (if you’re in a public space you may not want to slow down). Feel your feet touching the ground. Let your attention rest on the sensations of your feet and your legs as you lift them up and then place them back down on the ground. What do you notice? What happens if you breathe in as you take one step and breathe out as you take the next step? If you notice your mind wandering, it’s natural. When you recognize it, bring your attention back to your feet and begin again.
Practicing mindfulness can help you recognize your thoughts and give you time to pause before immediately reacting to situations. The practice can facilitate a switch from your “doing” mode, which is often associated with action and the stress response, to your “being” mode, which is associated with the relaxation response. In our next blog post, we’ll explore some mindfulness exercises for you to share with the young people in your life.