October wouldn’t be October without….The Mindful Break!
Yes, yes, I know what you’re thinking. It’s festive time, with Diwali – the largest Indian festival – around the corner. But for me, October has become synonymous with mindfulness.
Why I needed a mindfulness practice
October is a crazy-busy month at work. I’m usually up to my eyeballs in deadlines, with reports coming in to be edited faster than you can say Jack Rabbit. It’s also festive time, and I’m usually stressed about work, moping about not being able to enjoy the festivities, scrambling to keep up with Diwali shopping and decorating, and generally losing my sanity one moment at a time.
Until one fine day, four years ago, I decided to adopt a daily mindfulness practice, especially during busy months, and most definitely in October.
To hold myself accountable to this mindfulness practice, I decided to invite my community along for the ride.
And that was the best decision ever!
Benefits of mindfulness
Those 15 days of consistently remembering to take a pause in the midst of the crazy busy and just come into the present moment smoothed the edges of my frazzled nerves. I was able to focus on work and manage the Diwali frenzy with a lot more ease and calm. My temper was under control and I wasn’t a prickly ball of irritation for the entire month.
Sharing my mindful moments on Instagram became tangible proof of the moments of calm that we can find even in the midst of unimaginable stress. Going through #TheMindfulBreak hashtag stream on Instagram and seeing everyone’s mindful moments also brought in a feeling of calm and rest.
That experience stuck with me through the coming months and years, and helped me build up a toolbox of mindfulness tips and exercises that I could draw on whenever I needed to.
I’ve put some of these tips and tools together in a beautiful ebook that you can download for free by entering your email in the form below.
More than that, I hope you’ll join in and take The Mindful Break this year, from 7-21 October. Just head here for all the details and to sign up.
I hope these 15 days become the start of a consistent mindfulness practice for you as well!
I received this tag from Pragya. It’s my pleasure to pass on this tag to Vinitha. There are 38 of us on this Blog Hop, spread over 3 days – 4, 5, 6 October 2019. Do follow along with our posts and prepare to be surprised!
Yes being Mindful is the way of great living. Great post
Alas I will have to skip the mindful break as i have a fractured right hand. Hope your October us happy
No worries at all! Rest up and heal well. Love!
The Mindful Break is always something to look forward to. I know I’ve enjoyed doing it and am looking forward to the variation this year. Thanks for hosting it, Shinjini. I hope your month is wonderful in every way.
And I love seeing your take on mindfulness every year. I hope you enjoy the variation this year. 🙂
Hoping to join in Shinjini, maybe not according to the prompt but I will be in. Have a peaceful month.
Super! It will be fun!!
Mindful break is a much needed one for all of us. Thank you for the nudge, Shinjini. This is my first time participating in this initiative. <3
I hope you enjoy it, and that it sparks the start – or continuation – of a mindfulness practice for you!
I remember your mindful break tag during last October when I too was participating. And, yes, just as I read this post I realised I can join in this time as well!
Thanks for the reminder, Shinjini! AM joining you on Insta! <3
Super! So happy to have you join in again this year, Shilpa!
Super! So happy to have you join in again this year, Shilpa! xx
I took part in the mindfulness break last year but after doing it for 4 days, I fell out of the bandwagon. This year, there are prompts and I don’t know if I can think hard enough to post images on instagram according to the prompts. Nevertheless, your twitter posts and Insta feed on the same remind me for being mindfull everyday.
You don’t have to post according to the prompts, Anamika 😉 Do jump in if you feel like it!
Mindfulness is great…bit what’s even better is tracking the mindfulness. Thanks for a great post!
Yes, tracking is always helpful!
Wish you a very happy festive season and hope the mindful break brings much calm and happiness to your life Shinjini.
Thanks, Shalini! Wish you also a very happy festive season.
It’s wonderful that you are trying to be mindful in this busy period. I have seen few pictures of the hastag. Very inspiring to see people practicing mindfulness
Yes, it is inspiring! And I find the focus on mindfulness during a stressful period does help to bring the stress level down.
I am a great believer of mindful living, Shinjini and I do follow it in my quiet kind of way, everyday, in some form or the other! Must say, I’m loving #themindfulbreak on Insta and even if it is my first time and despite running behind schedule, I’m still going to be posting as and when time permits! Hopefully, now that our big festival is over, I’ll be able to schedule my posts on time.
And it shows in your posts, Esha. Even on the blog, there’s a sense of stillness and peace that shines through. I’m so glad you joined in on the mindful break. There’s no real rigidity to the challenge, so post as and when you can. 🙂
Thank you! <3
The little things, don’t we always oversee, forget, ignore them? I love #themindfulbreak Jini. Sadly can’t be a part of it this year.
No worries, Kala! Just remember to weave a mindful break into whatever is keeping you busy. xx
We all so need to live mindfully. We truly need to break free the auto-pilot mode. I practice it in bits and pieces but need to make it a way of life. Thanks for the nudge!
Ah, that auto-pilot mode. It’s so easy to get into that, isn’t it? We really do need to make an effort to break out of it, though.
Is it too late to join in?
Not at all, Sunita. Jump right in!
I will read the ebook for sure. This is really an interseting concept. Is it too late to join?
I see you’ve already joined! 🙂 So happy to have you joining in!
I feel I came to the party late. I saw other fellow blogger friends taking mindful break and mentioning you, so I kind of figured out. I would nevertheless try to be more mindful in the remaining few days of this month.
I feel bad about starting this but dropping in between. I am glad you found a good solution that worked for you, shinjini! I am always in awe of the many talents you possess. Thanks for joining, #WordsMatter.
Don’t worry about dropping out, Parul! I’m glad you joined in, even for a few days. 🙂