By

By Theresa

Provisional Psychologist, Change for Life

Within an instant, our minds can transport us back to a memory of our favourite childhood holiday before quickly whisking us away to thoughts of groceries that we need to pick up on the weekend. Our minds can also transport us to more distressing places like painful memories or worries about catastrophic events that may be in our future. This time travelling can keep us out of touch with important things in the here-and-now, like our physical needs, relationships and occupations. As a result, many of us regularly experience cognitive and emotional fatigue.

Mindfulness, the practice of purposefully paying attention to the present moment, has been shown to reduce stress, increase productivity and help with the management of chronic illnesses. If you’re thinking that this sounds a lot like meditation, you’re not alone. Many people assume that they can’t practice mindfulness because they have struggled to meditate in the past. However, the purpose of mindfulness is not to find relaxation, stop our racing thoughts or access a greater understanding of ourselves (although many report that they experience these secondary benefits as a result of regular practice). Instead, mindfulness comes from switching off our inner time machine.

There are many extended mindfulness exercises available for free on the internet, but learning to pay attention to the present moment can begin in the smallest moments of our everyday life. For example, you may decide to notice what it feels like to take a deep breath when waiting at traffic lights or to feel for discomfort in your body each time you wait for a website to load. Over time, these small moments add up to strengthen our abilities to rest in the present and get some space from our distressing thoughts and feelings.

It is important to remember that it’s pretty difficult to get mindfulness wrong. Yes, it can be tricky to remain focused on the present for extended periods of time. However, as long as you pay attention to the here-and-now on purpose, even if just for a brief moment, you have practiced mindfulness. Even if you notice your mind begin to travel to the past or future, as long as you have noticed this time travelling you have become aware of your own thoughts, which is an essential part of becoming truly mindful.

Simply put, you don’t need to dedicate large pieces of your day to focusing on your present moment experiences when you’re just beginning this practice. Instead, try to notice the feeling of the sun on your skin, the smell of your new laundry powder or the way that a pen feels in your hand. Notice how your favourite shirt feels against your skin, the sounds your pet makes when they nap or the way that your mind jumps from thought to thought. Perhaps you will become very skilled at prolonged mindfulness one day, but for now, turn that time travelling switch off and connect with one thing in the here-and-now.