* Rushing through the day, without paying a lot of attention to the many activities on the increasingly long list.
* Feeling tense and unable to relax, with scattered energy.
* Failing to notice subtle feelings of physical tension or discomfort.
* Putting things off and feeling overwhelmed.
* Driving or walking on “auto pilot”, without even noticing your surroundings.
* Snacking without being aware of what you’re eating.
* Listening to others without really taking it all in.
* Forgetting a person’s name almost as soon as you’ve heard it.
* Finding your mind wandering back over a past conversation or incident.
* Thinking anxiously about where you have to be next, what else needs to be done, or what might happen in the future.

I think that it’s fair to say that we all get caught up in mindlessness during the course of a busy week, to greater or lesser extents.

What then, is mindfulness? And how do we attain it? A basic definition of mindfulness is a “moment by moment awareness of the present experience, with acceptance”. Acceptance is a fundamentally important part of being in the present moment, without judgement. Acceptance refers to a willingness to let things be, just as they are the moment we become aware of them – accepting both pleasurable and painful experiences as they arise.

So, this sounds pretty good in theory, but why then do we all find it so difficult to put it into practice? Well, the major problem we have is that, even as we go through our daily tasks on auto pilot, our thoughts are always leading us away from the present by dragging us back to the past or pushing us into speculating about a negative or worrying future. Yes, the problem is our own thinking that bounces us from past regrets to future fears like a tennis ball at Wimbledon! Our thinking is so automatic that we simply let it run, without realising that we have it within our power to choose what we focus on and to let the negative or unnecessary thoughts pass by without grabbing onto them.

Rule number one is that we create our own thoughts; they flow into our minds and, if left undisturbed, they will flow out again. Our thoughts are just thoughts. They are harmless, providing we decide not to hook into them, or go over and over them, or dwell on them, or create emotional involvement with them. In fact these are choices that we are presented with all day long; because as soon as we decide to hook into and elaborate on a particular thought, which then generates an emotion we are automatically no longer in the present moment! If you feel the need to follow every train of thought that happens to enter your mind, you will be far too busy to be keeping your complete attention to the present experience on a moment to moment basis.

Now, this is not to say that we should ignore each and every one of our thoughts. Our mind is a brilliant tool and we need to use many thoughts, practically and constructively, every minute of every day. However, the real choice that we need to make is to separate those useful thoughts from the negative, repetitive thoughts that usually concern something from the past or a worry over an imagined future. These are the thoughts to step back from and to let pass through the mind without emotional involvement.

If you believe that your thinking is caused by other people and events going on “out there” and that you can do nothing about it, then it’s obvious that you will be overwhelmed by your thoughts and living in the present moment will seem difficult, if not impossible. If, on the other hand, you can recognise that you are the one manufacturing your own thoughts and that you can choose to let any negative thoughts pass and create the necessary emotional distance from that thinking, you will be able, with practice, to keep your attention on the here and now, the present moment.

Young children are the best examples of people who fully absorb themselves in the present moment, without negatively holding onto the past or fearing the future. They allow themselves to stay completely focused on whatever they happen to be doing and live the experience 100%.

As adults however, we have learnt and become expert at the habit of mulling over past events and stressing over future concerns, which effectively squeezes the life out of our present moments. The good news is that if we learnt how to excel in this behaviour, we can equally unlearn it and choose to excel at thinking differently and letting our negative or distracting thoughts go.

Aside from letting go of needless negative thoughts concerning the past and future, another brilliant technique for re-capturing the present moment is to eliminate hurry. Hurry is nothing more than a bad habit; it’s not a scheduling problem, it’s a state of mind problem. There are many extremely busy and productive individuals who almost never feel hurried, and even more people out there who really aren’t that busy, but who feel terribly and overwhelmingly busy almost all the time. The degree to which you feel hurried in your life is dependent entirely on your ability to keep your attention in the present moment. A mindful person knows that as long as he continues thinking about things yet to be done he will continue to feel hurried; it’s that simple. Our minds are capable of making us feel hurried, even when we’re really not under serious time pressure. So, we’re caught up in a traffic jam, or the train has been cancelled. Is it the end of the world as we know it? Will the sun come up tomorrow morning? Will life go on? Surely in these situations it’s far better to bring your attention back to the present; look around you, smell the coffee, get back to where you are in the moment, right now.

