Tag Archives: mindful

Mindful eating

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If you are like me, the New Year’s resolutions have come and gone. So now is the time for more sane and realistic goals to take center stage. Being effective in all realms of life requires a healthy mind and body, so I’m focusing on mindful eating.

It’s said you should treat your body as a temple. If so, mine’s a really over-stuffed temple on most days. A strategy I’m employing to keep my temple fed properly is mindful eating. It’s not difficult. I’m simply being more aware of the food I eat. How? By focusing on three baby steps:

Give thanks. Most of us in the Western world are disconnected from the sources of our food. Because food is easy to get, we don’t stop to consider the people (and animals) that were part of the process. Each meal, I give thanks for the nourishment that is available and the ways that food provides a means for connecting with others.

Enjoy. Before I start eating, I appreciate how the food looks and smells. As I take the first bite, I notice the texture and taste. It’s odd that really focusing on the yummy-ness of food helps you eat less, not more.

Slow down. If I don’t think about it, I go through whole meals shoveling food into my mouth, pausing only to minimally chew what I am consuming. To counteract that tendency, my goal is to intentionally pause three times during a meal or snack.

Launda Wheatley, Humanergy’s mindfulness expert, incorporates mindful eating in her wellness sessions. She says, “At its most basic level, eating is a pleasure that most people miss because they hurry through it. Simply slowing down turns this mundane routine into something special.”

More tips for mindful eating can be found in the New York Times article, “Mindful Eating as Food for Thought.”

What other simple joys are you missing because you’re rushing or trying to do three things at once? Even that staff meeting will be more pleasant if you tune into what you like about your team and the work you do together. Remember the words of Emily Dickinson: “Forever is composed of nows.”

Need to find ways to be more centered about focused? Contact Humanergy.

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Miracle of mindfulness

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You may be wondering why a leadership blog would focus so often on stress relief. We focus on stress because we live in a chaotic, fast-paced world that naturally creates stress. No one can be a great performer with a stomach in knots, a racing heart and little sleep. Even the most knowledgeable and well-intentioned person will falter under extreme stress.

You owe it to yourself and your people to take action.

Many companies recognize the impact of stress and are teaching techniques to manage it. A recent Wall Street Journal post profiles Dow Chemical and Union Pacific as two examples of organizations that are helping their people chill out:

“…meditation techniques like breathing and bringing thoughts back when they wander, says Diana Kamila, a senior teacher at the university’s Center for Mindfulness. Participants also learn stretching, yoga and “body scans”—noticing their responses to stress, softening their muscles through breathing and tuning in to the feelings and sensations of the moment.

Employees learn to practice periodic “check-ins” while working, walking, driving or eating. And they are encouraged to blend the techniques into their daily routines, at their desks, in meetings or during talks with colleagues.”

Forbes posted about the best workplace stress relievers, including:

  • Adjust work hours, if possible, to suit your personal body clock. Not a morning person? Try to adjust your hours so you can come in later and work when your brain is most ready.
  • Plan for delays when traveling. If your flight is delayed or cancelled, take a long walk around the airport or work out at the nearest gym.
  • Keep perspective by asking, “Will I care about this in ten years?”

How can you help your organization manage the stress that is part of the job? A disciplined focus on wellness, including managing stress productively, ensures that your people get a handle on stress and bring their best selves to the job at hand. Make it clear that you value people who take care of themselves on their off hours as well. “We must have a pie. Stress cannot exist in the presence of a pie (David Mamet).” 

 

Need to manage stress and remain productive? Contact Humanergy.

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The wrong time might be the perfect time

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I was up to my eyeballs in alligators. Looming deadlines for crucial proposals were haunting me, and I was working in overdrive. Then I remembered the scheduled team retreat. Months earlier, we had decided to take half a day to unwind, de-stress and learn mindful practices from our resident expert, Launda Wheatley.

I can’t do this, I thought. As the date approached, my panic grew. I told a coworker that there was no way that I could attend. She wisely replied, “That’s exactly why you need to be there.” (She’s such a smarty pants sometimes.)

Fast forward to the afternoon after the retreat. Calm, focused and thinking clearly, I whipped through those proposals in record time. And they rocked. (No, they weren’t perfect, but they reflected a clarity that I had spent days trying to achieve pre-retreat.)

