Effective Ways to be Mindful

To be mindful is to live in the moment, conscious of what you are doing, paying complete attention to your work or having fun freely and fully.

·         Eat and do nothing else: Take a deserving break and get out of the office to take your lunch, don’t eat and work. It does not help digestion and it is not productive. At home just enjoy your breakfast and don’t read newspapers.  Have dinner with the whole family and don’t watch TV. The most important thing is to enjoy your meals by eating slowly.

·         Immerse in your work: Be prepared mentally to work with full concentration. Don’t think of anything else except the task at hand. Get into the flow while you are at work. Work in a conducive environment and with minimum distractions. In this way, you get a thing done meaningfully and productively.

·         Enjoy family life without bringing homework: Be smart when you are at home, it is time exclusively for the family. Share household chores and find out more from your children about school. When your children are doing homework, turn off the TV and do reading instead. Attend to your family and do nothing else.

·         Meditation to promote concentration and live in the moment: Do yoga or Tai Chi to boost the calmness in your mind. You develop mindfulness when you do meditation.  

·         Have fun without thinking of your work: Can you enjoy yourself totally when your mind is about the work in the office? By the way, what can you do now? You are not going back to the office now. Be free from worry and relax fully now.

·         Erase the past from your mind and stop worrying about the future: According to Babatunde Olatunji, yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery and today?  Today is a gift.  That's why we call it the present. The past has gone and there is nothing you can do about it, the future is not here yet, but you have the power to do the best you can now. Treasure every precious present moment.

·         Participate fully: Be involved fully when you are in a   conversation, attending a meeting, holding a discussion, reading or watching YouTube (no fast forward).  Get the most out of what you do.

·         Go slow: Drive slowly to be safe. Work a little slower to avoid stress and mistakes. Be with nature, take a moment of your time and go outside to admire and look at the green field and the surrounding trees, the river and the boats cruising along, the blue sky with the slow-moving clouds and feel the fresh air and sunshine. Slowing down is the way to be in the present.

“The secret of health for both the mind and body is not to mourn for the past, not to worry about the future, not to anticipate troubles, but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly.”

 Buddha