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Are you a super multi-tasker?

You may even be proud of how many things you can do at once!

Unfortunately, there is a down side to all this “productivity”.

Studies are showing us that multi-tasking can have some very
negative effects on us and mindfulness is a worthwhile habit to
develop.

How much time do you spend not being mindful?

See if you recognize any of these statements from a
questionnaire developed at the University of Rochester:

I find it difficult to stay focused on what’s happening in
the present. I snack without paying much attention to what I’m
doing. It seems I’m “running on automatic” without much
awareness of what I’m doing. I tend to walk quickly to get
where I’m going without paying attention to what I experience
along the way. I find myself listening to someone with one ear
and doing something else at the same time. I tend not to notice
physical tension or discomfort until they really grab my
attention. I rush through activities without being really
attentive to them.

If some of these sound familiar, there’s plenty of room for
increasing mindfulness in your daily life.

Learning to focus the mind can be a healthful antidote to the
stresses and strains of our on-the-go lives.

Being mindful means focusing attention on what you’re
experiencing from moment to moment.

It’s quite a challenge to be mindful in our hectic world.

Mindfulness-based approaches have been integrated into the
treatment of anxiety, panic attacks, depression, and other
behavioral and emotional disorders including binge eating,
obsessive- compulsive disorder, and depression relapse.

Studies at University of Wisconsin showed that after mindfulness
training, brain wave recordings showed a pattern of activity
greater in the left prefrontal cortex that is associated with
happiness and optimism.

Mindfulness also influenced the immune system of those in the
study. The mindfulness students produced more antibodies than
the controls. Source: Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health
Care, and Society

What can you do to increase your mindfulness?

The Mind/Body Medical Institute suggest that you slow down as
you go about everyday activities, doing one thing at a time and
bringing your full awareness to both the activity and your
experience of it.

Notice the times when your thoughts are creating stress or
distracting you from the present moment.

If you are in a stressful moment (perhaps you’re about to
speak in public or undergo a medical test), observe your
thoughts and emotions and how they affect your body.

Make something that occurs several times during your day, such
as answering the phone or buckling your seat belt, a reminder to
return to the present and think about what you’re doing and
observe yourself doing it.

Being mindful doesn’t mean you’ll never “multi-task”, but you
can make multi-tasking a conscious choice.

It doesn’t mean that you’ll never be in a hurry, but at least
you will be aware that you are rushing. That expression about
taking time to smell the roses has certainly shown itself to be
medically sound advice!

Resource: Harvard Medical School Health Watch, Mind/Body Medical
Institute

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