Nutshell: Two simple mindfulness practices to try

What might the ancient tradition of Buddhist contemplation teach us about tackling overwhelm and boosting self-control? And where do we start? Here are two simple mindful practices to try. 

When we’re flat out at work with a seemingly endless to-do list, it might seem counter-intuitive to improve our lot by taking time away from the fray. Surely we should just grit our teeth and press on?

Perhaps. But, increasingly, one alternative approach to tackling overwhelm is proposing just that: that we press the pause button to stop, notice and reflect. And when we do, it helps us to re-set, boosting our energy and our ability to take stock and frame what we’re doing and how in more thoughtful ways.

Mindfulness, based in the tradition of Buddhist contemplation, is a state of mind where we’re fully focused on the present so that we can acknowledge and accept our thoughts, feelings and sensations – but without judgement or a sense of being reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us.

While it may sound too good to be true as an antidote to overwhelm, there’s plenty of evidence that – used appropriately - it can help us to improve our self-control, to accept and regulate our thoughts, emotions and actions, even when under pressure.

To make the most of mindfulness, though, we need to practice. It’s something we can all learn to do, but we need to be intentional about it.

There are a whole host of ways to do that practice, but, as a starting point, here are two simple mindful practices to try.

Mindfulness meditation

As the name suggests, mindfulness meditation combines meditation with the practice of mindfulness.

It’s a way of training our minds to slow down, let go of negative thoughts and calm our minds and bodies. It offers a framework for us to access the mindfulness we often find so elusive.

Techniques vary, but, in general, mindfulness meditation involves deep breathing and a deliberate awareness of body and mind.

Andy Puddicombe, founder of the mindfulness app Headspace, reminds us that it’s not about controlling our thoughts, but about taking a step back so that we can gain some perspective and see those thoughts more clearly.

Learning mindfulness meditation with a teacher, online guide or app can help to get us started, but it’s also possible to practise a simple breathing meditation on our own using some simple steps:

1. Find a space and posture that’s comfortable. Sitting upright with a straight back is ideal.

2. Set a time for your meditation. It could just be five-10 minutes to start with.

3. Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths, settling into the seat. Feel the weight of your body. Relax your jaw, neck, shoulders, arms and legs. Breathe gently.

4. Notice the sensations in your body, from head to toe, but try not to change your posture. Just be aware.

5. Focus on your breathing. Try to breathe from your stomach or diaphragm rather than from your upper chest. You might find it helpful to count your breaths, from one to 10 then start the count again.

6. As you breathe, your mind will likely start to wander, to particular thoughts or feelings. When you notice your mind has drifted, acknowledge whatever thought or feeling it is, gently let it go and return your attention to your breathing.

7. It’s likely your mind will wander for the majority of the meditation. In fact, when you first start, it may be a struggle to keep your attention on your breath for more than a few seconds at a time. The key is not to give yourself a hard time about it. Just keep returning to your breathing. Regaining control of your attention is at the heart of the practice.

8. When your time is up, open your eyes and take a few seconds to orient yourself before moving on.

Mindful eating

Mindfulness doesn’t always have to be about meditation, although meditation will undoubtedly help us to access it in other ways too.  

• When we’re brushing our teeth, we can feel our feet on the floor, the brush in our hands, and the sensation of our arm moving up and down.

• When we’re tackling the laundry, we can pay attention to the smell of the clean clothes and the feel of the fabric and focus on our breathing as we fold laundry.

And we can all learn to eat more mindfully.  

Jon Kabat-Zinn’s raisin-eating exercise is a famous benchmark here, but we’re going to focus on that humble lunchtime sandwich, so often consumed at a desk or on the go when we’re at work.

But spending time eating our working lunches more mindfully can be a great way of building mindfulness into a busy working day.

1. Find a clear space: (not your desk), preferably a table, and sit at it.

2. Take a few deep breaths: get relaxed and grounded, so that your body can digest and extract the maximum nutrition from what you eat.

3. Sit tall: don’t hunch over your sandwich or plate. Plant both feet on the floor and keep your back straight – providing a gravity-friendly way for your food to digest.

4. Ditch the distractions: no phone, laptop, even books or magazines. Just you and the food.

5. Take your time: slow down. Put your sandwich or cutlery down between bites.

6. Chew, chew, chew: focus on the action of chewing. Chew until the food is smooth and loses all texture before you swallow.

7. Savour it and notice the different aspects of your food: how it looks and smells; its taste and texture.

8. Check in with yourself: pause after a few minutes to check in with your body and assess how full you are. You may not want to eat the whole sandwich in one sitting.

Go on: give it a go. Pressing pause and taking time out to stop, notice and reflect might be just what we need to boost our energy and bolster our self-control.

We could try eating our next working lunch in a more mindful way. And then reflect on how it felt, and what the process taught us about mindfulness.

What have we got to lose, except for a few minutes of our time. At the very least, it might help us avoid that post-lunch indigestion.