Mind full or Mindful?

Is your mind full of stuff or are you mindful? During the last decade, the corporate buzzword has been "mindfulness" There is even a trend for large corporations to now have a 'CMO' - really! A Chief Mindfulness Officer. Examples: SAP, Google, Aetna, IBM.

I think of meditation, yoga and spiritual guidance……but can I do that at the office? Can I experience mindfulness by myself? Will it de-stress my life? My grandmother always preached to me that I had to be mindful of my manners, mindful of my surroundings, mindful of my appearances and on she would rant ( lovingly). I think my grandmother’s message was to be “aware”, so for me this possibly overused new trendy word ‘mindfulness’ is a synonym for awareness.

I am sitting at my desk overloaded with work that is due tomorrow, or cramming for an exam, or having a panic attack because I am the next presenter on stage…….do I meditate? I have read that science is catching up to this mindfulness practice and adding new words such as cognitive training, neuro-fitness, neuro-leadership. No doubt this will encourage HR depts. to seek CMOs!

Get mindful, experience mindfulness. My recipe: Go to your state of mind and be aware of your senses, your emotions and even your physical situation. Don’t overreact, don’t let yourself be overwhelmed, stop seeking perfection, breathe…..

Jon Kabat-Zinn, creator of the research-backed stress-reduction program Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), explains how mindfulness lights up parts of our brains that aren't normally activated when we're mindlessly running on autopilot.

You know we are digitally distracted, materialistically manipulated, perplexed and pressured......

Here are some of my detox slogans that I turn to when I want to self-motivate, calm myself and get back on track. When life gets in the way of living: 

Do What You Love, Love What You Do.

Yesterday's the past, tomorrow's the future, but today is a gift. That is why it's called the present.

Live for the moments you can't put into words.

           Thank you A.A.Milne!

And an old old favorite that will always help me be mindful and happy and stress-free and joyful.....Laughter is the best medicine!