To make good decisions in business and in life, we need time to think. We also need to time to not think. But how can we deal with the constant distraction of our thoughts? When we stop moving, our minds seem to speed up, and all the things we are thinking and worrying about start buzzing around in our heads more quickly.
We have been developing the mental disciplines of focus and reflection for centuries. Buddhism describes techniques to develop mindfulness—a state of present-focused awareness, open-mindedness and acceptance. Mindfulness is based on three useful components: selective attention (focusing where we want), sustained attention (focusing as long as we want), and attention switching (changing focus when we want). Research demonstrates mindfulness training has a wide range of benefits:
- Enhanced emotional stability and increased positive emotions
- More effective communication and stronger relationships
- Reduced depression and chronic pain
- Increased immune responsiveness and life expectancy
- Faster and more generalized learning
- More creative problem-solving
I help Fortune 500 executives reap these benefits by practicing mindfulness exercises. The following short Mindful Breathing Exercise can help you start cultivating your ability to stay focused in the present. Start with just a few minutes and see if you can work up to more.
Your breathing is a built-in stress barometer and focusing tool. When you are tense, your breathing is typically shallow and fast. When you are relaxed, your breathing is deeper and more regular. Simply paying attention to how you are breathing can reset its natural rhythm and enable you to ratchet down.
Take a minute and watch your breathing. Notice your stomach rising and falling as you follow your breath all the way in and all the way out. See if your breathing slows and your muscles relax without any added effort.
It can be helpful to say ‘In’ and ‘Out’ to yourself as you breathe. After a couple of cycles add, ‘Deep’ and ‘Slow’ to your in breath and your out breath. You are not trying to breathe deeper or slower, just saying these words to yourself. See if they help you focus and if they impact your breathing.
You may notice that doing this exercise for a few minutes your mind begins to clear. You may also feel your thoughts getting more urgent and racing faster. Your mind will naturally do this sometimes, and it can take some time for the noise to quiet down. Think of a glass of freshly squeezed juice. If you let it sit, gradually the pulp will settle to the bottom and the top will become clear. But this takes time, and only happens if we let go and wait. We cannot force it. We need to allow it to happen on its own.
Joshua Ehrlich, PhD, is the Dean of the BeamPines/Middlesex University Master’s Program in Executive Coaching (www.graduatecoach.com). Josh advises CEOs and senior leaders on complex organizational challenges. He is an executive coach, supervisor and accreditor of coaches at BeamPines, a talent management consulting firm based in NYC (www.beampines.com). Josh speaks to a variety of audiences about international coaching standards and brings together coaches from around the world to teach best practices. His research at Yale and New York University and numerous articles have clarified the psychological and physiological mechanisms by which stress impairs effectiveness. Read his full bio at http://www.beampines.com/bio_Joshua_S_Ehrlich.html. He can be reached at jehrlich@beampines.com or on LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuaehrlich
Read Joshua’s previous blogs in this series at http://www.hci.org/lib/unload-your-brain
and http://www.hci.org/lib/getting-no.
Photo courtesy of hurleygurley
Getting away from the desk/cell phone/blackberry/pc to do something physical results in creative thinking, I believe, b/c it gives your conscious brain a rest. I inevitably come up with a fresh idea after I've done that.