It’s common to feel distracted by the future and the past.
Maybe instead of focusing on the task you need to finish for work, you’re caught up thinking about your upcoming vacation, deciding what you’re going to make for dinner, or kicking yourself for saying something stupid on your date last night.
Whatever it is, doting on the past or future only serves to distract you from what you’re doing now.
But practicing mindfulness will help you stay engaged with what you’re doing.
Put another way, mindfulness is just the act of paying attention to what’s happening in the present moment in a way that allows your mind to stop you from feeling anxious about the past and the future.
Practicing mindfulness has a host of benefits.
It can boost your concentration, decrease your stress levels, and help you work more productively, whether you’re writing an essay, creating a financial forecast, or just grabbing your keys on your way out the door.
There are several techniques you can use to practice mindfulness, and they’re surprisingly simple.
Practice staying in the present by paying attention to your breathing.
Feel your chest rising and falling with each breath in, out.
Another method is to think about your body one part at a time.
Start with your toes, then the soles of your feet, then your legs.
Work slowly all the way up to your head and back down your body.
As you practice being mindful, you’ll feel other thoughts and sensations intruding on your focus.
Acknowledge them, but gently guide your mind back to the present task.
Recognize what it feels like as the sensation comes on, peaks, and then subsides.
When you’ve practiced mindfulness a bit, try doing it in the midst of performing a task.
Be mindful of the present and do your best to let intrusive thoughts and worries slip away.
It can take a while to get the hang of practicing mindfulness.
But over time, your capacity to handle multiple impediments on your focus will increase, and you’ll be able to stay focused for longer.
