How to use mindfulness meditation during your busy day

Shilpa Srinivasan, MD

Geriatric Psychiatry

We’re all busy and stressed. Adding one more thing isn’t just a hassle, it feels impossible. But finding time for mindfulness meditation might be easier – and more beneficial – than you think. Psychiatrist Shilpa Srinivasan, MD, explained how to sneak mindfulness meditation into everyday tasks.

Why is mindfulness meditation helpful?

Although mindfulness meditation is known to relieve stress and anxiety, it does much more.

“Meditation can enhance not only emotional well-being, but also physical well-being,” Dr. Srinivasan said. “We don’t have a steel plate that separates our brain from the rest of the body. What affects the brain affects the body and what affects the body affects the brain. Meditation has been researched in conditions like asthma, cancer, chronic pain, heart disease, headache and irritable bowel syndrome.”

What does mindfulness meditation do?

Meditation is a technique that helps us focus attention and breathing to calm, concentrate and re-center the mind.

“In some ways, mindfulness is the goal and meditation is the skill by which we practice mindfulness,” Dr. Srinivasan said.

Mindfulness meditation helps us:

• Distinguish what is happening from what the mind says is happening
• Become more aware of thoughts, emotions and behavior patterns
• Interrupt automatic thinking patterns that can lead to unnecessary intense emotions
• Take things one at a time, which keeps us focused on our goals
• Be non-judgmental to make effective choices instead of what we think we should do
• Build acceptance and self-trust

What are some ways to fit meditation into a busy schedule?

Mindfulness meditation can be easily added to your daily routine. For example, while you’re showering, focus your attention on what you’re doing – the body movements, taste, touch and smell – almost like you’re doing it for the first time.

“I liken this to the amount of attention a baby gives to picking up a Cheerio for the first time,” Dr. Srinivasan said. “Look at showering as if you’ve never done it before and try to experience it in a fresh way.”

For example, notice the sound of the water as it sprays out of the nozzle, as it hits the body and flows down the drain. Notice the temperature. Notice how the water feels on separate parts of the body. Does it feel the same way when it hits your shoulders versus when it hits your back? Notice the smell of your soap or shampoo and the feel of it. How does it feel in your hands, on your face and on your scalp? Notice the water condensation and the droplets.

 “It’s very hard to make your mind wander when you’re breaking down these activities, and that’s the goal,” Dr. Srinivasan said. “It’s to slow your wandering mind and bring back a sense of grounding.”

She said if thoughts arise, let them go like passing items on a conveyor belt or clouds in the sky. Notice the distraction and come back to whatever can ground you.

What are some grounding strategies?

“Breath work is a useful strategy that can be done anywhere, anytime,” Dr. Srinivasan said. “Deep breathing slows down our heart rate, relaxes our muscles and moves us out of a ‘fight, flight or freeze’ state by mobilizing our full lung capacity versus only the upper regions.”

Here are some examples of breathing strategies:

Box breaths. Breathe in for four seconds and hold the breath for four seconds. Then breathe out for four seconds and hold that breath for four seconds. Repeat the process.

“The goal is to center your breathing,” Dr. Srinivasan explained. “When you’re counting your breath and focusing on holding it, it’s kind of hard to think about that grocery list and a whole bunch of other things.”

 “478 breathing” or pranayama deep breathing. With this strategy, you breathe in for four seconds, hold for seven seconds, and then breathe out very slowly over eight seconds.

One effective way to practice pranayama deep breathing is to do what babies do and breathe the belly out instead of sucking in. Relax your belly when you’re breathing in to let air get down into your diaphragm.

Tracing breaths. Breathe in and out slowly as you trace your palm. Breathe in as you trace up your thumb and breathe out as you trace down your thumb. Then repeat with each finger.

Chanting is another strategy you can use in addition to breathwork. A common chant, called “so hum,” involves saying the word “so” in your mind as you breathe in, and saying the word “hum” when you breathe out.

“There’s nothing mystical about this,” Dr. Srinivasan said. “It’s just a sound and syllable strategy to use while you’re breathing in and out that can help you feel grounded.”

Get more mindfulness meditation tips and strategies on Flourish here.