How Practicing Mindfulness Can Help Your Work-Life Balance

 
If you're a small business owner, you're probably struggling to maintain a quality work-life balance. The reality is when you're responsible for managing and building a burgeoning company, personal time can be hard to come by. However, even small business owners can carve out a meaningful work-life balance by practicing mindfulness.

 
What is mindfulness?

In the broadest terms, mindfulness refers to a state in which you are fully engaged with what's happening in the present moment. To practice mindfulness at work is to dedicate all of your focus to the task at hand and give your full attention to your customers. To practice mindfulness at home means completely disengaging from work and allowing yourself to relax and meaningfully engage with your family and friends.

 
How can mindfulness help my work-life balance?

The Mayo Clinic notes that mindfulness can be very effective at enhancing your mood, increasing cognitive function and reducing stress. Consequently, regularly practicing mindfulness can improve your mental outlook, sharpen your thinking and reduce your anxiety. As you become a better communicator, effective problem solver and more psychologically resilient, you will likely find that your quality of life and productivity will be meaningfully improved.

 
How do I practice mindfulness?

One of the great things about practicing mindfulness is that it doesn't require a paid membership, any special equipment or a coach. It just requires that you take time out of every day to block out the distractions, focus your senses and live in the moment. Here are some effective mindfulness practices:

• Breathing Meditation – 5 to 10 Minutes
  Find a comfortable place to sit, straighten your upper body, close your eyes and direct all of your attention to your breathing. Focus on the sound and feeling of breath entering and exiting your body. If your mind wanders, let it do so without reaction or judgment. Breathing meditation is fantastic for reducing anxiety and clearing your mind.
   
• Sensory Reconnection – 5 to 7 minutes
  Grab a small piece of food, like a grape. Find someplace secluded and quiet and sit or lay down there. Stare intently at the grape and make note of its size and color. Next, focus your attention on the grape's texture and aroma. Then slowly begin to chew the grape and pay attention to its flavor. Sensory reconnection can be very helpful in boosting your mental acuity.
   
• Body Scan Meditation – 7 to 10 minutes
  Similar to a breathing meditation, body scan meditation also aims to relax the body and focus the mind. However, instead of focusing on your breathing, body scanning involves directing your attention to all of your bodily sensations. With every breath you take, focus on a different area of your body and releasing any tension you may be holding there. Body scan meditation is renowned for its ability to decreasing stress and improving sleep quality.

 
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