Must Be Present

Hashtag Agency Life is a commonly used term to blanket the following: busyness, stress, juggling, accomplishments, weird on-the-go diets, proud involvement and a bunch of “How did I even get here” moments, for better or for worse. We love it, and probably wouldn’t be as successful in any other kind of environment. We’re fast, as efficient as possible and count our every move. 

But it gets to us. I started sprinkling in meditation as a way to stop letting myself be so stressed, and as a result, discovered it’s not just about counting backward from 10, it’s about more emotional, mental and even physical capacity to be thoughtful in the moment.

Five reasons why it’s beneficial for everyone:

1. Reduces stress and anxiety
2. Improves concentration
3. Increases self-awareness, overall happiness and acceptance
4. Boosts cardiovascular and immune health
5. Helps sleep

Here’s how it’s beneficial for agency-folk:

A recent study conducted by researchers at INSEAD and The Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania found that 15 minutes of mindful meditation could help a person make better decisions. That same study shows that mindfulness “can reduce confirmation bias and overconfidence, allowing decision makers to better differentiate between relevant and irrelevant information.” Thank you, Nathaniel Eberle.

And holy hell, we all need a little bit of that reduced confirmation bias.

How to use it three times a day when there are 1440 minutes in a day.

1. Morning: Wake up 20 minutes earlier to add meditation to your morning routine. We promise that extra 20 minutes of sleep will not outweigh the benefits of lasting focus and mindful thinking.

2. During your day: Somewhere along the lines we made a habit of swiping when we have an extra moment, even if it’s just 10 seconds: riding in an uber, waiting on coffee, in the line at the grocery store, at a red light, during commercials, etc. Simply being present can help bring clarity to your day and adds the same effect as shower thoughts or hair dryer moments. Cue *ideas!*

Other benefits include:

• The capacity for more brainspace to be able to provide thoughtful responses quicker.
• You give yourself the opportunity to have more forward-thinking thoughts.
• In the brainstorming process, we are able to be less focused on the outcome, and more open to new ideas that may build a stronger outcome than expected. Imagine if we had the ability to quit boxing ourselves into preconceived notions, others’ ideas or frameworks that could be altered?

3) 24/7 Deep Breathing:

Here’s the scientific breakdown—more oxygen in, more carbon dioxide out. 

But there is a right way to do it. 

• Inhale through the nose for a count of five.
• Hold breath for a moment.
• Exhale completely through the mouth for a count longer than the inhalation.

What’s happening? You’re controlling your breath in a way that triggers the nervous system to counter your fight or flight response to daily stress…through your nose.

Bonus: Strategic breathing is not only useful as a stress reliever, but it also sparks brain growth. The effect is apparently more prominent the older we get. It also increases musical and visual motor skills like what jugglers and project managers use on demand.

Regardless of how you need to be present, I use an app called Calm for guided meditation, even if it’s only for five minutes. I started using it for sleep, and then added it to my commute from work in the evenings. Let me tell ya, I sleep harder and while it’s still a work-in-progress, I come home with lighter shoulders allowing me to be more present. That’s what it’s all about at the end of the day.