In this and a following piece for Thrive Global I’d like to share a couple of techniques that I use on a daily basis to help me to not just survive, but Thrive too!
Being distracted is probably the biggest daily obstacle we face, and yet it’s the one we are least likely to talk about. We rarely give anything more than 40% of our full attention and on average our mind is wandering about 47% of the time!
Mindfulness however helps us to deal with distractions by developing an awareness of the breath and our present self in the moment.
One technique I use on a daily basis to keep me on point so to speak, goes by the simple acronym S.T.O.P. and it’s just as simple to do. Yet it’s also highly effective in helping me to create a space to calm my distracted or worried mind and come back to the present moment.
The 4 Steps are: S — Stopping what I’m doing; T — Taking a deliberate and conscious breath; O — Observing my thoughts and feelings as they arise, &, acknowledging that these are not facts and are not permanent; and P — Proceeding with something that will support me in the moment, like creating a positive thought or emotion.
As Yoda might say, “Give it a try why don’t you” and if you want more simple yet really effective techniques to incorporate into your daily routine, just checkout Chapter 6 of ‘Uncovering Mindfulness: In Search of a Life More Meaningful’.
Paul Mudd is the author of ‘Uncovering Mindfulness: In Search Of A Life More Meaningful’ available on Amazon and www.bookboon.com; the ‘Coffee & A Cup of Mindfulness’ and the ‘Mindful Hacks For Mindful Living & Mindful Working’ series. He is also a Contributing Author to The Huffington Post and a Contributing Writer to Thrive Global. Through The Mudd Partnership he works with business leaders, organisations and individuals in support of change, leadership excellence, business growth, organistional and individual wellbeing and well doing, and introducing Mindfulness. He can be contacted at [email protected] and you can follow the continuing journey uncovering Mindfulness on Twitter @TheMindfulBook and at @Paul_Mudd
Originally published at medium.com