Summer time
Makes me feel fine
Blowing through the jasmine in my mind
The Isley Brothers

Summer time renewal

I spent some time this week with the Forum Strategy CEO network looking at how we use the summer as a time to replenish and renew ourselves as leaders. Holidays are a time of rest, and they are also a time of renewal.

Richard Boyatsiz and Annie McKee tell us; 'We need more than rest and relaxation. We need renewal in order to sustain ourselves. Reversing the slide into dissonance, and keeping ourselves energised as a leader are possible only through practicing renewal. The effects of ‘power stress’ do not allow the body, heart and mind to flourish and even the spirit may start to wane'

Over the years, as I have culled my many papers on leadership, there’s one I pick up and always put back on the shelf again. Alan Flintham's 'Reservoirs of Hope' stresses the development of leader self-awareness, together with the ability to foster emotional resilience and keep things in perspective as a way of replenishing our reservoirs and attending to the regular renewal of our mental, physical and emotional resources.

How Mindfulness can help.

The summer vacation is an opportunity to reconnect with ourselves. In our day to day of work we can sometimes lose this connection with our own authenticity because we’re caught by feelings of anxiety, in a mode of constant ‘striving’, or living with a pervasive sense of ‘not good enough’. Feelings of disconnection can lead us to think that there’s something wrong with us, that we’re not enough, that we don’t belong—but we do. By the very nature of our existence, we belong.

Mindfulness helps us remember this by allowing us to experience a deeper connection with ourselves and the world around us in any one moment.

We practice deliberately renewing ourselves in the summer, so we can replenish our inner resources and then draw on them when the new term begins. Sir Steve Lancashire Chair of Forum Strategy CEO network meeting described how on a trip to The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam he spent time looking and re-looking at the ’The Starry Night’. He imprinted it on his mind, he savoured the feelings that it evoked, knowing that he could then return to this place of complete presence, awe and wonder at any time when the going got tough when back at work. He filled his reservoir.

The summer vacation is an opportunity to do similar. To slow down, fully inhabit each moment, and appreciate the world around us. Here are some practices you might explore:

Mindful and attentive walking

Mindful walking blends two important de-stressing and renewal practices: outdoor movement and mindfulness. It steadies your heart rate, lowers blood pressure and reduces stress inducing hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline.
A basic walking meditation is pretty simple. All you need do is notice yourself walking as you walk, using body sensations as your anchor to stay present. Notice the sensation of your feet on the ground or the movement of your muscles, especially as you encounter different surfaces beneath you. Notice not just what your legs are doing, but also your arms, torso, spine, and head as you walk. Notice the moment at which the right step becomes the left step and the left step becomes the right step. 
When you finish walking, simply stand for a moment and notice all the sensations in your body as you come to stillness.

Live in the moment
It’s easy when we take a break from being busy for our mind to decide otherwise, and to go into overdrive, too often time travelling to September when its only the beginning of August! When you find yourself lost in thought in this way, take a moment to reconnect with the here and now using your breath.
Step one: Simply stop, and bring your attention to your breath.
Step two: Note with each breath: ‘in - out’, ‘here - now’, ‘calm - ease’ or whatever words help you stay anchored on the breath. Your mind will still wander. As soon as you notice this, return to your breath.
Step three: Move into the next moment of your summer, a little more present to yourself and those around you.

Savour that which you love
Neuroscience research has found that our brains have a ‘negativity bias’. Negative experiences tend to stand out in our minds, while positive ones are easily dismissed or forgotten. In order to find renewal in that which we love we practice intentionally savouring positive experiences. When we savour something we bring our whole attention to it, and open up our senses in order to ‘imprint’ it in our minds and bodies.
So when you have that first taste of a cold beer on a hot day, take your time to feel the coolness of the glass, the colour and smell of the beer and the first moment you bring it to your lips. What are those summer moments that you intend to savour as part of your commitment to ‘fill your reservoir’?

If you have time, and are intrigued by mindful and attentive walking this short video takes you on a walking meditation exploring how you can open up all your senses to find peace of mind whilst walking.