Don’t you just love city life? It’s vibrant, fun and exciting. There’s always something going on - pride festivities, food and music festivals, restaurant openings - not to mention all those work opportunities to immerse yourself in. It’s the place to be.
It can become overwhelming at times trying to be everywhere and do everything. Hold fire, you don’t need to move into a lodge in the middle of nowhere just yet. Taking time to do simple mindfulness exercises is an easy-peasy way to keep calm and centered, even when your to do list seems endless. You’ve got this! punches air
What is mindfulness?
We hear the word a lot, but it can be difficult to understand what it actually is. The official definition is, ‘‘The quality or state of being conscious or aware of something’’. It’s all about being present and concentrating on what you’re doing. Let’s face it - something which is hard to do in such a fast-paced world.
Moda health and wellbeing
Moda is literally all about health and wellness, we live and breathe it. We think it’s vital that all our residents have time to reconnect and chill – hello 24-hr resident gym.
Even the on-site team are Mental Health First Aid trained, because we want every single one of our residents to feel that they have someone to turn to. We’ve got your back.
It can also be handy to know simple exercises you can do on the go as and when you feel you need it. You know, when you’re having one of those days and your head is buzzing with thoughts. Keep reading for expert tips on how anyone, yes YOU, can incorporate mindfulness into their daily routine.
We’re all giving it a whirl at Moda HQ…
1. Be present with one object around you
Ever notice instead of ticking things off your list you’re constantly adding more? This can prevent us from really embracing and appreciating the now.
We chatted with Briana Borten, a successful entrepreneur in holistic wellness. Her top tip is to take some time in your day, even just be a minute or two, to find one object around you and become tuned in to that object. Notice its shape, texture, the way the light hits it. The idea behind this is that what’s in front of you is far more real than all those busy thoughts in your head.
Hot tip - Try doing it with nature as it’s a little easier and more relaxing.
- Stop multitasking and focus on one task at a time
Put your hand up if you’re guilty of this.
Everyone at Moda hands up.
It’s so easily done, especially now most of us have mobile phones, laptops, work phones etc. One moment you’re working on a project next minute you’re answering an email or in a meeting. You know how it is…
Therapist and Yoga Teacher, Lisa West Wellness, urges us to stop multitasking and to focus on every task individually – delegate if you must. This can work in normal life too, she says. ‘‘If you’re chopping veg for dinner, chop them and concentrate on that. Don’t stop to read an incoming message or to watch the news. If you’re brushing your teeth, try to focus on just that and not doing other parts of your evening routine.
When we choose to slow down, the brain engages and is able to focus more.
- Take time to really enjoy your food
When practising mindfulness, experts often advise to tune into your senses. One of the best senses, in our opinion, is taste (of course, duh).
Rather than rushing through your lunch hour to go finish that presentation you’re working on. Take time to really enjoy every single bite. This goes back to staying present in the moment and embracing the now. Think about how tasty the food is. The textures, all those flavours… we promise it will make you feel calmer and more productive when you return to work.
Also, make lunch a work-free zone if possible – out of office set – ‘busy getting my zen on’.
4. Do whatever you're doing, but a little...bit...slower...
Ever feel anxious in the morning?
Your morning routine impacts your mindset for the day more than you realise. For a lot of freelancers, avoiding the stressful morning and evening commute is a huge plus for working for yourself. If the morning rush is stressing you out, wake up a little earlier so you can have a slower start to the day.
Trying to focus on getting that big project finished?
Really think about every single word you’re typing and let only that fill your mind. This can be difficult when working in an office and a lot of hustle and bustle going on… but, if you can do it at work then you can do it anywhere!
5. Unplug technology and disconnect from social media
Ever turned on the tracker on your phone which lets you know how much time you’ve spent on social media? It’s eye opening. hands cover face
We love social media – it keeps us connected, lets us share hilarious memes and our most memorable moments. Yet, when we’re already multitasking so much in our daily lives, it can add to those pressures of feeling constantly on. You know?
To gain a greater sense of mindfulness, try ‘black out’ evenings on a regular basis where you put your phone on ‘do not disturb’ or air-plane mode and do something unrelated to technology. Just think of all those notifications when you turn it back on.
Easy things you can do right now to be more mindful
• Look at the clock and watch the second hand go around for one minute whilst breathing deeply – this can help you to focus on the now and go slower
• Run the hot tap and put your hands under the water for one minute focusing on the temperature and feel of the water
• Close your eyes and massage your ear lobes taking ten very deep breaths as you do
• Choose a colour and then open a book and focus on the colour within the book as your turn the pages
• Picture a traffic light and the lights changing colours very slowly
Thank you to Hannah Hardy-Jones, founder of personal development app The Kite Program, for the above tips.
Do you feel calmer already just by reading this? Feel free to share with any hard-working and busy bee colleagues.
Head over to the wellness section to discover more on how Moda takes care of their residents health and wellbeing.