"Argonauta is dedicated to helping individuals and companies achieve positive transformation"

Maria Gonzalez Blog
Mindful Leadership

You Know You Are Wearing Down When…

Posted on by admin

You may find yourself really looking forward to a vacation and some time off, to the completion of an assignment or some other milestone, but at the same time you notice that you are feeling cranky or impatient.  What you are looking forward to is something positive, but you know that in order to get to that point there is a lot left to complete.  As time goes on you seem to be less efficient and feel increasingly stressed.

At times like this you know you are wearing down.  Although you may feel you are working towards a deadline, the wisest thing to do is to take a step back…take a breath.  Give yourself the time to regroup so that you can do what you are doing Mindfully.  This is the time to become aware of the present moment.  Chances are that if you are stressed and impatient you are not in this moment.  You are in the moment that says, “I’ll never meet this deadline; I need this break so badly, but what I need to do to take a break makes it almost not worthwhile; I never handle these situations well; This always happens to me….”

What goes on in the mind in those moments tends to be judgmental, harsh, lacking in self compassion and unforgiving.  You have taken yourself out of the present moment and in so doing you are becoming less effective and less efficient.

So, here is a strategy you may wish to try next time you experience this sort of angst.  Take a breath and make a conscious choice to take a break…a break to come back to the present moment.  All you need are 5-10 minutes.  Take a walk and walk Mindfully.  Sit and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee, outside if you can, and drink it Mindfully.  Get some fresh air, a change of scenery.  Listen to one or two pieces of music.  Most songs are no longer than 3-4 minutes each.  But really listen to the music.

This time out enables you to come back to what you need to complete, regenerated.  To be in the present moment is actually very relaxing and as you relax, you calm the nervous system.  This enables you to “reboot” the system and resume your work in a positive and Mindful way.

This entry was posted in Mindful Meditation. Bookmark the permalink.