A recent study by the American Psychological Association revealed 75 percent of adults experiencing moderate to high levels of stress in the previous month, and nearly half reported that their stress has increased in the previous year. Yet only half of participants said that they are doing enough to manage their stress.

Not managing stress has significant associated costs:

• Stress can kill. The American Medical Association reports that stress is the cause of 80 percent to 85 percent of all human illness and disease or at the very least had a detrimental effect on our health.
• Every week, 95 million Americans suffer some kind of stress-related symptom for which they take medication.
• American businesses lose an estimated $200 billion to $300 billion dollars per year to stress-related productivity loss and other related costs.

One of the ways we create our own stress is by allowing our minds to dominate our lives. Have you ever noticed where your mind spends most of its time?? For most of us, it’s in the past (ruminating over something that is done) or imagining future scenarios that may or may not ever occur. We worry about what has happened or what will happen.

We are constantly concerned about how we will accomplish the millions of tasks we have in front of us. Our mind keeps reminding us of all we need to do to be successful, to achieve, to be “better,” to obtain. Our mind is a tyrant!

When we are focused on the past or on the future we miss what is happening now. The practice of mindfulness is a way to train your mind to stay in the present moment. As you grow in your ability to remain in the present you will start to notice less stress and more enjoyment. And you will be living your life as it happens!

If this is all new to you, I don’t expect you to take my word for it. It’s something you need to decide whether you want to try—and if you try it, see what you find. If it works, great; if not, feel free to go on to try something else. No matter what, I encourage you to find your way to manage your stress and to begin to understand that you can live a less stress-filled life.

Here’s a simple experiment that Jon Kabat-Zinn gives:

Take a raisin and place it in your hand.

Don’t eat it.

Just look at it. Pretend you are an alien and have never seen this odd object. Look at it with curiosity, carefully and slowly. Take your time! Notice what it looks like, feels like, and smells like. Turn it over and look more closely at it. Do this for a minute or two.

Now place it in your mouth but don’t chew it. Notice in great detail what happens. What are the sensations? Tastes? Smells? What does it feel like in your mouth? What is your body doing in response? Notice your thoughts as well.

Now, with attention, bite the raisin. And again notice how it feels, tastes, smells and what your reactions are.

When you are finished, take a moment and reflect on the experience. What did you notice?? When you stay mindful what happens?

This little experiment reveals to us that if we slow down and stay present to the moment we are in, there is great richness to each moment. These are moments that we have been missing until now.
Today, and just for today if you like, try taking three minutes out of your day to sit quietly and put your attention on something. It might be a picture on the wall, a tree, or flower, your dog, or something on your desk. It can be anything. Simply allow yourself to breathe deeply and bring your attention to whatever you choose. See if you can just be with the attention. You will undoubtedly notice your brain reminding you that you have things to do, or telling you that this is silly. That’s fine. That’s what our minds do. Just gently bring your attention back to the object and to your breath. See what happens.

If you find that interesting, you can expand this practice to make it longer or try it a few times a day. You will begin to get some benefits from breaking the habitual patterns of your day and thoughts, and you will start to see how your mind has control of you. In fact, you can take back control of your mind. This is just the beginning.

What do I do now?

I am so programmed to be “doing,” that simply “being” doesn’t seem enough. A swath of fear passed through me. What do I do with all this time and space??

An interesting question. I started observing my reactions.

I became very aware of my priorities. And that was scary!! I realized how much I have come to be dependent on distractions like the computer and TV, as well as the comforts of a hot shower and hot coffee. My priorities have been mostly around working.

In the midst of the storm, however, those priorities shifted to survival, and helping my neighbors, friends and, most of all, my family. Was everyone OK? I realized that I am not living in complete harmony with what I say I value, and I am far from just “being.”

As I allowed myself to stop resisting the situation and to move more into just being and relaxing, a great sense of joy came.

In a conversation with a client today who was experiencing a similar reaction, we practiced allowing the quiet to settle in. I coached my client to focus on her body and how it was feeling, to shift positions to invite relaxation. She was quickly able to move her focus from her “monkey mind” to her body and emotions. From that perspective she was able to tap into her heightened senses and become aware of what she really wanted to do, both today and in the next few weeks.

Try it. You don’t need a storm; you just need a minute or two:

1. Get in a comfortable position.
2. Bring your attention to your body.
3. Notice what you are feeling physically and emotionally.
4. Breathe deeply for a minute.
5. Focus on your body and invite all the tension to roll off.
6. Ask yourself: How am I?
7. See what shows up.

Doing this once a day will change your day, if not your life.

This past weekend, I decided not to look at my e-mail. What a shock!

The first thing I noticed was the buzz I usually get when I think about what work I need to do—but this time there was nowhere to focus that energy. The next thing that I noticed was that I didn’t know what to do with myself. I wandered aimlessly around the house. My life for many years has been filled by what my kids wanted to do or by my incessant compulsion to be on the computer and working. But now I was taking a break from work, and my kids, who are now in their late teens and early 20s, have their own lives (how dare they?!), so I couldn’t fill my time with their sporting events or other demands.

That first day was a bit uncomfortable. I imagined that, in some small way, I was feeling what addicts must experience as they go through withdrawal. But as I hung in through the zone of confusion, I found myself asking, “What do I want to do?”

It took a good part of the day before I settled in. Letting myself think about what would make me happy or feel good was unfamiliar but strangely enticing. I wanted a plan! I kept asking my husband what he wanted to do. He kept saying he wasn’t sure. I watched him throughout the long weekend, and realized that he simply stays in the moment and decides as he goes. Interesting, I thought. For all my years training facilitators on being “present,” I was finding myself unable to just be present with the time and space I had created.

I decided to adopt the “figure out as I go” strategy. Amazingly, the weekend began to unfold. I found myself wanting to take a walk, sit outside, go out to dinner, visit with my parents, go to a movie. At one point, I just sat on the grass and watched the world. Calm descended. I found myself talking to my husband and my kids… and really listening. My mind had stopped looking for the next thing to do or what I “should be doing.” It was a wonderful, relaxing weekend.

When I got up Monday morning and went to the computer. I was surprised that nothing earth shattering had happened. The world was just at it was. Nothing that didn’t get done really mattered. It could all get done this week—or not, actually.

People are looking for ways to slow down. There are tons of books, websites and other resources for how we can organize ourselves. But the truth is, many of us have to just turn off the machines. Take a break… and see what it is we are afraid of being with. It may be just the empty space that’s there when we’re not working. But if you let yourself be in that empty space, you may find yourself. I did.