I almost got hit by a bus today. Was riding my bike to work crossing a road and failed to look in the other direction. The bus screeched to a halt, throwing passengers forward and off their seats, and the driver rode his horn in anger. Can’t say I blame him. It was entirely my fault but the trauma would have been his to live with. I felt simultaneously shaken and guilty. 

 

I almost got hit by the bus because my mind wasn’t on the job of cycling. It’s an extreme example and one that has a happy ending. 

 

But behaving mindlessly can have far-reaching and invidious affects on your mental health and your overall well-being. 

 

As stress silently eats away at your ability to be more mindful, correspondingly things start to go awry. 

 

Your mind starts to wander more - a process that is associated with decreased cognitive ability, creativity, productivity and happiness. Your body starts to undergo accelerated wear and tear as the effects of stress strain your organs, your cardiovascular system, your nervous system and brain. 

 

Being mindful of what’s happening to you - how you are reacting, how you’re feeling, is the first step to arresting these negative effects.

 

Stress induced by lockdowns and the fear of COVID and the social isolation of unrelenting working from home is a very real and unfortunate by-product of the situation we find ourselves in. It is driving a deterioration in mental health, disengagement and even burnout. 

 

Even so, in spite of the wide-spread problem of COVID-related and working from home stress, there are practical things you can do to take control of your mental health and well-being. 

 

The first thing you can do is to practice to stop and take stock of how you feel. Writing it down can help. I keep a one sentence a day journal - which as the habit has taken hold has expanded into about 300 words, without effort - as if by stealth. Writing down how you feel reifies what otherwise might seem like abstract intellectualization about your feelings. Makes them more real; spurs your ownership and responsibility for them

 

Second, practice being aware of your breathing. If you do nothing but just notice your breathing, your heart rate will come down a notch. Imagine what you can do for your blood pressure if you spent a little more time each day noticing your breathing and then focusing it on for a minute or two. 

 

Third notice when you’re habitually or impulsively reacting to something. Stop yourself from knee-jerk reacting to events. Take your time, stop and pause a moment. This gap gives you time to think and to respond appropriately. It fosters calm and consideration in times that otherwise might provoke impulsivity.

 

Fourth, practice taking deep belly breaths in moments where you feel emotionally chaotic or where you feel the pressure to react. Three deep belly breaths have been shown to stimulate the relaxation response, inducing a calm and stable mind and body as the parasympathetic nervous system is activated. 

 

Fifth, practice controlling your breath. Bring your awareness to your breathing when you breathe in and do a slow four count, and the same when you breathe out. This form of 4/4 breathing is very stabilizing and effective in bringing your emotionally chaotic mind back to a state of equilibrium. 

 

Finally, connect with your senses - what you see, hear, smell, feel. Doing so connects you with the moment you are in - the here and now of whatever it is you are doing - like riding a bike across a busy road.

 

Such mindfulness practices are not only good for cultivating your general well-being, they might also save your life.