Are you also busier than before the pandemic? Home office turned into “my home is my castle” – a place of your daily command! Interpenetration of professional and private roles, challenges with teaching children, cooking meals and matters at work – all this causes that we are definitely more burdened mentally.
How do you take care of yourself so you don’t go crazy? What practices and routines do you have that help you clarify the priority, the right action, the right “spending” of your time? Do you know how many thoughts go through your head every day? And if you agree with Albert Einstein’s statement that thought shapes reality, then I will ask you: Are you conscious, aware of your thoughts? And what reality do they shape around you? Can you afford not to be mindful?
Mindfulness is what I have been using for over twenty years – mental work, breathing, visualization. No, no, it’s not sitting backwards on the mat and waiting for inner peace to come to you. It is conscious Presence, Awareness, and managing your thoughts to be in the Here and Now, to be Focused. Practicing you can use the mat, but I want to prove to you that you can do it from anywhere and at virtually any time. It’s not about falling asleep or distancing yourself from the world so much that your motto will be “a mi to lotto” – but to catch the actual internal balance, clarity of thought and thus focus attention on the right action, the right people. For me mindfulness = efficiency. I slow down for 5 minutes to sharpen my performance. It’s like sharpening a saw. You can saw the old one all the time, or you can take a moment for technical preparation – mindfulness – is the technical preparation of the mind for proper, focused action. I describe it as the second of the five awakened talents of the leaders of the future (get your hard or e-copy), because I know it allows you to achieve professional results, maintain good relationships and take care of your own needs (remember that as a leader)!
According to the leaders:
mindfulness is essential to focus on the here and now, to show attention to someone and their cause.
In my opinion, mindfulness is also the ability to move from one topic to another, or from one area of life to another. Through mindfulness, we can be somewhere 100%, not the body in one place, and the thoughts completely somewhere else.
- without mindfulness it’s hard to be authentic, without authenticity people “don’t buy us”,
The leader’s mindfulness is the ability to discover layers other than the obvious,
mindfulness gives me the feeling that I am taking care of a dear person gives me vision feeling and sensitivity,
mindfulness for me is a constant sensitivity to what is happening with me, around me, with others,
to keep distance and not to react through I (emotionally) only through WE (empathically) give space to your people, catch the right perspective on matters, listen,
- to notice important details in the team, to be vigilant over the team, to be able to give advice, to be in control of the situation
- I take into account what is – what is my team with, what is reality, am I in touch – this is contact with sensitivity, with the heart, with what is and is not just an effect of imagination
Mindfulness is focusing on others and yourself. Catching the distance. It gives you the power to focus on what’s important.
This is a broad topic, you can explore it by reading 5 talents of a leader, and here I want to specifically recommend you 2 practices to start with: 1. 5 BREATHS
Sit comfortably, close your eyes (this cuts off the visual part of the brain’s reception, so we release energy for thought). We will take 5 breaths in the system:
- INHALE – count down slowly 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
- HOLD – count down slowly 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
- EXHALE – count down slowly 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
We repeat this 5 times. You can extend the count towards the end.
What benefits does it give?
Calming, grounding, a sense of mastery and control. When you don’t know what to focus on? What is the priority in the near future (from Greek it means 1, not many ; P ), you can enter this practice with such a question.
It takes about 5 minutes. You can do it in the office, at home, in the toilet, in the car (park ;)).
- WATERFALL VISUALIZATION
Sit comfortably, close your eyes, take 5 conscious breaths. And now, go on a journey to your place of safety – it can be mountains, the sea, by a lake, in a house, on the edge of a forest – wherever your imagination takes you. See how you feel?, what is the reality around?, what do you see, what do you feel? From this place, see how you go to the waterfall, find it in your space, see how the crystal clear water flows through it, how the sun’s rays are reflected in the water drops. You go under it. You feel the pleasant touch of crystal water, you feel how it washes your whole body, your whole body penetrating into all cells in your body. You feel how the cells in your body rejoice and regenerate. You are under the waterfall for a while, and then you lie down on the surface of the water. Your body floats with its buoyancy, and you consciously give the weight of your body to the water. You can rest, you can rest. You can feel lightness and joy. You float as much as you need, feeling the water that washes your body, spreading relaxation and relaxation, and the sun adds energy.
When you feel satiated, get out of the water at your own pace and return to Here and Now the way you came here.
What are the benefits? Purification, a sense of lightness, relaxation, relaxation, peace, balance.
It lasts about 6 minutes.
We, as psychologists, know that the mental image you have in your head affects our brain in the same way as a physical experience. This has been shown by a number of studies in sports psychology, where the strengthening of physical training, the so-called mental training resulted in a significant increase in the performance of athletes. For example, in golf – an increase of over 50% of hits.
I know, I know – many of you say that these meditations, visualizations are not for me. And I’ll tell you – and I’ll tell you what you think today. If you want to change something – in results, relationships or your own feelings – start doing the right thing!
Emotions barometer – How do managers feel today at the start?
stagnation and anticipation of what will happen,
- My team (family) is taken care of, but I need a moment to myself,
- I’m in mindfulness today for the details and simple bits of the day, starting at 5am with golden milk, through sunrise and deep inner breathing.
- ME: I feel good, high level of energy, even though the holidays were different, they gave me energy, probably because of a lot of outdoor activities. TEAM: mood swings, day-to-day energy differences, I think a lot of people get bored/routine…
- everything seems to be ok, everyone is taken care of, but there is fear and fatigue in the air with the suspension and the lack of knowing the date when everything will return to its track.
good, appreciating the little things, taking care of yourself. Weakened with allergies, so it was physically weaker, but she’s getting back to normal. The team is ok, but isolation fatigue because some people realize that it won’t be 2-3 or even 4 weeks.
- I gather concentration again after the final of the project, a small milestone is behind us, it helps to keep the energy of the whole Team
What are you going out with today? At the level of emotion and action?
- light and still swimming in this water and feel the sun on my face – it’s very relaxing.
Gives a moment of respite, relaxation, relaxation.
The sun came out, lightness, freedom,
rebooted, as after a purifying journey for the mind and body, as if the water had washed away those thousands of thoughts,
cleansing,
- calm and as if a little settled in the head,
consent to being in the here and now,
- composure,
- that there is always only one priority
Waterfall and one priority in 60,000 thoughts
- choose your priority with mindfulness
Be gentle with yourself, be gentle
Mindfulness is even more mindful and important.
THURSDAY WEBINAIR
This time we will focus on ACTION – how to start co-creating new ones with your team?
- Going through change is associated with uncertainty and stress, suspension of activities ….. but also the possibility of creating new solutions, non-standard ideas.
- How not to fall into stagnation in the team and initiate creativity when it’s not fun at all?
Book an exploration call with us to discuss!
Meanwhile, Look after yourself!!! aho!
Sylwia Lewandowska-Akhvlediani