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Research has shown that we spend almost half of our waking hours thinking about what isn’t going on!

 This mind wandering typically makes us unhappy. We mull over past problems or worry about what might happen in the future.

As Mark Twain put it: “I’ve had a lot of worries in my life, most of which never happened.”

So, a lot of this upset and distress is unnecessary! and just happens in our own mind!

How to calm the mindHow to Calm the Mind : Day 1 : Mindfulness at Christmas

That is due to the brain’s “negativity bias”: Your brain is simply built with a greater sensitivity to notice threats. This bias helped your ancestors survive and happens very automatically. The problem is we tend is to scan for problems. And the more often we do this, the more we strengthen this tendency.

How to CALM THE MIND

So, if you wish to be happy and savour all the joys of living, you have to cultivate that inclination. It makes sense to BE HERE NOW or BE MINDFUL and you can START NOW…

How do I start?  to Calm the Mind…

As mind wandering is our default mode, maintaining PRESENCE takes practice. We have to give the mind something to focus on.  The breath is always with us so is the No. 1 ‘go to place’ for anchoring attention.

At any moment, we can choose to move our attention from the thinking mind to the felt sense of our breathing – one breath at a time.  When we are aware of our in-breath and of our out-breath, we are in the present.

Short guided breathing meditation practice to help you calm the mind

This practice can be done anytime, anywhere… Click below to play a 6 minute guided breathing practice:

 Play guided meditation

Do it often, like when you finish one activity before moving to the next, on a bathroom break, sitting at traffic lights, standing in a queue or whenever…

When you are focused on the felt sense of your breathing, you calm the mind, have some mental and emotional rest and are present/aware/conscious so at your BEST.

It’s a HEALTHIER & HAPPIER way to live.


This blog was written by Joanne O’Malley, Mindfulness at Work.
We offer Onsite Corporate Mindfulness that transforms peoples’ work and their lives.

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