Accidental Mindfulness for Busy Brains
One day, everything will be perfect and you’ll have time to do those mindfulness activities you’ve been planning.
One day.
And until then, you don’t have time for mindfulness because you’re always too busy with something else (despite the best of intentions).
I’m exactly the same!
I have big plans for my garden. It’s going to be full of Australian natives, filling every square inch of my little yard. I can’t wait to see the birds and insects it will attract…
Right now though, it’s more like a biodiversity project aka, a weed patch. And I keep thinking, when my garden is established, I’ll spend more time outside and cook using the homegrown herbs, vegetables, and fruits. I’ll sit outside and watch the birds. And I’ll practise mindfulness.
So far, each time I’ve tried to practise mindfulness (using different techniques), the thoughts running around my brain have hijacked my efforts. Thoughts about all the things I need to do, recent events, whatever’s happening with the kids at the time, the big plans for my garden, etc.
That is, until recently when I accidentally practised mindfulness and didn’t even realise I had until after the fact…
*If you need a little refresher, below is a definition of mindfulness from mindful.org. I also love Denise Jarvie’s simple explanation in the Mandala Healing Oracle Guidebook: ‘Mindfulness means paying attention deliberately in the present moment without judging the experience’ (2021).
…I had a few spare minutes while the house was quiet and without a specific intention, I picked up my camera (which is always close-at-hand) and sat in the sun at my sliding door. Nearby was a pot plant that mum had given me for my birthday (she knows about my big garden plans)!
I sat and lazily observed the yellow boronia in its pot. After a few seconds, I noticed a little insect (? a type of cricket — if you know what it is, tell me!) clinging to one tiny branch. I took a photo.
Then, I saw some ants running up and down one of the other branches. I took a few more photos.
After that, I spied a little black and yellow caterpillar. I took another photo.
Several minutes passed and I kept observing, and taking photos. My mind was completely focused on the task at hand and I was fascinated by the number of creatures I had discovered on one pot plant, which had just looked like a lonely plant at first glance.
When I thought I had discovered all possible creatures I put the camera down, ready to go back to my work at the computer. As I did so, I noticed that I felt calmer and… lighter. Somehow, those few minutes spent absorbed in a simple and creative task had provided a refreshing dose of accidental mindfulness!
So, if you’ve got a busy brain like mine and you find it hard to settle to mindfulness tasks, try thinking of something you naturally enjoy doing and just spend a few minutes with it. No pressure. No big expectations. And no disconcerting blank space that your brain feels it needs to fill.
Of course, one of the reasons I think this worked for me is because I hadn’t set out to practise mindfulness. It just happened. And I think the more we take the pressure off ourselves and notice little snippets of time when we’re truly in the moment, the easier it becomes.
Have you discovered any accidental mindfulness techniques that work for you? If so, I’d love to hear about them in the comments below…
P.S. If you’re looking for extra information about meditation and mindfulness, I found some great resources on mindful.org
This blog was first published on Brave Little Pig — see the original post, here.
