Find An Anchor In Overwhelm

Thanks for showing up today. No matter what else is going on in your week, right now, in this moment, you are giving yourself the mindfulness break you deserve. And today we'll take a break from something we do most days: overwhelm ourselves with information. Our brains consume a lot of information at once, especially on screens like our computer, TV, or smartphone, and we rarely let ourselves just focus in on one thing at a time. No surprise, it can leave us feeling exhausted. That's why we need to take breaks from processing everything around us at once. Today we're going to do that by focusing our energy on just one thing and grounding ourselves with our sense of touch. First, I want you to look around your home for an object that you could spend time holding and looking at. It could have an interesting texture or a beautiful appearance. It doesn't have to be big or small, but it's best if it's something you can hold in your hand. You can hit pause if you need to, but I'll give you some time now. Once you've found an object, set it down in front of you. While this exercise focuses on our sense of touch, our bodies and abilities are all unique so modify this practice in a way that feels good to you. If touch is not available to you today, imagine the sensation of doing so as we move through the exercise. Okay, get yourself in a comfy position. Lift your spine up tall, opening up your chest for some deep breaths. In and out. In and out. Softly close your eyes and let's take longer breaths with a count of four. In two, three, four, and out, two, three, four. In two, three, four, and out, two, three, four. Great. You can gently relax. Scan your body for tension, and as you find it, release it. Notice those tense points like your jaw or shoulders or stomach. Feel your mind and body both relax. Give yourself some time to settle in with your thoughts. Notice what's on your mind and let it pass through you. Nice. And now bring all of your awareness to the present. Take another deep breath in and out. Softly open up your eyes, pick up the object in front of you, and just hold it in your hand. Bring your full focus to this object. Feel its weight. Notice its smoothness or sharpness. Notice its color, any patterns or variances to it. Where do shadows fall on or from it? Are there shapes within it? If you feel comfortable, try closing your eyes. Just hold the object close to you. Notice what information you can take in from only your sense of touch. Nice. When you're ready, you can put the object down, opening your eyes briefly if you need to. If you're going into a stressful situation or feeling overwhelmed, shifting your focus to something in the present...