Certainly there will be times when you need to do things quickly or take immediate action, but do yourself a favour and save your sense of hurry for those special and rare occasions when it’s truly necessary. One of the most eye-opening experiences in life is simply to notice how often we rush around unnecessarily. Once you notice this tendency, you can eliminate most of it by simply bringing yourself back to right here where you are now.

Life isn’t an emergency, it’s an adventure. Once you commit yourself to seeing life this way, you will be amazed at how quickly your life will change for the better. Life is a marvellous gift and as you learn to stop worrying and producing thoughts of a painful past or an uncertain future, you will be able to focus on what is happening right now and to enjoy and appreciate this present moment. When negative thoughts come up, understand that they are just thoughts and you don’t need to fear them. By all means learn from the past and then let it go. As for the future, have faith that it will take care of itself if you approach it one moment at a time.

                                      -----------------------

Tips for Now!

Some handy hints for finding and staying in the present moment

Leave external distractions and “busyness” behind

Take some time out from your daily activities by taking a long, conscious breath. Focus your attention on that “you” who took that breath. Ask “Where am I right now? What am I doing right now? What am I feeling right now?” As you stop and remove yourself from that place of “busyness”, really focus in on this question: “What is most compelling to my awareness right at this moment?” Do this several times a day and begin to notice the changes in your perceptions.

Walking

Change your pace when walking from A to B. Instead of the usual mindless rushing, the “busy, busy, busy”, “no time to slow down” approach, take extreme care and slow your pace right down so that you become aware of every single movement: Stepping forward…..heel touching…..toe touching……lifting…….arms moving……..posture……..stepping forward……..
Ask yourself “How am I feeling now? What am I perceiving right at this moment?” Do this as often as you can each day and take note of the differences it makes to your awareness.

Eating

In much the same way whenever you have the chance, eat silently and slowly, concentrating on every action. Notice the sight of the food in front of you; the aroma of the food; concentrate on the action of bringing the food to your mouth, the feel of the food in your mouth, the flavours of the food, the muscle movements of chewing, the process of swallowing and the satisfaction of appeasing your hunger, the pleasure of feeling full. This can turn an ordinary meal into an extraordinary one!

Seeing and Smelling the Roses

It can be so much easier to be in the present moment when outside in nature on a beautiful day, smelling the roses, hearing the buzzing of the bees and feeling the sun on your face. Do not despair however; we can still awaken our senses to the present moment even if we’re stuck in a grey, cold, inner city environment or in a busy office. Our senses are still ready to come alive in the present moment, with a little help from us! Whether or not you are outside or inside, begin to release all your thoughts by focusing your attention on each of your five senses:

* What are you seeing? Focus in on the detail.
* What can you smell? Again, focus in on the smallest of detail.
* What are you hearing? Identify and focus in on any sounds and silences.
* What are you feeling? Focus on physical sensations rather than emotions. Feel the subtle things, such as the watch strap on your wrist, the shoes on your feet or any physical sensations in your body.
* What can you taste? This can be subtle, but even if it’s stale coffee or a chewing gum, focus in on it right now.

Repeat this exercise whenever you feel the need to come back to the present moment.

Concentration Meditation

Find a comfortable position and concentrate on an external object, such as a candle burning, a favourite image, a spot on the wall or even the tip of your nose! As you notice your mind wandering and thoughts entering into your awareness, calmly detach yourself from any emotional involvement with them and return to the object of your concentration. These thoughts will pass from your awareness and in time new ones will take their place. Again, calmly allow the thoughts to pass, as clouds move across the sky, and return your concentration each time to the object of your meditation. This exercise can be a great way to start and/or to end your day.