The moral is, sometimes you need to stop and do something GREAT for yourself, especially when you think you “can’t.”

One of the most profound things Launda shared that day was, “Stress is like living with garbage everywhere, but you don’t see it anymore. It has become your second skin.” The payoff for me for shedding that heavy, dead skin was:

Clarity. Before the retreat, my thinking was hazy. Post-retreat, it felt like the fog had lifted. I made connections more easily and zeroed in on what was important.

Renewed energy to tackle real problems. Pre-retreat my energy level was abysmal. I wasn’t sleeping well, and caffeine was my lifeline. (Sound familiar?) When I returned to the office after the morning of de-stressing, I was jazzed and ready to go. That night, I slept like a baby.

Remembering what calm is like. At one point during the session with Launda I thought, “Oh, I remember this feeling. It’s calm.” It was perhaps the most enduring lesson from the experience. If I start to think that frantic is normal, I need to stop and recharge.

Stress is a necessary part of life, and it can be a great motivator. As Willa Sibert Cather said, “There are some things you learn best in calm, and some in storm.” What I’ve discovered is that I am capable of driving through the storms that will surely pop up, but a state of calm is where I do my best work.

Want to find calm in the midst of your storm? Contact Humanergy.

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The marvel of a new day

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How would tomorrow be different if you could see it as a new day? This would not be a regular Thursday that follows Wednesday, but an opportunity to consciously make all things unspoiled by your previous experiences.

For 24 hours, you “make all things new” in your mind. You appreciate people and your surroundings as if you had never encountered them before. Even more powerfully, you would decide to banish all types of assumptions and beliefs – about people and groups and organizations.

It is true that we cannot wander in a state of child-like wonder and “newness” all the time. Taking a day to begin again is a useful exercise with a long-term payoff.

Starting “from scratch” deepens insight and self-awareness. You recognize expectations and assumptions as they bubble to the surface throughout the day, giving you an opportunity to test their validity. You may find that you’ve amassed a collection of biases with little or no solid foundation.

To capture these insights, go “old school” and carry a notepad and jot down what you observe. Or, make notes in your iphone, if you’re so inclined. Make sure you apply what you’ve learned to make your next “regular” day better.

The icing on the cake? A new day allows you to fully experience surprise, joy and awe. Simple pleasures won’t be overlooked as you rush to do the next thing.

What epiphanies might you gain from being more present and aware tomorrow?

 

Need help to be more mindful? Contact Humanergy!

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To communicate, be present

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I had a conversation with an acquaintance recently that consisted of her talking about herself. Aledgedly we were talking about our respective upcoming plans, but it soon became apparent that she wasn’t interested in mine. Not a big deal, to be sure. Yet, it got me thinking. How many times have I done the same thing – gotten so into my own head that I wasn’t really engaged in a conversation?

In order to communicate, both people need to be present. This doesn’t mean that they have to be physically close, but they do need to give their full attention to the person with whom they’re speaking.

Being fully present in today’s hectic world can be a challenge. Yet the practice, often called mindfulness, is good for your mental health and productivity. You don’t have to engage in regular meditation to benefit.  Joyfully engaging in the present can reduce stress, increase focus on things you can control and make work more enjoyable.

Here are some tips to get you started with being more mindful:

Do one thing at a time. Multi-tasking is, at best, inefficient. When you want to accomplish something, devote your entire self to the task in order to do your best work.

Remove distractions. Don’t allow background buzz to take your mind elsewhere. Find a quiet place where you can focus. Some people can screen out background noise better than others. If that is a problem for you, consider a white noise machine for your work space.

Revel in what you’re doing. Even the most mundane chores can be uplifting. When you wash the dishes, do only that. Feel the warm water and smell the soapy aroma. When you’re talking to someone, really tune in to them, their feelings, body language and ideas. As Corita Kent said, “Love the moment, and the energy of the moment will spread beyond all boundaries.”

If you can’t give your full attention, say so. If you’re in a conversation and can’t seem to attend, let the other person know. It is far better to say, “My headache is a distraction,” so that the other person is aware of the situation, and you can both adjust accordingly.

Create a visual cue. Mindfulness is not difficult. It is just hard to remember to do it. Use a picture or other reminder to help you slow down and be present.

Thich Nhat Hanh said, “The most precious gift we can offer others is our presence.” Be generous with others today, and everyone will benefit from the experience.

 

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