Present Focus Ahead

My Go-to Strategy Make Mindfulness Easy

Fear not. I hear it all the time.

“I wish I could be more present, but my head is all over the place.”

I get it.

Your brain loves to ruminate on the past and plan for the future – especially when things feel hectic or stressful.

Even in achievement mode – when we’re really leaning in to a goal – the mind replays past stories and jumps to future ones so rapidly that sometimes it’s hard to keep track.

It’s OK.

That’s the human condition. Go ahead and b r e a t h e. You’re completely normal and functioning precisely as you are designed to function.

Of course, that doesn’t mean that having a head that’s all over the place is serving you well.

It’s usually not.

And therein lies the rub. How do you get a mind to do other than what it’s predisposed to do?

You practice. And you make the practice so ridiculously simple that it’s doable. And then you practice some more.

Your brain is a machine that you can automate. Practice anything enough times and it becomes the default. How do you think you taught it to drive a car?

And that leads me to this week’s tip…

This Week:
Power Up Your Mindfulness Practice While Driving

Driving can be a time of jamming out to Spotify, listening to a good book, quiet reflection, or careful planning.

All too often, however, the quiet of the road becomes a place where thoughts turn to the unproductive. The simple technique below will give you a feeling of clarity and being grounded while simultaneously re-wiring your brain for more calm and focus overall.

*Mass transit travelers: This technique can be easily adapted for trains, planes, buses, cabs, ferries…. ;)

  1. NOTICE when your mind wanders into ruminating stories or starts jumping into rapid-fire overwhelm.

  2. NAME what/where you feel it in your body. (For example, rigid shoulders, clenched jaw, tight chest etc..)

  3. BREATHE slowly, deeply, and intentionally.

  4. DIRECT your attention on the road ahead. (“I’m going to take a left in three blocks.” “I can see four traffic lights ahead.” “The next stop -if you’re on a train - is 14th Street.”)

  5. REDIRECT your attention back to the road ahead each time a distracting thought emerges.

  6. REPEAT until your body feels relaxed and whatever sensation you named earlier is gone.

Wendy Perrottimindful, mindfulness, thoughts, breathe, awareness, daily practiceComment