Transforming how You relate to events and experiences

Mindfulness is a type of Clear Mind meditation in which you focus on being intensely aware of what you're sensing and feeling in the moment, without interpretation or judgment. The practice mindfulness involves breathing methods, guided imagery, and other practices to relax the body and mind to help reduce stress, as well as clear your thoughts. 

Mindfulness, the awareness of "something," differs from more common meditation, the awareness of "no thing." In mindfulness meditation, your attention is given the natural breath while sitting, or to the rhythm of  a slow walk. 

Mindfulness for Industry Influencers

There are 3 components of mindfulness: First, place your intention on what you intend to get from practicing mindfulness; Second, your attention is what is happening in in the moment, all you must do is simply observe your thoughts, feelings, and sensations as they arise. Finally, there is no judgment during your observation, just an attitude of curiosity and kindness, that's all.

Speaking of attitudes, there are several more to know about. Here are 9 Attitudes of Mindfulness:

  1. Beginners Mind
  2. Non-judging
  3. Acceptance
  4. Letting go
  5. Trust
  6. Patience
  7. Non-striving (Non-doing)
  8. Gratitude
  9. Generosity

Mindfulness is awareness that arises through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally … it's about knowing what is on your mind."
 – Jon Kabat-Zinn

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It is important for Industry Influencers to transform how you relate to events and experiences. When you create a more spacious way of being in the world, you are less reactive and generally happier. 

10 easy to follow mindfulness tips to help you find peace

Reduce Multi-Tasking

Most of us have "the ability to multi-task" on our resumes because it lets others know we can handle multiple things and stay on track. However, doing so can be a stressor. Concentrating on various things forces you to give little attention in several places making it impossible to be mindful. I would suggest placing your full attention on one task at a time where possible in order to get the best results, while reducing the anxiety of trying to do it all, right now.

Do Something You Love, Often

Mindfulness occurs more naturally when you are doing something that you really enjoy. Whether it a hobby like knitting or painting or doing what you love in your business, that getaway space will lead you to mindfulness. 

For me, designing graphics and writing usually takes me away. When I am in a creative space, I can zone out for hours. When I am slowly and purposefully working on a project, I am boosting mindfulness in deeper and meaningful ways.

Just Be Kind

Mindfulness is all about acceptance. It is most difficult to be accepting if you don't first give yourself the blessing of kindness. Give yourself compassion, empathy and forgiveness. When you are able to show yourself love, it becomes natural to be gracious to others. Accepting yourself and others is the foundation of extending kindness. Doing this moment-by-moment is to practice mindfulness.

Breathe for Calm

We all breathe everyday. We do it without thought. You don't have to concentrate to get it done. Your breath has a peaceful, beautiful rhythm. However, have you noticed when you start to get stressed your heartbeat and your breathing increases. As this happens, your thoughts take off! Those negative thoughts begin to flood the airways. 

Rather than allowing your thoughts to spiral your emotions out of control, place your attention on your breath to calm yourself. Being present helps drown out negative thoughts.

The Attitude of Gratitude

Taking a moment to be grateful in the middle of a stressful situation may take some practice. Inserting thoughts about your blessings immediately shifts your attention to the good in your life. It disrupts the habit of following the negative thoughts that inspire negative emotions which validates those negative thoughts which inspire negative actions. Poor word choices are eliminated when you take a moment to shift your perspective to something more affirming.

When something sparks a negative response from me, I take a deep breath and remind myself that I am in a good space. I practice this most when a driver pulls out in front of me when no one is behind me. This is particularly true when they hurry to pullout in front of me and then slow down. UGGGH!  I practice being gracious by telling myself they may be in a hurry so it's best that I am of their way. Perhaps they have an emergency so I wish them well. I immediately go to gratitude that I am not in a hurried emergency state.

I ask angels to guide and protect them as well as the rest of us on the road. I immediately say "thank you for keeping us safe so far." Immediately the negative space is cleared. I am back on track in a positive state of mind.

