Mindfulness Roadblocks & How to Get Around Them

I have a confession. For all my years of working with mindset, there was a lot of time that I avoided the concept of mindfulness. I thought it was overused, and (dare I say it?) boring. I thought it meant never thinking about the future, never being really excited, never setting goals or planning ahead – and those are some of my favorite things! 

But then I realized something: that judgment was really resistance in disguise. Thankfully, with the help of reading, trusted friends, and a whole lotta practice, I learned what mindfulness really means.

It means stepping into the flow of life. It means opening up to the messages that our bodies, minds, and hearts are sending us – and they are constantly sending us messages that we need to hear. When we're not mindful – that is, when we're distracted by what we're doing later, or fixated on what we don't have, or numb to our emotions, we miss out. It's like watching TV while someone is trying to tell us something important.

The truth is that we can think about the future (and the past) and still be mindful. We can set goals, get excited about them, and plan for how we'll reach them. The trick is to do so intentionally, rooted in the present moment. It means not using the future as escapism or distraction. It means looking ahead from a place of center and focus.

If you're like me, you've probably experienced some setbacks on the road to mindfulness. Like yoga and meditation, it's a practice, which means some days it'll be easier than others.

Generally, we tend to shy away from mindfulness when:

• Life feels chaotic or overwhelming
• When we doubt ourselves ("Am I doing this right? Ugh, I'm probably messing this up…")
• When things get painful (when we want to distract ourselves or numb the pain)
• When we're triggered (often by people, or reminders of past pain)
• When we're too focused on the future or past (when we use either one as an escape hatch from the present moment – usually in the form of nostalgia or daydreaming)

How to get around them

Everyone encounters these roadblocks from time to time. When you do, don't worry – it's not a sign of failure; it's just a stone in the path. Here are five tools that you can use anytime, anywhere to get around those roadblocks. Remember, this isn't about making your life harder, so choose whichever one seems easiest. Use them as often as you like!

• Check in with your senses. How does your body feel? What do you hear, see, feel right now? Go through each sense and really experience it. This will bring you into the immediate moment. Do you feel any emotions in your body – maybe nervousness in your stomach, or tension in your shoulders? Notice it.
• Take a long, deep inhale, and then let it all out. Do it again. If you want, do some rhythmic or box breathing – count to four as you inhale, then pause for four, then exhale for four, and pause for four again. Deep breathing soothes the vagus nerve, which is often heralded as the crux of the mind-body connection – it travels between all your major organs, bringing messages from the body to the brain and back. Breathing is the #1 way to stimulate it.
• Step back from whatever you're doing – even if you're in a fast-paced scenario. Bring your awareness to whatever is going on. Talk through it, if it helps. "Okay, I am extremely frazzled right now, but instead of wolfing down a box of cookies, I'm going to step back and atke a deep breath." This will help you make more mindful decisions, distance yourself from stressful scenarios, and practice finding your center.
• Move your body.Many of those mindfulness roadblocks are caused to us getting too far inside our own heads – and there's no faster way to get out of your head than getting into your body. Movement changes your body chemistry, sending blood to your limbs and heart, and making it easier to shift your focus. It can be simple - walk, jog in place, stretch.
• Find one thing that you're grateful for, right now. This will shift your attention away from the chaos or distraction that's around you, allowing you to appreciate the present moment. I love to combine this one with movement by doing gratitude squats – check out my Moti Minute on them here!

As humans, we're so programmed to avoid pain. We'll do anything to get away from it. But mindfulness asks us to sit with discomfort – not because we're masochists, but because sitting with pain is the best way to process it, learn from it, and ultimately, let it go. When we really experience everything that's happening in the present moment, we're better able to hear the messages we need, to ride through the feelings that are coming our way, and to get the most out of life – every second. That's what mindfulness is all about.

Go out, be mindful, and shine.