When You Want Something Quick
One of the great things about mindfulness is that it's portable and does not require practitioners to meditate to activate it. Simply stopping for a moment and tuning in to the immediacy of the moment "counts" as a mindfulness activity. If you need something fast and want something structured, here are are few ideas for you:
- S.T.O.P.:
- When: Anytime! Especially useful as a response to acute stress
- What:
- Stopping what you are doing for a moment
- Taking 1-3 deep breaths
- Observing what you are feeling without trying to control or stop your feelings. Can you name your feeling? Can you notice a physical response?
- Proceed with what you were doing
- R.A.I.N.:
- When: Useful when experiencing difficult thoughts or emotions
- What:
- Recognizing the difficult thought or emotion
- Allowing the feelings to be there without pushing them away if possible
- Investigating your experience without judgement or harsh, critical inner voice to the extent possible
- Non-identification: Realizing your thoughts and feelings do not define you. They are passing experiences, not realities.
- 10 Ballons:
- When: Useful as a reset at any time, especially during times of general stress
- What:
- Sitting or standing comfortably with your eyes closed or gently open
- Taking a slow, deep breath, and on the exhale, imagining filling up a balloon with your difficulties (stress, negative thoughts or emotions, etc.)
- Allowing the balloon to "self-seal" and imagining pushing it from you so it can float away on the air. It might be helpful to actually use your hands to push the imaginary balloon away.
- Repeating slowly until you have "filled" 10 balloons. Feeling free to rest between balloons so you don't hyperventilate!
- Be and Know You're Being:
- When: Anytime! Useful throughout the day
- What:
- Pausing for a moment
- Becoming aware of the body right now
- Being in the moment as a physical body
“The little things? The little moments? They aren't little.” -- Jon Kabat-Zinn