Once our day gets going it’s very easy to be overwhelmed by the routine, the urgent (not necessarily the important), the latest minor crisis or, most common of all, negative thought. Even if you have started your day properly, it is all too easy to become submerged and go back to our default state of unfocused mindlessness.
So, first things first, what does starting your day properly mean? Well, we make certain that we don’t leave the house physically unprepared for the day ahead. We shower and dress ourselves – shaving or applying the odd dab of make-up as appropriate! However, we unwittingly leave the house every morning mentally unprepared for what lies in store. Starting the day properly means making sure that, before leaving home, you’ve taken the appropriate action to clear the mind and focus your energy. I suggest five to ten minutes mental preparation for the day ahead. Find somewhere quiet to sit and focus on what your senses are telling you – one sense at a time. This will enable you focus on what is really happening as distinct from the subconscious programs that otherwise run your life – those programs being your default mental settings.
OK, let’s say that you’ve got your day off to the perfect start, you’re switched on, focused, mentally wide awake and primed for action. Little things like a delayed train, like getting stuck in traffic, like someone asking you to do something unexpectedly – so many little things can disturb us. To say nothing of the big things! It can be so easy to wander mindlessly into mental oblivion as the day unfolds. What we’ve got to do is make sure that, during our day, we pause to catch our breath – literally.
Age-old wisdom places great store on the opportunity that our breathing offers us to clear the mind of useless noise and distraction and, consequently, focus the energy. So, here’s an easy, quick and entirely practical tip – because, after all, you have to breathe anyway! Take a few moments – moments is all that’s required – during the day to turn your attention to the reality of your body as you breathe in and out. Pay attention to what it feels like to breathe, how your body reacts with each breath in and out, how the air passes through the right, left or both nostrils. Give thanks for the reality that you are alive and breathing. Focus on nothing else for these few moments. If the cares or useless thoughts of the moment start invading your mind, take three deeper breaths to refocus your attention. With each breath, understand that whatever might be driving you crazy right now will be completely forgotten in months, weeks, days or even hours. Appreciate that, with an alert, focused and ready mind, anything is possible.
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