I was the same in primary (elementary) school. My mind would wander so much that I had no idea what was going on in the class around me. Even in high school I remember once “coming round” from a daydream to realize that everyone else in the class was busy doing a quiz that the teacher had handed out. I must have been sitting there for ten minutes, just staring into space!

It’s best not to be too rigid about mindfulness. If there’s a good reason for you to pay attention to what’s going on around you while you’re chopping vegetables, then pay attention to what’s going on around you. If it’s a trivial discussion on TV, then turn off the TV or tune it out, but if it’s something like your children playing then you really have to keep your attention partly on them.

The point is not to do one thing at a time all the time, but to keep your attention focused on what’s important, and to prevent the mind from going wandering into patterns of thought that cause you suffering. And you can mindfully observe how you’re responding to all that you’re taking in, so that you’re less likely to respond with anger, or irritation (for example).

So you can pay attention to chopping vegetables and also listen out (say) for your children, and also notice what your mind is doing. You’re still “in the moment.”

I am reading your blog since few days and i find it very practical and useful.

I am practicing mindfulness from few weeks. I have started with meditation and i am finding it very calming and relaxing. Since my childhood I have never been able to be in the present. I guess I have rarely heard any lesson in the class. My mind always wanders,it is anxious and busy with internal monologue. But this mindfulness practice is really helping me to live in the present.

But sometimes it is difficult to be mindful of what i am doing and i feel i am loosing out on what is happening around me. For example if i am cutting vegetables i can be mindful of that but won’t i miss the sounds and activities around me. How is it to expand the mindfulness to my whole surrounding. Have i got something wrong in what i have understood? Please let me know.

thank you.
sany

I teach a six-week study skills and personal development course for teenagers most summers, and I always include an element of meditation. This summer we meditated in various ways for 5 to 10 minutes each day that we had class. Mostly I did body scanning and various approaches to mindful breathing, plus a small amount of lovingkindness. But even the famed “three minute breathing space” can be a very helpful injection of mindfulness into the day. In the student evaluations, the meditation was frequently cited as being the most valuable part of the class.

I didn’t do it this year, but I’ve also sometimes used an “emotional check-in” as part of an attempt to get students to be more mindful of their emotions, and to help them articulate what’s going on with them emotionally. I’ve used lists like these, which also help expand students’ vocabularies. One rule is that students can’t just say they’re “tired” (too easy). They have to also pick a more feeling-laden term.

if you have any advise to offer I would greatly appreciate any feedback.

thank you Susie Mitchell