5 fast ways to be mindful when you’re booked & busy

Between work, workouts, and the never-ending battle to balance our social and family lives, it can feel like a miracle when we find time to take a walk outside, let alone stop and smell the roses while we’re there.

So if the idea of squeezing "mindfulness" into your already crazy schedule feels like an extra stressor, we hear you.

That’s why we’ve rounded up 5 fast and easy ways to stay grounded when stress levels soar.

1. Inhale. Sip. Sigh.

Have you heard about the cyclic sighing method? It was popularized by Andrew Huberman, who co-led a Stanford study comparing the effectiveness of breathing exercises. The study found cyclic sighing to be the most effective exercise for calming people down once they’ve started stressing.

Here’s how to try it:

1. Inhale through your nose.

2. Take a second, deeper breath in to fully expand your lungs.

3. Slowly exhale through your mouth, letting yourself sigh naturally and audibly as you release.

4. Repeat this process for a few minutes, or until calm comes.

How does it work?
When we worry, both our heart and respiratory rates speed up. Our brains can interpret this as a crisis, which has a snowball effect – physical stress leading to mental stress leading to more physical stress… you get the idea. But cyclic sighing melts the stress snowball, bringing calm, to body and mind and delivering you back to the present.

2. Try a screen-free lunch

When we’re busy or stressed, we tend to rush through our meals or skip them altogether. We might wolf down fast food between meetings, or something greasy over morning emails, then come home and stress eat mindlessly while scrolling on our phones. Not great for our body or our mental health.

Mindful eating is a simple way to build mindfulness into your day in an accessible way, improving not just your meals but also your mood.

How do you do it?
It’s easy – focus on your food. Ditch the screens, slow down, chew thoroughly, engage your senses, and let yourself enjoy the act of nourishing your body.

It sounds basic, but research indicates that practicing mindful eating can lead to greater psychological well-being and increased pleasure when consuming food. It may even lead to healthier food choices and reduce overeating.