Diane Dreher

If you've been feeling this way, it could be because you're not present with what you're doing. Research has found that for nearly 50% of the time most of us are doing one thing while thinking about something else and that such a disconnected mind is a stressed mind (Killingsworth & Gilbert, 2010).

 

Does this sound familiar?

 

Our attention is our precious personal resource. Yet it's constantly being hijacked by a mass of interruptions from breaking news to advertisements, emails, texts, and social media.  

 

What about you? What in your life hijacks your attention? Is it:

• Multitasking?
• Rushing from one thing to the next?
• Scrolling on social media?
• Compulsive worrying and planning?
• Something else?

When we let these activities hijack our attention, we surrender to chronic stress which can destroy our peace of mind and undermine our emotional and physical health.

 

What can you do about it? You can mindfully return your attention to the present moment with one-pointed attention (Easwaran, 2016), becoming more present to your feelings, your needs, and your authentic experience.

 

To restore your sense of presence, when you catch yourself feeling stressed and overwhelmed, you can pause, take a deep mindful breath and ask yourself:

• How do I feel?
• What do I need?
• What can I do?

For example, if you've been working nonstop, asking these three questions can help you realize that you're tired and hungry, and need a break. Then what you can do is to give yourself time for lunch, a healthy snack, or perhaps a brief walk to decompress.

 

This week, try noticing when you're feeling stressed and disconnected from being mindfully present. Then pause to ask these questions. Take back your attention to live more authentically, be more present, and embrace the gift of the present moment.

 

You can find more practices for inner peace in my new book, Pathways to Inner Peace, available on Amazon.com and other bookstores. 

 

References

 

Easwaran, E. (2016). Passage meditation: A complete spiritual practice. Tomales, CA: Nilgiri Press.

 

Killingsworth, M.A., & Gilbert, D. (2010,12 November). A wandering mind is an unhappy mind. Science, 330, 932.

Do you have a compost pile or compost bin in your garden?

 

Composting is part of a natural cycle where nothing is wasted. Leaves, grass clippings, and kitchen waste become transformed into rich new soil. Apple parings, onion skins, last week's leftovers, vegetables that have gone bad in the refrigerator—all go into the compost bin. No apologies. They're part of the larger process of transformation, turning remnants of the past into better tomorrows.

 

In an examined life, everything can be compost. Our mistakes, old habits we'd like to break—instead of dwelling on these, we can compost them. Becoming more mindful, we can ask, "What can I learn from this?" and turn any negative experience into a new cycle of wisdom and growth.

 

If you'd like to try this process of composting, please join me in this brief reflective exercise. You'll need a small piece of paper and a pencil or pen. 

 

• First close your eyes or shift them into a gentle downward gaze.
• Then breathe in, focusing on your heart and slowly breathe out. You can put your hand on your heart if you like.
• As you continue this slow heart-focused breathing, take another deep breath and slowly release it.
• Now think of something in your life you'd like to compost—an old habit you'd like to break, a negative experience that keeps nagging at you, something you did that you regret.
• Focusing on your heart, take a deep mindful breath and slowly release it, saying to yourself "I'm composting this."
• Then gently open your eyes and write down what you're composting—"I compost (name it).
• Sign and date the paper and put it somewhere where you'll see it every day.

 

It takes time to break old habits so don't be discouraged. Whenever you find yourself falling back into the old pattern, stop and tell yourself, "I've composted that."

 

After one month, take that piece of paper, tear it up, and bury the pieces in the ground, adding your compost to the soil in this process of transformation and renewal.

 

I wish you joy in this process of renewal.