March Mindfulness

I hate the month of March. It’s been my least favorite month for as long as I can remember.

The holiday season is far behind and summer vacation is still months away. Living in the Northeast brings on a whole different set of complaints as it’s already months into cold and snowy weather and there’s still at least a month and a half before there are sunny days.

January gives us the celebration of the new year and a chance to start fresh. February gives us love and Black History Month. March? The only major holiday is spent drinking uncontrollably then spending the next day asking, Was it really necessary to do that third car bomb? (the answer is always no). Even Julius Caesar was warned to beware the Ides of March and we know how that turned out for him. In short, March makes me mad.

But rather than focus on all the negatives about the month of March, I’ve really taken to changing my perspective when this time of year comes along (and all year long) by practicing mindfulness.

In a nutshell, mindfulness is the practice of being aware of your thoughts, feelings, and body in the present moment. Commonly misattributed, mindfulness is not meditation, although meditation is one of the many things you can do to practice mindfulness.

What initially got me into both mindfulness and meditation was a series of reoccurring and undiagnosable illnesses. I went to the doctors, many tests were run and every time, the results came back as fine. Although I was getting sick, losing my voice, and physically weakened, I still was very healthy. Finally, my doctor determined that I was susceptible to stress-induced sickness. Physically I was doing okay, but mentally I was a wreck.

I have always been a perfectionist but over the past year and a half, I had many things in my life change quickly and uncontrollably. I didn’t know how to handle it all so rather than taking a moment to stop and breath, I kept trying to fix everything and do everything, even as my body was breaking down. The tipping point happened in week two of my second month of being sick.

Mindfulness.

It’s the idea that “this too shall pass…” Whatever your situation may be. Whether it’s having a cold or going through a stressful period at work or school, navigating a new challenge in life, eventually you will move past it.

Here’s an example of midfulness in action. You know when you have a cold and you can’t breathe through your nose and all you can do is think about the times when you were breathing just fine? Mindfulness teaches us to stop dwelling on the fact that you can’t breathe. Instead, focus on getting better. Visualize what steps you need to take to heal. Can you not breathe because you’re stuffy? Blow your nose if you can. Is to too stuffed up? Take a nasal decongestant. Drink some tea to loosen your nasal passages and soothe your throat. Go outside or open a window to let new air filter out the stale air you’ve been breathing. You get the idea.

There are many things you can do to move towards a more positive and healing space. When you focus on a positive mindset, you heal faster.

Mindfulness teaches us to not feel overwhelmed.

This was the most important lesson for me. It takes a lot for me to get stressed out. But when I finally hit that point, I start to feel like everything is not okay and the world is going to end. I cannot tell you how many times practicing mindfulness has stopped me from storming out of my office and becoming a traveling gypsy for the rest of my life.

The workplace is easily the largest source of uncontrollable stress, frustration, and anxiety. Unless you are your own boss (#MakingMoneyMoves) for most of us, we spend forty plus hours of our week under someone else’s control. You’re being told what to do, how to do it, when it should be done, and sometimes why it needs to be done even when you don’t really agree.

By implementing mindfulness into my daily work habits, I’ve found that making it through the week is far less stressful even at times when everyone else around me is losing their minds. The software we use to get our work done suddenly crashes? No worries, I’ll just start answering emails I’ve been putting off all day. My boss suddenly changes our plans midway through the project? It’s all good, I’ll just figure out how to adapt his goals to align with my way of getting work done. Coworker driving me crazy with their Debbie Downer attitude? Looks like my break came early! I’m going for a walk. I forget my lunch at home? This is a great opportunity to try that Thai restaurant that just opened.

Mindfulness doesn’t mean you shroud yourself in positivity.

At its core, mindfulness is being present in the moment. Not worrying about what may or may not happen 10 minutes, 10 hours or 10 days from where you currently are. Staying focused and aware of your health, mind, and surrounding environment. Sometimes it’s difficult to be positive but if you are able to realize, I can make it through this situation and things I will be better, the path will be much easier to navigate.

Mindfulness is judgment free.

One of the fundamentals of practicing mindfulness is to be fully aware of the present without judgment. This comes into play when I meditate.  I used to be of the belief that meditation was for hippies. Chanting a bunch of “oms” sitting like a pretzel on a fluffy pillow. I try to meditate five times a week and I promise I’ve never chanted an om or held my hands out like Buddha for hours on end.

When I meditate, it’s my time to focus on whatever I’d like. If my mind decides to drift and wander into another thought or moment, so be it. I don’t get mad that I couldn’t focus because that’s not what meditation is about. It’s about being open with yourself and allowing your mind to relax. I most frequently meditate before bed. I find that putting on a soothing sound or going through a guided body scan helps me to focus on getting physically comfortable for sleep, but most importantly mentally aware that my brain needs to turn off. Instead, I focus on getting rest.

Ready to Get Started?

It’s my hope that my journey through mindfulness will give you some clarity on what it is and how you can incorporate it into your life.

Mindfulness can seem abstract, but that’s part of what makes mindfulness so exciting. It’s your journey to have. No one can tell you if you’re doing it totally right or wrong.

To help guide you through the process of mindfulness I’ve created a 31 Days of Mindfulness calendar for you to start practicing mindfulness all month long. Click the link below to get started!