Photo by @maddibazzocco from Unsplash
One of the hardest parts of practicing mindfulness is remembering to practice. We can sit in meditation, where we learn how easily our mind becomes distracted, but even if you practice everyday, meditation is usually only a brief period of scheduled practice. Increasing mindfulness beyond meditation, practicing centering and presence in the day-to-day, takes extra effort when we’re used to following wherever our monkey minds lead us.
A few months ago, when the pandemic began (or maybe before… 2020 is a blur), I decided to start wearing my FitBit again so I could track my steps and track my sleep to learn ways to adjust my day to get more of both. At 10 minutes before the hour (from 9am-7pm) my FitBit reminds me how many steps I need to get to achieve 250 steps per hour. I don’t always get up and move, and it is easy to ignore, but when I pay attention I find I at least stand up and stretch when I’ve been sitting at my computer for too long.
My FitBit also has a handy alarm I can set. I thought of the time of day when I was least mindful, when I would be most inclined to have an unhealthy snack or beverage to escape whatever mid-day discomfort I might be experiencing.
Perhaps I was influenced by those who’ve experimented with 3:15 am as a time of unique collective creativity; I find I’m least creative and most distracted between 3 and 4 pm, when it’s not quite time to quit for the day but I’m lacking sufficient motivation to be truly productive because I can’t think clearly.
So set my alarm for 3:05 pm to remind me to get present. When my alarm goes off, I am supposed to stop what I’m doing and complete a “body scan” or some other activity – something to check in with myself, see what I’m thinking and how I am feeling, maybe check in with my daily intention, and make adjustments as needed.
I can push “snooze” and it will remind me again at 3:14. The problem is I become habituated and easily ignore these alarms after the novelty wears off. If I am actually deeply involved in getting work done, I just skip these present-moment reminders.
Last week I was talking with someone about my self-care practices and shared this “hack” using with my FitBit alarm. I asked if they might want me to email them at 3:05ish and share my mini-practice. They said yes.
Sharing and having someone to share with has been a game-changer. Just including someone else made me more inclined to practice. I had to choose something helpful for me at the moment, then share it with another person. I wanted to help that person, someone I care about.
In fact, I want to help all people I care about, people I want to see care for themselves. I started including a couple other people I thought might be interested, and in response I received thanks and heart emojis. Added benefit: I am no longer ignoring the alarm. I am more consistent in practicing myself.
Here are some examples of what I suggested:
Take a sip of water. Notice how it feels in your mouth. Pay attention to how it moves down into your body when you swallow. Thank yourself for taking care of your body through hydration. <3
5-4-3-2-1. Pause and take note:
- 5 things you see;
- 4 things you can hear;
- 3 things you are touching;
- 2 things you can smell;
- 1 taste in your mouth.
It occurred to me that other people might want to participate, so I’m looking into a way to easily share that will keep me accountable. Eventually it might be a subscription or service like “remind” but I’m not at that point yet. For now, I’ll just keep it simple. This will help me practice by helping you practice.
If you want to play, if you want me to send you an email or text with a suggested activity sometime between 3-4 pm on Monday-Friday, let me know and I’ll loop you in!
Adding just one more moment of mindfulness to the day is better than none. Eventually I will practice more regularly. I have other tools to remind me and I’m already beginning to remember to practice centering and moments of mindfulness without them. But any little step forward is still a step forward. How and when do you reset? What are your micro- and macro-practices?
