DEVELOPMENT paying attention to whatever sensation is there . Often , just noticing you are experiencing tension in your forehead , hands or belly will cause it to soften without you forcing it .
Tips and troubleshooting If you find it difficult to stay engaged , increase interest by combining these two practices . Visualise breathing into a part of your body that feels tense and then breathing the tension into the earth or the air through your feet or the top of your head .
As with any new habit you try to build , a meditation practice will be easier to maintain if you make it obvious , attractive , easy and satisfying . These are the four laws of behaviour change covered by James Clear in his bestselling book , Atomic Habits . You could start as I did by sitting or lying on your bed with a short , guided meditation ( try the Calm app ) before going to sleep . For me , the fact that I am going to bed anyway makes sitting to meditate obvious and attractive , while the positive effect the practice has on my ability to fall asleep quickly and soundly makes each meditation satisfying . in more traditional settings . Here , the purpose is to pay close attention to how freely your body is moving and what it needs energetically in that particular moment . Doing an hour of yoga is not like trying for a personal best on your usual run . And you don ’ t need to be particularly fit or flexible to gain the enhanced calm and clarity that the practice offers .
If yoga is not available to you , try adapting the principles to the things you do each day : w Notice your hands on the keyboard . Marvel at how your fingers bend and stretch to tap the keys without you consciously controlling them . w Enhance a walk by paying attention to where each part of your body is in relation to your centre of balance . Arms swing from the shoulders , the back foot propels you forward , momentum builds and slows , and your neck swivels your head to look around . w Sink into the experience when you come into contact with water – washing your hands or the dishes , showering , swimming or having a cool drink ; water will carry you back to your centre if you let it .
THE EXPERT
Karen speaks at conferences and in-house events about how to build wellbeing that is resilient to sudden shocks and massive change , drawing on her experience as a lawyer and mother who survived a brain injury and learned to live with legal blindness .
Take a sensory break If the idea of focusing on your breath or body for a few minutes is daunting but you need an emergency exercise to centre yourself when agitated or overwhelmed , try the 5-4-3-2-1 method to bring yourself back to centre . Simply name , in your head or aloud : w Five things you can see ( the smaller the better ) w Four things you can hear w Three things you are touching w Two things you can smell w One thing you can taste
This exercise is always available to you but , if possible , try super-charging the practice by combining it with a degree of immersion in nature . Ideally , you would be barefoot in soft green grass with a gentle breeze on your face and birdsong in your ears … But this isn ’ t always going to be possible so start where you are ! Why not try taking off your shoes and scrunching your toes into the carpet or feeling the firm coolness of the floor under your feet ? And FYI , this is not something you can multi-task . So , try disengaging from your devices for the duration . You will be surprised how even a minute-long sensory break can be effective in helping you feel more centred .
Try exercise for mind-body connection You are probably expecting the next thing on this list to be yoga and it is . Sort of , because the type of performative yoga offered by the big gyms rarely encourages the kind of inquisitive practice taught
Express and explore gratitude Research well and truly concludes that even the most modest gratitude practice improves resilience by reducing negativity bias and opening the mind to more constructive ways of explaining events . The best results ? Handwriting a note of appreciation to a person you are grateful to for having done a particular thing then handdelivering that to the other person . The positive emotion they feel receiving your thanks spills over to make you feel good ; you both get a mood lift and the relationship between you is strengthened . But , more importantly , you are prompted to notice what is good and kind in the world more than you otherwise would .
The thing you express gratitude for doesn ’ t have to be earth-shatteringly significant or especially recent . You could find an old school mate through social media and thank them for helping you through year nine maths . Or thank the admin superstar in your office for keeping the toner topped up so your printing is always frictionless .
Over to you As an EA , you need agency and energy to hold it all together and operate efficiently , and these come from being centred . Meditation , yoga , mindful movement , connection to water , earth and air and cultivating gratitude are all ways to become less scattered and more centred . See what works for you and enjoy the sense of power and balance that follows … S kdmccarthy . com
Summer Issue 2024 | Executive PA 61