Imagine a place where it’s safe and warm
Come in, she said
I’ll give you shelter from the storm

Bob Dylan

Find moments to re-balance, re-set and find calm

In my coaching work with leaders, the issues they bring to our conversations are increasingly focused on how they can help their own staff as well as themselves, continue to lead and teach well, in a world which remains uncertain, troubling and complex.

This month a number of them have mentioned an ‘undercurrent of anxiety’ in the school. They see staff missing their breaks, and staying in their classrooms throughout the day to catch up on work, and for some, self doubt about their ability to teach well has started to creep in. They are noticing how this ‘always on’ mode is showing itself in increasing anxiety, tiredness and irritability over the course of the week.

Living with uncertainty, planning for the as yet unknown and holding our own anxiety, whilst leading wholeheartedly with hope and optimism, is calling on all our strength and skill as school leaders. 

So how can we, and those we lead, remain grounded, calm and balanced when anxiety and overwhelm can threaten to sweep us off our feet? Many of the school leaders I work with have experienced how becoming present ‘in the moment’ and ‘anchored’ can help cultivate micro moments of resilience and give us a chance to ‘re-set’, connecting back into our core purpose. This invites us to give ourselves the permission to pause , even in the midst of our busy days, notice what’s happening, accept and allow it, let it pass - then move on.

Here’s how Mindfulness can help.

Mindfulness and the present moment

As humans beings we have an ability shared by no other species on the planet. Our minds drift. In fact just under 50% of our time is spent ‘mind wandering’.

You know how this feels. One minute we are fully connected to the present moment, focused on what we are doing, the next we have drifted into the future, worrying about ‘what next’ or taking up residence in the past, reliving an experience and usually beating ourselves up about it. Our minds tend to have a ‘negativity bias’ so when we are lost in thought we can find ourselves living a ‘worst case scenario’ - one which is very difficult to switch off from. This is part of a very human and universal experience.

An article from the start of the pandemic in the Harvard Business Review noted that a universal emotion we were all experiencing at that time was ‘anticipatory grief’. In other words, we were swept up in ‘not knowing’ and as a result spent much of our time consciously and unconsciously worrying about and grieving for that which we had not yet lost. 

Although we have learned to live with Covid, many of us are still left with this sense of ‘anticipatory worry’. We feel we have limited control over our lives and are therefore constantly scanning our horizon for risk, threat and what might go wrong. This is exhausting and erodes our wellbeing.

How do we handle this? The HBR article had a straight forward response - by pausing and bringing ourselves back into the present moment. This can help us unravel our kaleidoscope of thoughts and emotions. It gives us a chance to take a step back from them, observe them, allow them to pass, regain a sense of balance and move on.

A foundational Mindfulness practice for being present is the practice of ‘anchoring’. Here’s how…

The feet as an anchor. 

Gravity is an ally in bringing us down from a spiralling and busy mind. Stand still, bring your attention into your feet. With as much curiosity as you can muster for one or two minutes, get close up to the sensation of your feet on the floor noting the changing nature of the sensation. Each time the mind wanders and tries to distract you – which it will – gently come back to placing your attention on your feet. Let your breathing settle, then move on.

The breath as an anchor.

The breath is always with us and we can draw on it as a simple re-set at times in the day when we start to feel overwhelmed. When rushed we can spend much of the day breathing very shallowly, shoulders hunched, heart rate up. Try pausing and bringing your attention to your breath. Notice where you feel it most vividly, at the nostrils, the back of the throat or in the belly. With curiosity, settle your attention on your breath coming in and out. If it helps you can count, even up to five breaths will help. Each time your mind wanders – which is normal - gently bring your attention back to the breath. Then carry on.

Sounds as an anchor

Our schools and offices are full of sound. Stop what you are doing. Sit or stand in stillness as best you can. Become aware of sounds. There is no need to go hunting for them, simply let your body become a microphone picking up any sounds as they come, bringing you back into this moment. Notice the tendency to react to them – some we like, some we don't like, some tug strongly for our attention. As best you can, let these reactions go. Do this for perhaps 2/3 minutes at some point in the day, then move on.

As you try these practices, notice the impulse to ‘get it right’. Notice how your body still wants to be in motion and ‘get on’. Give yourself permission to notice this impulse to rush and let it go. Drop your responsibilities, like heavy shopping bags, just for a moment.  They will still be waiting for you at the end of the practice where you can pick them up again, a little more balanced, calm and resilient.

If you have time to go further this 10 minute practice by Mark Williams from the Oxford Mindfulness Centre is great. It’s taken from his book ‘Finding Peace in a Frantic World’ which was the book that first introduced me to the ancient practice of Mindfulness many years ago.