Bucks Writs - Summer 2021 - 28

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Mindfulness of Chores
Being that I have a husband and three young boys, I often
find myself in the kitchen preparing meals and cleaning
dishes - a lot of them! Although
washing dishes is far from
glamorous, like so many of
our day-to-day chores, it is
a wonderful opportunity to
practice mindfulness. For
example, when washing the
dishes, notice the shapes
and colors of the dishes,
the sound of water splashing
around the sink, the scent of dish
soap or even the small movements
and sensations in the hands and arms as you clean each
dish. If boredom arises, simply acknowledge it and bring
your attention back to the task at hand - washing dishes.
When thoughts arise, acknowledge them, let them be just
as they are and as much as possible, try not to judge your
experience. Then, gently invite your attention to come back
to the experience of cleaning the dishes. Even if attention
wanders hundreds of times, each time you bring attention
back to the cleaning of the dishes you strengthen the
mind's ability to be in the present moment.
Free Yourself of Unnecessary or
Unwholesome Commitments
Have you noticed the parts of your life that you commit
time to, but that don't bring you joy or fulfillment? It
can be liberating to recognize what in your life no longer
serves you and let go of it. This may mean saying " no "
to certain obligations or invitations. Rather than giving
yourself a hard time for doing so, try appreciating the fact
that it is really a radical act of kindness and compassion
towards yourself.
Stop Killing Time
Look at how you fill up your daily hours - do you
find yourself just trying to kill time? Instead, aim to
create spaces for non-doing to simplify your life.
Sometimes we feel lazy, guilty or think we're wasting
time by doing nothing. As attorneys, we're often
encouraged to capture every minute of our time in an
effort to reach or even exceed our monthly billable goals.
But, allowing ourselves periods
throughout our day to disconnect
recharges us so that when it's
time to take action, we are more
focused and therefore, more
productive in our work.
Assess Your Relationship with Social Media,
Television, News and Your Device(s)
For many of us, our devices, like an iPhone or Alexa's voice
on an Amazon Echo, serve as our alarm clock and from
there, we might immediately begin scrolling through social
media feeds, such as Instagram and Facebook. Then, we
might check various news sites, like ESPN, NY Times or
CNN for current events and so on, only to be followed by
logging into our personal and professional email accounts
to obtain yet, more information. The list goes on and on
and when we live in this way day after day, it can stir up
extra agitation and anxiety for ourselves.
Try being mindful of your relationship with your device(s),
news and the information you choose to expose yourself
to. How much screen time do you rack up on any given
day and when? How do you feel afterwards? Try limiting
your screen time and being cognizant of the type of
information you choose to read or listen to. Notice how
you feel when you limit your exposure. For example, when
waiting in line at the grocery store, instead of pulling out
your phone to check email or social media, can you stand
in line and simply notice yourself doing just that? Sense
your feet making contact with the support beneath you,
feel the breath entering and leaving the body, notice
sounds in and around the store (I've noticed that Whole
Foods these days has been playing some really good
tunes!). Inevitably, the mind will wonder off into thinking
or planning - this is completely normal and just the
nature of our minds. Each time you
notice that the mind has drifted,
simply invite attention to return
to the present moment by
noticing the quality of the
breath or perhaps sensing
the body as a whole. Rather
than feeling obligated to
respond to emails, call anyone
or otherwise " do " more, simply
allow yourself time to rest.
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Bucks Writs - Summer 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Bucks Writs - Summer 2021

Bucks Writs - Summer 2021 - 1
Bucks Writs - Summer 2021 - 2
Bucks Writs - Summer 2021 - 3
Bucks Writs - Summer 2021 - 4
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https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/BucksWrits/Fall2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/BucksWrits/Summer2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/BucksWrits/Spring2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/BucksWrits/Fall2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/BucksWrits/Summer2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/BucksWrits/BucksWritsSpring2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/BucksWrits/Winter2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/BucksWrits/Fall2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/BucksWrits/Summer2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/BucksWrits/Spring2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/BucksWrits/Winter2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/BucksWrits/Fall2018
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/BucksWrits/Summer2018
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/BucksWrits/Spring2018
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/BucksWrits/Winter2018
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/BucksWrits/Fall2017
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/BucksWrits/Summer2017
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/BucksWrits/Spring2017
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com