Welcome to unLOCKEd’s Marketing Mindfulness Series!
In today’s hectic digital world, mindfulness practices can provide relief from the chaos when you can’t just shut it off. Mindfulness can benefit your personal and professional life, which we discussed in more detail in July’s Marketing Mindfulness blog. If you haven’t read it yet, be sure to check it out!
We are sharing one mindfulness practice a month to help you gradually implement mindfulness into your daily life. Trying to make a big change all at once can be daunting and frustrating, but with one small change each month, you can make a big difference!
September Mindfulness Practice: Schedule Breaks for Mindfulness
This month’s mindfulness practice is to schedule breaks for mindfulness. It’s easy to get caught up in your workflow or hectic day and forget to practice mindfulness. By scheduling it into your day, you give yourself a chance to realign with the present moment as well as your goals for the day. If you have gotten sidetracked or stressed about a particular task, this is a great way to take yourself out of it and move forward fully engaged and in a good headspace.
Benefits
As mentioned above, this is a great way to incorporate mindfulness into your day if you aren’t used to keeping it at the top of your mind. Additionally, scheduled breaks take you out of a stressful moment and allow you to calm your mind and see the big picture. When we feel stressed, we are more inclined to panic or lash out. Our bodies pump out the ‘fight or flight’ chemicals and we get ready to do battle or flee in retreat. Taking a breather allows those chemicals to dissipate so you can view the situation more clearly. Controlled breathing can actually activate the body’s relaxation response, reducing the production of stress hormones like cortisol!
How to Implement This Practice
When we say schedule breaks, we actually mean schedule breaks – write it into your calendar or planner, whatever works for you. Of course, if you have to finish a conversation or typing a sentence before you take the break, you should do that, but try to plan these breaks into your day so that you won’t forget them.
Controlled or mindful breathing is excellent during these breaks, but if you don’t like the silence or need a guide, there are lots of options to do so! You can find a meditation or relaxation playlist to listen to or download an app that can ease you into a more mindful state. Some great options are Headspace or Calm, but many others are out there!
We hope this mindfulness practice helps! Be sure to look out for next month’s blog to continue this series with us!
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