Mindfulness for Monotony
Is anyone getting tired of practicing mindfulness? Is anyone getting tired of monotony? The things that originally made my “new normal” seem meaningful and creative have now ceased to hold interest. The first two weeks I did not leave my home, I baked brownies. I made French toast, eggs, pancakes—foods that were never seen in my home on weekdays! I organized. It was helpful to throw myself into those activities. Eventually any repeated activity can become routine.
It seems, that mindfulness has a lot to teach us about monotony. We have discussed that mindfulness has been described as “falling awake.” Before we had playlists and CDs, some of you may recall driving in a car and losing a radio station and then searching and tuning in until the new station became clearer. Listening and adjusting the dial and hoping for clarity and a decent song…This is the type of work we need to do in order to stay attuned, interested and connected to our experience.
I will not rehash why it is so important to stay connected to our experience. Needless to say, all of the benefits of mindfulness require this type of attentive, nonjudgmental connection to the present moment. Boring or repetitive activities can provide wonderful opportunities to practice mindfulness. At the same time, with practice, even activities that seem boring can have meaning and feel less stifling.
Today’s practice involves engaging in a task or tasks that you can do mindlessly, but that you will consciously do mindfully.
Choose anything that you need to do today or that you could do without thinking. It can be brushing your teeth, cleaning a bathtub, or making your bed. Instead of doing it to get it done (or not doing the activity at all!), draw on awareness of top of breath. Breathe in deeply until your lungs are full, exhale until all the air leaves your lungs. If you have been practicing, this signals to your brain to pay attention, using your senses, without judgment. Begin your task(s). If you find your thoughts wandering, make the moment about the activity. Notice the feel, smells, and sights of your activity down to small details. You might find that judgments arise. You might think this is a waste of time or have an urge to speed up to get the task done. You do not need to go slow, just refrain from giving in to the urge to finish it so you can get on to the next moment.
Believe it or not, this will help to get rid of boredom, monotony, and restlessness. Try to do this with conversations, with meals, with every small thing you do today and notice how staying connected changes the experience of your day.
Have an interesting day!
Michele
