Unlock Practical Mindfulness [Finding Mindfulness Part 4]
So far in this series, we’ve busted five Myths of Mindfulness, seen why change feels so hard, and learned how to sustain focus amidst a flood of information and distraction. In this final installment we’re using The Linger Movement’s mantra, ‘Pause. Breathe. Savor,’ to highlight the simple, practical, and accessible applications and practices of mindfulness.
Given the natural resistance to change and the daily overwhelm our nervous systems face, having simple and accessible options is a highly supportive way to begin incorporating mindfulness into your life or to explore additional practices.
Remember, Mindfulness is not a single event of meditation. I see it as a lifestyle and a tool kit.
Mindfulness won’t solve all problems with a magic wand. But it can provide a new way to view life, a revitalized perspective on work and colleagues, and a transformed everyday experience. That’s the possibility thanks to mindfulness and it begins with simple, practical, and accessible practices and tools.
As David Gelles says in his book Mindful Work
We will still get sick. Our bodies will still age. Colleagues will frustrate us, and responsibilities will still loom. But meditation practice can soften our responses to them, giving work a lightness, even as colleagues annoy us and responsibilities mount. And in time, it can make us more effective, more resilient, and even give work a new sense of meaning.
Mindfulness helps train your brain to break out of autopilot, become more aware, manage your emotions, and cultivate the positive states you desire. This offers powerful, practical support for being human, leading others, building relationships, and fully engaging in life.
Pause. Breathe. Savor.
This was the first-ever mantra and tagline of The Linger Movement. It’s simple, practical, and accessible.
This is how I discovered mindfulness for myself, especially before I learned the truth behind the myths. When you are open and willing to carve out even just 60 seconds, mindfulness can be woven into any part of your day.
Pause for awareness
According to a recent Harvard study the average person spends about 50% of their waking hours lost in thought, ruminating about the past or trying to crystal ball the future, and in automatic response.
We are operating on autopilot. As discussed in Part 2 of this series, Why Is Change So Hard?, our brains fear and resist the unknown, even when our current thoughts or environment don't align with who we want to be. Since our brains adapt to repeated patterns, it's up to you to consciously decide if you want to change them.
Practicing mindful awareness allows you to break free from autopilot. It creates space for you to Pause, lift your head (literally or figuratively), and pay attention. In this space, you can invite curiosity, observe without judgment, and see the present moment more clearly. Your default patterns, habits, and reactions are deeply ingrained, and without Pause and curiosity, they will continue.
Awareness can be as simple as noticing. Pay attention to what you feel, see, smell, hear, or think in any given moment. It's like shining a light on what's passing by, allowing it to be seen instead of remaining in the dark.
With this awareness, you are empowered to choose how to respond, shift your perspective, and decide on your next move. Nothing can change without first cultivating awareness.
Simply becoming aware is powerful enough in and of itself. The Pause brings you to the present moment and disrupts the default patterns. It gives you control in the moment and the opprtunity to choose. And whether you choose the same action or a new direction you’re doing so with awareness rather than the default auto-pilot. That’s transformative.
Utilize your Breath
Your breath is one of the most accessible and powerful multifaceted tools available to you. It’s also the perfect gateway to mindfulness as a beginner.
The average person takes over 20,000 breaths a day but for the vast majority of people it’s completely automated by the body and goes unnoticed. Yet when you Pause and tune into your breath you have a host of tools at your disposal. You can use it to return to the present moment, calm and regulate your body, and train attention control.
Your breath is one of the quickest ways to calm and regulate your nervous system. By bringing awareness to your breathing, you can use it as a guide for your body. Best of all, it's always available to you.
Slow, steady breaths send signals to your nervous system, telling it that you're safe and can release from fight-or-flight mode.
When you pause for awareness, you might notice you've been holding your breath or not breathing deeply. Whether you're anxious about an upcoming meeting or waiting for news, observe how that anxiety affects your breath.
Mindful breathing can be practiced both as a quick in-the-moment intervention or as a formal meditation. In the moment, breath helps manage stress and calm the body, while formal meditation allows you to train your brain by using the breath as a guide.
Savor & Linger
In its effort to protect you, the brain is always on the lookout for danger, constantly scanning for threats. This creates what’s known as a ‘negativity bias,’ causing us to focus more on what’s wrong than on what’s going well, including small achievements on the path to larger goals.
The brain tends to fixate on negativity, which isn't ideal for well-being, relationships, or problem-solving. As Dr. Rick Hanson says,
The brain is like Velcro for negative experiences but Teflon for positive ones.
Mindfulness, practiced with attention and intention, can help override this negativity bias. It not only helps you notice the good things but also trains your brain to seek out and remember them.
Studies show it can take three positive experiences to override a single negative one, and we need to hold onto a positive experience for at least 20 seconds to embed it as a memory. The next time you’re enjoying something, ask yourself: how can you savor it for at least 20 seconds to make it truly stick?
Enter Lingering!
Creating a Linger List and making a habit of savoring moments is a powerful alternative to ruminating in the negative. This is one of the tools that I’ve been teaching and sharing for years. You can learn more about it and how to get started with the Linger List Guide.
Gratitude, journaling, and visualization are additional examples of practices that can support retraining the brain to gravitate towards the positive as well as training desired emotional states as traits and not just fleeing moments. Coupled with savoring and lingering these practices support you in transforming how you show up and experience life and your relationships.
I invite you to take ‘Pause. Breathe. Savor.’ and incorporate it into your daily life. Use it as a reminder that mindfulness is always available. It’s a lifestyle.
As a toolkit for training your mind and transforming the way you experience everyday life, mindfulness is here for you. There are simple accessible practices to get you started and deeper explorations when and if you’re ready.
If you haven’t grabbed it yet during this Finding Mindfulness series I’ve created a free guide called Simple Mindfulness that gives you ten practices that can each be done in less than five minutes. No need to be a monk in training or have hours of free time in your schedule!
If you’re curious to explore more and learn what tools and practices can best support you or your teams for specific outcomes, I’m here to help and guide.
Find Your Pause. Find Mindfulness.
PS: If you haven’t read the first three installments in this Finding Mindfulness series you can catch up now:
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