Being ‘here’

 

I must often remind myself, “Jean, stop and focus on what is happening ‘NOW.” This simple tool can relieve stress immediately! Simple, yes; easy, no.

I’ve been bemoaning my busy life lately, complaining to my friends, children, the dogs, and my poor husband. Fortunately, I have the knowledge and know-how to banish this silliness and don’t tend to let these little pity parties go on for too terribly long.

The answer is living mindfully. It’s really a very simple idea but a very effective one. Stopping and nudging the focus back to what is in front of you can dramatically reduce the stress created by a too-tall list of to-dos. It really is just that simple.

There are a number of benefits to this simple practice. For one, you enjoy life much more. If your mind is on the next item on the list, the task at hand becomes an irritant. But keeping thoughts on whatever you’re doing creates joyfulness, whether you’re washing the dishes, reading a story to your child, or even scrubbing the toilet. When you are “with” the job, you reap the good feelings of the work as well as the accomplishment of completion.

Another benefit is that we get more done when focus is maintained. According to a study by David Meyer, Ph.D., and Jeffrey Evans, Ph.D., both at the University of Michigan and published in the August issue of the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, published by the American Psychological Association (APA), time is actually wasted when attempting to multitask. The reason is that a small amount of time is needed in order to switch from one task to another. We can’t do more than one thing at once, so multitasking is really about the mind rapidly switching from one subject to the next. The time needed is pretty short but adds up when a lot of switching is going on.

And finally, the quality of the work we do while multitasking is often lower than the work we do while being mindful.

Of all the things I’ve learned on my life journey, being mindful is one of the most important and takes little effort. Giving myself frequent reminders is all that’s required.

So breathe deep, slow down, and enjoy your life. That’s what it’s there for!