Mindfulness Tips for the Booked and Busy
A Guide to Developing Awareness While Chasing the Bag
With the recent craze of the term “Booked and Busy,” it seems like everyone these days is wrapped up with the idea of going after our best selves. I think this trend is something quite beautiful; it’s created an online community that’s extremely supportive of another person’s success. However, it seems like the importance of mindfulness seemed to slip through the cracks of this conversation.
As someone who does consider herself ‘booked and busy,’ I can definitely attest to some of the excess stress that it brings. I felt like if I wasn’t constantly looking for that next step—that next push forward for me or my brand—then I wasn’t living the “right way.” I lost sight of myself and measured my worth with how many A’s I got or how many bylines I could rack up. Taking time to practice mindfulness has changed my life for the better. Don’t get me wrong, I still have my moments; however, I think that I have an increased sense of self-awareness and an enriched relationship with myself that I never could have dreamt of. So, while you are out there chasing those checks, make sure to take a moment to be mindful. This article intends to help you out with that. 
What is Mindfulness, Anyway?
Before I start talking about how to be mindful, I thought I would quickly mention what mindfulness is and how it can change our lives. Mindfulness is simply the practice of being fully present in the current moment. We all have some extent of mindfulness within us; however, intentionally incorporating acts of mindfulness into your daily routine will definitely show some benefits. We can simply practice mindfulness by bringing awareness to our senses: what we’re seeing, hearing, feeling, etc.. There are several techniques that help integrate mindfulness in our everyday lives from meditation to mindful moment practices.
It might be intimidating to think about meditation as something more to add to our schedule. But, it’s not as nearly as threatening as it seems. Mindfulness practices can take as little as three minutes and some of them can be integrated seamlessly into any daily routine like this quick meditation. I’m going to talk about a few of my favorites, but if these don’t work for you, you can look here for more information.
Being in the Now
One of the easiest ways to incorporate mindfulness into your life is to notice your emotions. In such a busy world, we tend to simply experience them without really knowing what it is that we are feeling. When you take a moment to say to yourself ‘I notice that I am feeling…’, then you become more aware of yourself, your emotions, and the impact the world has on you. By stating your emotions out loud an announcing them, you can prevent yourself from being swept away in a tide.
Another quick and easy mindfulness technique is a sense countdown. When you are feeling overwhelmed, swept away, or consumed by the need to look at the next step, stop. Take a second to breathe. Name five things you see, four things you hear, three things you smell, two things you can feel touch-wise, and one thing you can taste. Counting down these sensations brings you back to the present moment, helping you become more aware of yourself and your surroundings.
Practicing Meditation
Meditation is the most widely known way to practice mindfulness, but I want to expand on what we all already know. It’s more than just sitting silently for a couple of minutes. Meditation is the practice of letting all judgement go and check in with the present moment. It is a full 
exploration of the current: the tension in the body, the speed of your thoughts, the feeling of gravity pulling, etc.. It’s one concentrated way of relishing every aspect of exactly where you are. Personally speaking, it’s a great way to ground yourself at any time during the day. It’s not as easy as it sounds, but like any skill, it is something to strengthen.
I find that guided meditations are the best way for me to stay present while meditating. I recommend using an app called Headspace. While it’s not completely free, the ‘Basics’ pack is super helpful to get anyone starting their meditation journey. However, if Headspace doesn’t work for you, mindful.org is an excellent resource. It has a step by step guide on how to meditate and offers insightful blog posts about mindfulness as a whole. Meditation is something wonderful to incorporate into an everyday routine. I recommend including it as a morning practice, since it is a nice way to ease into each day. But, if you are extremely booked and busy, here is a short list of other mindfulness techniques that work equally as well:
On Mindfulness Sub Heading
I think the most important aspect of being booked and busy is actually being present enough to enjoy your success. Mindfulness is a way to do that. Doing a five-minute meditation every day can drastically change your life. I can definitely say that incorporating mindfulness into my everyday life has made every aspect of “chasing the bag” so much more enjoyable. For once, I wasn’t focused on ‘what’s next’ but ‘what’s here.’ Now, every achievement is a celebration.
