Mindfulness Practice advice and help for busy people who want to get started but feel like they don’t have time.

More than half of all small business owners have suffered from anxiety, 62 per cent have been affected by stress, and 30 per cent have experienced depression. It’s no exaggeration to suggest that we’re in the midst of a wellbeing crisis, with the self-employed feeling this acutely.

Alan Thomas, CEO, Simply Business UK

There is no doubt that just about everybody has suffered as a result of the global pandemic, and this is still ongoing. Covid-19 has made life difficult for many, and small business owners have been particularly hard hit.

Mindfulness, whether you are a seasoned meditator or an absolute beginner, can improve your life in many ways. As a business owner, it can help you to avoid overwhelm and burn out and help you to develop a strong mindset for success. It can help you to overcome the stresses of the past 2 years, and set you up for coping well with any further problems that come your way.

Is Mindfulness Practice For Me?

Yes, mindfulness can have immense benefit for everyone, when regularly practiced. Young, old, male, female, healthy or infirm, mindfulness can help improve your life.

What is Mindfulness?

Many people mistake mindfulness for meditation. Whilst Mindfulness Meditation can really help you to become mindful, the practice is so much more than just sitting meditation.

In today’s rush, we all think too much — seek too much — want too much — and forget about the joy of just being.

Eckhart Tolle

The aim of mindfulness practice is to become mindful in all aspects of daily life. This has huge benefits for mindset, as anxiety, worry, stress and overwhelm become things we can more easily cope with. When issues arise they are dealt with calmly, in the present moment.

Mindfulness Overview

Mindfulness is a modern buzz word, and we hear about mindful eating, mindful movement, mindful living, and so on. But what is mindfulness?

Developed recently (1970’s) in the west by Jon Kabat-Zinn, mindfulness has its roots very much in ancient mystical practices. It is mostly associated with Buddhism, but a study of Christian Mysticism, Sufism, Taoism or other mystical paths will show that the practices are all based on mindfulness and living in the present moment.

According to Jon Kabat-Zinn, “Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way; on purpose in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally”. This may sound quite simple, but in practice it is very difficult to achieve at all times, but this is why we practice.

Download Mindfulness Resources PDF

I have compiled some resources into a file that can help get you started with your mindfulness practice. It includes book recommendations, YouTube videos and mp3s of mindfulness meditations and some web pages on mindfulness.

Download Mindfulness Resources PDF

Mindfulness As a Way of Life

Mindfulness becomes a way of life, a way of paying attention to every little moment; coming back to that present moment when we realise we have let our attention wander off. To be fully present in as many moments as we possibly can. This will, however, take some practice. Just as we keep coming back to the breath when we are meditating, when we find our attention has wandered we can just bring it back to the present moment. Always remembering to be kind to yourself.

Live the actual moment. Only this actual moment is life.

Thích Nhất Hạnh

Take Three Deep Breaths

Paying attention to the breath can keep us grounded at any time, whatever the circumstances.

My favourite mindfulness go to is simply to take three deep, slow breaths. Anyone can do this at any time, and no one need even know you are doing it.

Feeling angry, upset, stressed, or out of your depth? Dealing with a difficult client, have a looming deadline or suppliers messing you around? Just bring your attention back to your breath. Three slow, deep breaths can have a really calming and grounding affect, just try it and see. You can do this as many times per day as you like.

Mindfulness For Busy People

If you would like to discover some simple ways to build mindfulness into your daily life, without using hours of your precious time, check out my Mindfulness For Busy People 21 day course.

Each day for 21 days you will receive a practical and actionable tip to help consolidate your practice. Each day will take no more than a few minutes of your time, but by the end of the three weeks you will have seen a dramatic mindset shift. It really can transform your life, as it did mine.

Learn more at: gillwashington.co.uk/mindfulness-for-busy-people/