Let Yourself Monotask

How often do you find yourself doing two things at once, maybe even three? My guess, probably a lot. You see, we're a society of multitaskers, and if we can get a few things done at once, well, we will. Sometimes it's helpful, like when listening to that podcast helps us finish the laundry, or having "The Bachelor" on helps us send off those tedious emails. But the thing is, our brains aren't designed to multitask all the time, and the more we do it, the more stress can build. That's why it's helpful to mix in some monotasking with all the multitasking. Monotasking means doing just one task at a time and allowing our thoughts to be focused on that one task too. When we allow ourselves to fully engage in one thing, we train our minds to be focused and resilient. We can serve our own energy and we can move through our day with more purpose and presence. Today, we're going to practice a moment of monotasking together. Let's get started. To begin, take a moment to clear out any distractions around you. Maybe turn off your TV if it's on, or close any tabs on your computer, or even move that to-Do list from your line of sight. Set yourself up just to focus on this meditation right now. Give yourself permission to take just a few minutes for you, where all you need to focus on is your breath. Feel free to press pause if you need more time to set up. Now, find yourself in a comfy position, whether that's sitting or standing. And gently close your eyes if you can. Take a deep breath in and out, and start to count. Inhale, one, two, exhale, two, one. Now, lengthen your breath. Inhale, one, two, three. Exhale, three, two, one. Keep going on your own time, slowing with each breath, counting up on each inhalation, and down on each exhalation. When you've reached a slow, even pace that feels comfortable for you, continue at that pace. Great job. Our minds are often where we do a lot of multitasking. We'll have lots of different thoughts and reminders pinging us at once, but we don't need to hold everything at once. All these thoughts and plans will be there for us later. For now, all you have to do is breathe and be. So, I want you to imagine that your mind is a web browser. Take a moment to ask yourself, what tabs are open right now? What's running in the background of your brain? Use the next few moments to notice how your brain is multitasking, without judgment. Now, visualize these tabs you found and I invite you to imagine closing them one by one. Imagine closing the tabs of any future anxieties. Imagine closing the tabs on your to-dos. Imagine closing the tabs of those thoughts of the past. Notice if there are any other tabs open in your mind, and take...