This is a short meditation for focus and attention.
Often when we feel we have a lot of tasks to do,
Our thoughts can run away with us and we can begin spiralling and overthinking.
The problem with this is that when our minds are overloaded with worry,
We don't have the cognitive capacity to focus on the task at hand.
The best thing you can do is to step back and let the mind rest for a few minutes before you can continue with your day.
First,
I want you to step away from the laptop,
Screen,
Desk or phone that you are working at.
It can be without you for a few minutes.
Sit upright with your hands in your lap and close your eyes.
Pay attention to any tightness or clenching in your body,
Particularly your neck,
Shoulders or face.
Make an effort to consciously relax these fully.
We're going to start with deep and slow breaths to balance the nervous system.
We will do three rounds of breathing.
Five breaths in and five breaths out.
Use your nose to breathe if you can and remember to breathe from your belly and push out all the air with every out breath.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five and out,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five.
In,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five.
Out,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five.
In,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five.
Out,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five.
I want you to continue this breathing throughout the meditation.
Now,
I want you to picture a crisp,
Clean,
White room.
It is completely empty except for you.
You are there alone.
You have complete silence and peace,
No distractions,
No tasks to contend with.
It is a peaceful rest from your overstimulated world.
You're happy here.
I want you to keep this room in mind.
And whenever you have a thought arise,
Imagine that the thought is a bubble passing through the quiet white room.
You see the thought bubble and you acknowledge that it's there.
But as you continue with your deep five breaths in and five breaths out,
With each out breath,
You gently blow away all the thought bubbles that have gathered in the room and the room becomes empty and peaceful again.
I want you to try this exercise for a minute.
Keep your focus on the empty white room.
Remember that each thought is just a floating bubble which you blow away with every out breath and then peace is restored in the room.
Thank you.
As time continues,
The room is becoming less crowded.
There are less thought bubbles appearing than before.
It stays empty and peaceful with greater ease.
Occasionally,
The thought bubbles still pop up,
But this is easily resolved with a deep out breath to clear the room again.
Thank you.
Remember that although you are seeing the thought pass by in the bubble,
You're not getting caught up with it.
You're not following that trail of thought.
You're just gently blowing it away with the out breath and returning to the white room and your deep breaths.
Remember that the white room is your mind.
And now you have had some time to blow away the overcrowded thoughts,
Your cognitive capacity will be restored.
Keep returning to this meditation and exercise.
It's all about skill building and the more you practice this,
The easier it will be to quickly find clarity and space.
When you finish this meditation with a clear mind,
I want you to take a paper and pen and write down three tasks that you want to complete today.
They should be small,
Manageable and have a definite time frame.
Do not over stretch yourself.
Take the small gains to work towards your overall goal,
Whatever that means to you.
Now you have the ability to return to this safe space whenever you want.
Your autonomic nervous system has been restored to balance and you may open your eyes and take the first step towards achieving your goals today with a mind slightly clearer than before.
