What to watch, read, listen and do for mindfulness

All too often, we zip through our days worrying about what happened yesterday or what’s in store tomorrow. Or we go on mental autopilot. What if you slowed down and lived in the moment? That’s mindfulness — the simple practice of training your attention to focus on the present and observe thoughts without judging them. Shifting your perspective is a powerful tool. It allows you to see yourself and the world around you without preconceived notions of what it “should be.”

Why it matters:

Mindfulness helps reduce anxiety, improve memory, prevent depression, increase energy, lower blood pressure and reduce distraction. If that wasn’t enough, a new comprehensive analysis of mindfulness research suggests that mindfulness improves focus, stress management and how employees work together.

Lindsay’s favorite tools, tricks and tips for mindfulness:

WATCH

• Did you know our minds are lost in thought 47 percent of the time? Andy Puddicombe’s TED talk, “All it takes is 10 mindful minutes,” will encourage you to exercise your mind through meditation.
• After watching “Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things,” you’ll rethink what’s important and how you want to spend your time.

READ

• My fellow LimeMate, Yogesh, started “two minutes to mindful meetings” at Limeade. This simple tip will transform your meetings.
• Between the mesmeric artwork and quick reminders, The New York Times “Mediation for Real Life” column will help you find mindfulness in everyday tasks.

LISTEN

• The “Tim Ferriss Radio Hour: Meditation, Mindset and Mastery” interviews celebrity guests (like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Rainn Wilson), who all believe mindfulness is a simple power tool. Building a “pause” into your day is a game changer.  
• This science-backed playlist is an easy way to calm your nerves and relax your mind.

DO

• Learn the basics of breathing and visualization with the guided meditation app, Headspace. It teaches you how to slow down and become more aware of your thoughts and emotions.
• This anti-stress dot-to-dot will relax and focus your mind in a way you never thought a children’s book could.

How will you incorporate mindfulness into your everyday life?