(source: thesocialmediamonthly.com)

I have a very busy brain. There are lists of lists running through it at all times making sleep and relaxation a challenge. I’m constantly multi-tasking and feeling like a winner when I have as many balls in the air as possible, until I drop all of them.

Lately, it seems, a number of my friends have been going through tough times, especially with their health. While I worry for them, it has made me sharply aware of my own good health. It’s a feeling I’d like to hold on to. I’d like to stay focused on all of the other good things in my life as well: taking a walk with my kids and my dog, eating good food, sleeping in a comfy bed, laughing with friends. These things can slip by almost unnoticed as I ‘get things done.’

Last week I felt tired, flat and extremely unmotivated. I slowed right down and tried to concentrate on one thing at a time. I moved myself back into my new bedroom, slowly and deliberately, clearing clutter (letting go of 10 things a day) as I went. I paid bills and scanned papers, worked on my screenplay and spent time with loved ones, at a much slower pace than usual. The weird thing is, that just as many things seemed to have been crossed off my list as when I rush headlong, constantly panicking about running out of time, stressing, and not spending time with people I care about.

Mindfulness, it seems to me, is one of the only truly effective ways to cope with the fast pace and stresses of life in 2014. I just wish I remembered to practice it more often. Maybe I’ll put it on my to-do list…

– 5 tips for integrating mindfulness into your everyday life