People Watching

A good way to practice mindfulness is to focus on other people. This is one of my strengths! At a party, at the park or at a wedding reception, I am observing the people around me. When you people watch, you are actually stepping out of your own head. Concentrating on others allows you to move away from your own stuff. 

Watching people and how they interact in their spaces is fascinating. People communicate with their bodies to project an image that we want others to have. Yet body language also shares a lot about them psychologically. For clarity, I am not talking about stalking folks! I am not saying you should be a creep and peep through their window. I am simply talking about the act of observing people, their interactions and also about their idiosyncrasies.

As a child, I closely watched teachers, family, family friends, people at church, and women in all spaces. This practice of people watching was instrumental in shaping the type of woman I turned into. As I watched the women in my life, I was drawn to leaders and women in authority. I appreciated women who were smart, articulate and well-mannered. In contrast, I noted certain behaviors and attitudes in others that I had no appreciation for so I eliminated them from my personality. 

Your Thoughts Under Observation

Think about a time when your head was filled with thoughts of worry, was it hard to be present? It's often a challenge to stop and take a deep breath to take a look at your thoughts. One of the most important mindfulness tips is learning how to control your thoughts. I don't mean control as in trying to stop them. Don't actively try to stop thinking. The more that you resist thinking, the more thoughts will surface.

The intention is to rather allow your thoughts to flow through your mind. Like a river, your thoughts will continue to flow if you don't get in the way. Simply acknowledge your thoughts, know they are present but do not engage them. You can train your mind to calm when your thoughts feel chaotic. 

This does not mean that you can reduce negative thinking or negative emotions, however, you can gain attentional control that helps you deal with negative thoughts more quickly.

Listening to music without words, nature sounds are good calming strategies. As well as taking a walk, journaling or meditating are effective at bringing you some tranquility.

Shade negative thoughts with a head-nod to say "I see you." Give it a side-eye and let it pass on by without incident. Long-term visits prohibited.

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The Magic of Awareness

The goal of the present moment awareness is to achieve a calm, clear and alert mind. Keep your senses engaged by putting your attention on your auditory or feeling senses. Do a body scan in your mind to see where you hold tension.

Listen to the birds chirping outside your window. Lightly rub your fingers across your keyboard. Experience the sensation at your fingertips. Close your eyes for a quick getaway. Visualize yourself on the beach on the Virgin Islands. 

While mindfulness is the practice of being fully present in the moment, allowing your thoughts to seamless flow, without incident through your mind. Awareness adds the nuance that allows you to truly understand something through your senses. Touch, smell, sight, sound and taste each allow you to fully experience the moment.

Be Still

Clear your mind of both positive and negative vibes. Just be in the moment. Concentrating on being mindful is the best way to achieve it. Learn to be still. Stop thriving. Stop fighting. Simply relax. Put your hands down, in this moment you are not fighting. When you put your guard down, you are accepting there is no need to defend yourself.

Strengthen Your Patience Muscle

Being mindful takes practice. Over time, you will notice subtle changes rather than big "ah ha" moments. Similarly, when you start an exercise regimen, it takes time to notice differences in your body. Continue practices the above methods, push through the discomfort. Be gracious with yourself. 

Below is a 10-minute Mindfulness Meditation by Calm to get you started. If you don't have a time right now, click the "Watch Later" clock and save it for a better time.

If you would like more information from Mindful, healthy mind, healthy life and their article, Mindfulness: How to Do It

If you decide to implement mindfulness into your lifestyle, I would love to hear from you. Share your experience below.

Callahan
Callahan

Andrea Callahan inspires passionate & purpose-driven brands to maximize their strengths to craft an image that represents their WHY, and then use that WHY to position themselves as Industry Influencers; who share experiences that attract their Ideal Buyers. Callahan is a speaker, seminar leader, and the author of, "It's Your Brand ~ Make Your Identity Clear." Callahan is also the principal brand manager @ACIagency, a high-end boutique, integrated-marketing agency, specializing in helping locally-owned brands share their WHY.

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