Killing time.
No matter how busy you are,
There are always some moments when you just need to kill some time.
You may scroll through social media,
Play a game on your phone,
Or read the news.
When you have a few minutes to kill,
You can use it as a period of practice.
Instead of telling yourself that these habits are bad or wrong,
You can use them as a focus for your mindfulness,
Thus making them more restorative and restful.
You can use this exercise to take a break from your day at work or at home,
Using your few free minutes to arrive in the present moment.
This exercise will focus specifically on the use of smartphones,
As this is a common way many of us check out during the day.
When you have a few minutes to spare,
In which you would normally kill time,
Notice the habitual urge to waste time.
This doesn't mean you label the habit wrong or bad.
It's just about observing.
As you begin participating in your normal method of killing time,
Bring some mindfulness to the act.
If you take out your phone,
Pay attention to your state of mind as you do so.
Can you be fully present as you begin scrolling through social media,
Playing a game,
Or reading a news story?
Practice now.
Use the sense of sight as the object for your awareness.
Watch what you are doing as you do it.
Pay attention to the picture as a whole and the individual parts of what you are seeing.
Notice colors,
Shapes,
Movement,
And anything that grabs your attention.
As you click the screen or interact with your phone,
Be mindful of the interaction between the body and the device.
Continue to kill time mindfully,
Attending to the actions with a gentle awareness.
Don't judge yourself for taking a break.
Be proud you are using your break to take care of yourself and cultivate mindness.
Lift your gaze off of your phone and take in your surroundings around you.
Place the phone down,
Turn the screen off,
And return to the present moment,
Feeling refreshed and ready to embrace your day once again.
