Our world of work is filled with deadlines. We find ourselves multi-tasking and dealing with competing priorities simultaneously. Juggling our work has become an art form… but has often led us to experience high levels of stress and anxiety.
I’m glad to see the growing interest and commitment in the corporate sector to support and increase employee health and well-being through the practice of mindfulness. Mindfulness is not a new concept. It is one of the oldest practices which can include mediation and being present to ‘the now’.
I consciously practice ‘being present’ and find that this keeps me positive and generally happy and optimistic with and in life.
It was through a combination of studying and practising lessons from NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) and reading Eckhart Tolle (“The Power of Now”) that changed my view of the world and started a journey of self-development.
The main 3 lessons I learned are:
1. Reality in itself is neutral. We create our experiences through our interpretation of reality, which in turn, drives our thinking and our behaviours.
2. The future has yet to happen, and you can't change the past. Plan for the future, but live in the NOW. Many of the negative things we create in our minds stem from fear, and most will never happen.
3. Life is a journey, enjoy the experiences that life offers rather than becoming obsessed with the end goal or what everyone else thinks.
So if you find that you are struggling or feeling overwhelmed by life, your work and your family, try one or more of my top tips to ground yourself and bring some ‘breathing space’ back into your life, rediscovering the joy of simply ‘being’.
In today’s rush, we all think too much — seek too much — want too much — and forget about the joy of just being
~Eckhart Tolle
12 Ways to Bring Joy Back into Your Life
Wake up 10 minutes early each morning and slowly wake up, connecting with your breath while still in bed.
During your morning preparing for work, find a minute to pause and look out of the window to greet the day, declare that it is a beautiful day – irreverent of the weather, and smile.
Create the intention you want for the day for yourself. A simple statement such as “Today I will be more focused, be open to new ideas and be friendly’. Have different intentions each day and see what happens when you consciously choose how you wish to ‘be’ for the day.
Count Your Blessings - Enjoy your day deliberately – find something positive in the things that you and others do. When feeling stressed, stop and breathe, look up at the sky to shift your focus, and count 3 blessings in your life.
Be grateful, say thank you and take the time to smile and make eye contact with the other person.
Step Outside Your Thoughts And Notice Your Surroundings - Enjoy nature, look up at the sky, beyond the buildings and notice the trees, the sound of birds, and the breeze. Take 3 deep breaths and enjoy the moment.
Looking Within And Loving Yourself - Look and notice your physical body. Look and marvel at your body; hands, arms, legs, face. Accept and be grateful for life.
Feel your breath – find calmness. Feel the wind on your skin, the ground beneath your feet.
Engaging Others With Increased EQ - Pay full attention to those around you – without judgment. Take a step back, listen to their words and watch their body language, sense their emotions and set aside any judgements. See each other as fellow human beings and have compassion and accept differences.
Effective Outcomes - Stop for a moment before you enter a meeting or business conversation to focus and create the outcome you want – by setting the intention, you are more likely to achieve what you need instead of operating on auto-pilot.
Unwind - Before you go to sleep, spend 30 mins unwinding by listening to some calming music or meditating. There are many free apps available that will take you on a guided meditation exercise. If you have busy thoughts in your mind, write them down so you can leave them to the next day.
Be compassionate to yourself and others for not being perfect – it’s okay.
Be content with what you have;
Rejoice in the way things are.
When you realise there is nothing lacking,
The whole world belongs to you.
-Lao Tzu