October 22, 2011

Multitasking is everywhere. Sending e-mails and texts while walking down the street, making phone calls while riding to work, going fast in multiple directions is quickly becoming a way of life. And with it, the accompanying stress of being busy all the time.

Mindfulness is the practice of paying attention to the present moment without judgment. Instead of doing three things at once, mindfulness practitioners pay attention to one, completely. Harvard Health News states that research suggests that the practice of mindfulness can help alleviate anxiety and reduce physical symptoms such as pain or hot flashes.

According to an October 2011 article in the Harvard Mental Health Letter, mindfulness is a powerful antidote to multitasking stress. The article suggests practicing mindfulness “most days of the week” for 20 to 45 minutes, and offers the following instruction to get started:

Step 1: “Center down. Sit on a straight-backed chair or cross-legged on the floor. Focus on an aspect of your breathing, such as the sensations of air flowing into your nostrils and out of your mouth, or your belly rising and falling as you inhale and exhale.”

Step 2: “Open up. Once you've narrowed your concentration, begin to widen your focus. Become aware of sounds, sensations, and ideas. Embrace and consider each without judgment. If your mind starts to race, return your focus to your breathing.”

Step 3: “Observe. You may notice external sensations such as sounds and sights that make up your moment-to-moment experience. The challenge is not to latch onto a particular idea, emotion, or sensation, or to get caught up in thinking about the past or the future. Instead you watch what comes and goes in your mind, and discover which mental habits produce a feeling of suffering or well-being.”

Step 4: “Stay with it. At times, this process may not seem relaxing at all, but over time it provides a key to greater happiness and self-awareness as you become comfortable with a wider and wider range of your experiences.”

Also suggested in the article was to practice a less formal approach to mindfulness by trying to become more aware while doing enjoyable activities. The article states, “Playing the piano, juggling, walking — all can become part of your mindfulness practice as long as you pay attention to what is happening in the moment.”

Source: Harvard Mental Health Letter & Harvard Health News, October 2011

Dave Gorczynski is president of SPARK, a non-profit organization that has provided free energy work sessions and workshops across New York City since 2002. He writes a regular column about energy work and meditation for the Compact News in New York City's Chinatown. E-mail him at dave@sparkenergy.org.