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heres a tip , it sounds bizare but it works for me
sit quietly and calmy and think that you are breathing thru your closed eyes. i think its a Buddhist practice. i was reminded of this yestrday when i watched countdown and one contestant started off with 9,9 &8 lettered words , he looked as if he was in a zen like trance
Headspace app
If you want to be guided through the mindfulness journey, try the Headpace app or headspace.com. I've finished the Take 10 course although it took me longer than 10 days as I sometimes forgot to do it or just couldn't fit it in.
Even after just 10 days, I am calmer and less stressed. On one of those days, it felt like time had slowed down. I got so much more work done.
Highly recommend it.
My first steps
For a funny and thought provoking intro to this and how it pulled her away from bizarre "auto-pilot" behaviour have a read of Ruby Wax's latest "Sane New World". This and other resources are referenced on this website.
Whilst this topic is at risk of becoming, or being seen as, the next fashion, lifestyle self-help thing, there is good medical support for it and it's reinforced suspicions and thoughts I've had for years over how I react before (or without) conscious thought, allowing sometimes extremely stressful situations to arise automatically that, with a split second of hesitation, might have been so easily avoided.
In my world, the best examples I see of people being the opposite of mindful is when they travel, walk, or even talk, wearing headphones or glued to their phones/tablets (obviously they may be listening to or watching tutorials on mindfulness, but I somehow doubt it in most cases).
If you are in a train, walking to work, or stuck in traffic, every few minutes look up from your paper, book or phone, take the earphones out or switch off the radio and pay attention, really concentrate, on what's going on around you, what others look like, what they are doing, the scenery, just experience where you are.
Personally, it always hits home when I'm walking the dog, striding through the woods and getting 10 minutes in before I stop and realise there are trees, birds and hundreds of noises around me that have been & gone without me noticing because I was on auto-pilot thinking about work or anything other than where I was.
Whilst I've used meditation and yoga for years to bring me to "the moment" I find the sensation of the breath is best experienced in quiet and so I need other distractions when out and about to remind me where I am, this will be different for everyone but I find sight & sound can bring me back, as can the feel of a familiar object (I always carry a large chinese coin).
Given how much I found Accountex a waste of molecules & time, I'm really sorry I missed John's session.
Accounting
Very nice posts. I shall try to implement. I missed Accountex. Was it not very good?
Thanks John - absolutely spot on advice
It is so easy to forget to breathe properly and take time out to allow our minds to absorb and sort the events of the day. It is so easy to just do things on autopilot because your body and mind have learned the routine and it becomes a habit. Being mindful about what you do helps you realise just how much energy is wasted on things that really don't matter that much and how much tension you carry in your body. I began meditation in the 1990's and at the time people thought it was weird, cultish or only for the religious. Not so - being able to calm the mind is so good for you. Just imagine how good it feels to soak in a nice warm bath and soothe away the tension - for me meditation feels ten time better than that and it helps me refocus on what is really important. I also use a visualisation at the end of every day that helps the mind to let go of all the little niggly worries, thoughts and baggage that you pick up during the day, it is surprising what you store up and carry about with you without realising it. If you find it hard to relax and let go, find some peaceful music to lead you in, or think of a time when you felt really good and relaxed and draw on the feelings you had then. It is so important to let the mind take a rest from the everyday stress and worry. You would not leave your car running all night - it would be a shameful waste of fuel, so why let your mind run on and on wasting energy that could be put to much better use. Getting away from your desk for 10 minutes and resting your mind really does give you a boost to see you through a busy day.