Mindful Interrupters

Who wants to be interrupted when you’re doing something? I certainly don’t – unless the ‘something’ is an unpleasant task! But we are interrupted and these forced breaks in our work and thoughts are annoying. They cause us to lose our train of thought, require us to redo something we’ve started or just give up something mid-way!

But what if the interruptions went something like this:

• Don’t start the day with email. Instead, take a moment to reflect. How would you like the day to go? Breathe in. Breathe out. Go
• Just mumbling goodbye as you chew toast and run out the door? Stop a sec. Collect yourself. Wish your sweetheart well.
• Eating lunch? Just eat lunch. No devices, no multitasking. Then return to what you were doing.

These are samples of Mindful Interrupters I signed up to receive from Mindful.org.

Mindful Interrupters

I’m often so caught up with what I am doing that I lose perspective. The tasks may be mundane. It could be something like checking up all the plugins on my blog. Important, no doubt, but not more important than home and family. Certainly not more important than my health and well-being. It’s at times like this that I need a mindful interrupter – a brief moment to focus on what really matters.

This morning as I walked Pablo, I came across my favorite flowers strewn on the path. While the walk itself is a pleasant activity, I’m often sleepy or concerned with the day ahead. The frangipani acted as a perfectly mindful interrupter. I just had to pick up two flowers and bring them home with me. I put them on my laptop to remind me to focus on why I write.

 

We all need mindful interrupters and need to be open to see them when they come our way. I think a pain in my shoulder when I’m sitting too long at the computer is my body’s way of reminding me that I need to take a break and stretch!

What’s a recent mindful interrupter you have received?