Hi,
I'm Dr.
Tara Kuzno.
I'm a psychologist,
Mindfulness teacher,
And author.
I work with a lot of very busy people who aren't used to slowing down.
Maybe that's you too.
If you've ever said,
I can't meditate because my mind won't stop thinking,
You're exactly the kind of person mindfulness was made for,
Which is actually most humans.
And I'm sure you've heard that mindfulness is good for you or you wouldn't be watching this.
It can be particularly challenging for high achievers and time maximizers.
Maybe you've tried it.
You sat down,
Closed your eyes,
And within about 30 seconds,
Your mind was off to the races.
Replaying a conversation from last week.
Calculating how to meet one project deadline after another.
Planning dinner,
Wondering whether you're doing any of this right.
And maybe you thought.
.
.
I can't meditate.
My mind is just too busy.
This is a waste of time.
You are among the majority.
Here's the thing.
Mindfulness isn't stopping thoughts.
It's changing your relationship to thought.
Thoughts are mental events,
Not facts.
The goal is noticing,
Not controlling.
You don't need a perfectly quiet mind.
You simply need a willingness to come back to the current moment from all the future planning that your brain is hooked on.
Mindfulness,
By definition,
Is the practice of paying attention on purpose,
In the present moment,
Without judgment.
That without judgment part is really key.
You're not trying to stop your thoughts.
You're learning to notice them without getting completely swept away by them.
Think of your mind like a sky.
And your thoughts like the weather.
You're not the weather.
You're the sky.
The weather moves through.
For high achievers,
For people who think a lot.
For perfectionists especially.
This is not about slowing down your intelligence.
It's about creating a little space and offering some caring attention.
A small gap where you can step outside yourself for a moment with compassion.
And Norris.
That the content flowing through your mind are just transient states.
I like to say that this is practicing kindfulness.
Yes,
There's a particular challenge for people who are used to producing,
Optimizing,
Getting things done.
Mindfulness asks you to stop doing and just be.
And for many people that feels deeply uncomfortable,
Almost threatening.
Ugh,
If I slow down I'll fall behind.
Your body.
Just isn't used to it.
But here's the research that might persuade the overthinkers to keep practicing.
Mindfulness actually improves cognitive performance.
Capacities like attention,
Working memory,
Decision-making,
These all benefit from a regular mindfulness practice.
You don't become less effective,
You become more intentional.
Just 12 minutes a day among high performers has been shown to be beneficial.
You can even break it up three minutes,
Four times a day,
Or four minutes of mindfulness,
Three times a day.
Repetition helps.
Let me offer you one really practical tool.
It's a simple three-breath reset,
And you can do it anywhere.
Before a meeting,
When you're feeling reactive with other people,
When you anticipate stressful conversations.
And whenever you begin to notice your mind spinning.
Here's how it works.
Take one breath.
Feel your feet on the floor.
Just that,
Grounded.
Take a second breath and notice.
One thing that you can see or hear right now.
Not in your head,
But out there in the room.
Take a third breath and redirect your attention back to yourself.
Imagine the air flowing through you with ease.
And for the brave hearts listening,
You can even place a hand over your heart.
In a gesture of kindfulness.
That's it.
Three breaths.
One caring gesture.
30 seconds.
And you've just practiced some mindfulness.
Remember,
You don't need to be good at mindfulness.
You don't need to have the quietest mind in the room.
You just need to practice coming back again and again.
To this moment.
That's the whole practice.
And anyone can do it.
