“For those who drive to work, the daily commute is often a tense time of bumper-to-bumper gridlock, erratic and dangerous driving, delays, road closures and construction. And best of all, we get to do it twice a day…Concerned about wasting time, we often try to catch up on all the “little” things we think we can do while stuck in traffic or at a red light – jotting down to-do lists or reading email. I’d argue that there’s a better use of your daily commute: practicing mindfulness.”
Reference: Maria Gonzalez: Founder and president of Argonauta Consulting Inc. Her most recent book is “Mindful Leadership: The 9 Ways to Self-Awareness, Transforming Yourself, and Inspiring Others.”
Finding the time to consistently incorporate mindfulness practice into your daily routine can be difficult. However practicing mindfulness is a key strategy to help manage life stresses and may improve both mental and physical health. Recently I stumbled across a great article written by Maria Gonzalez for the Harvard Business Review on how to transform your daily commute, what is for many a mindless time of stress, into a purposeful drive in the present moment. It is something that I have been practicing daily for the past month, and have found wonderful changes in my focus, body awareness, self-awareness, regulation of emotion and regulation of attention.
I hope you all enjoy the article as much as I did. Practicing mindfulness takes practice, but as you do this you are training the mind to be present. Let me know how you go.
https://hbr.org/2014/11/your-car-commute-is-a-chance-to-practice-mindfulness
