Executive Business Coach and Life Wellness Coach Lyndall Mitchell, shares some great advice on mindfulness and wellbeing for Health and Fitness Travel a topic on which she is an expert as the founder of Aurora Spas, one of the most renowned and successful luxury spa companies in Australia, and ASPAR, a spa brand stocked throughout Australia and New Zealand, as well as being the spa brand of choice for Qantas.
Executive Business Coach and Life Wellness Coach Lyndall Mitchell, shares some great advice on mindfulness and wellbeing for Health and Fitness Travel a topic on which she is an expert as the founder of Aurora Spas, one of the most renowned and successful luxury spa companies in Australia, and ASPAR, a spa brand stocked throughout Australia and New Zealand, as well as being the spa brand of choice for Qantas.
Whilst practising her morning ritual of yoga & meditation recently it dawned on Lyndall that she like many of us spends so much time during the day with the next task on her mind, that mental checklist that keeps rolling throughout the day. This is efficient and effective for our workday, however how much time do we spend without the “next thing” on our list. This is part of the reason why meditation can be so challenging for people. We spend most of our existence with the next task on our list, keeping our minds busy with activity and being so used to being busy that when we stop the cycle it feels uncomfortable.
Change your thoughts, change your mind:
When we take a moment, whether that is 1 minute, 5 minutes or longer to consciously spend time with no ‘next task’ on the list we create some space and perspective to reset into the Relaxation Response this is a highly effective zone where you can think clearly and creatively to make your best decisions. It’s the green zone. As opposed to the red zone, which is our Stress Response, this is where the thinking part of our brain shuts down under stress – not ideal for decision making. The red zone is triggered when we tell ourselves we are feeling stress or pressure, maybe from our own inner task master to-do list.
We can be harder on ourselves and have higher expectations of ourselves than we do of our work colleagues, friends or family. We can judge our actions and berate ourselves and then work even harder to do more to make up for it. This unproductive circle can keep cycling around and on the way induce more of the red zone, fuelling anxiety and stress. Surrendering from the list may not feel comfortable for you at first.
Lyndall visits COMO Shambhala Estate in Bali to help her stay in the Green Zone.
Stay in the Green Zone:
Here are some tips for helping you create some space and get you mind more in the green zone:
- Write down your to-do list – take time at the start of each day to write down everything that is on your mind.
- Once you have written down your tasks, allocate a time next to each task so you can actually see how long you will need to complete each task.
- Then you need to prioritise the tasks and pick out the ones that you would like to complete today. Be realistic, actual tasks that fit the time frame you have allocated to work. So many people have 10 hours of tasks that they assign to complete with only 8 hours they have allocated to work. Allocate less and allow space in your day for the unexpected.
- Take a period of time out – this is your ‘ME MOMENT’ whether it be 1 minute, 5 minutes or more when you have time NOT thinking about the next task on your list. This could be when you eat your breakfast, lunch or dinner to start with. Then you could start it when you are in transit, cars, trains, planes. If thoughts come in (which they will as you can’t stop your thoughts) just let them go as effortlessly as you can. Come back to the moment, you breath or your meal.
Tip: Be mindful as you eat
Tip: Take time to enjoy your surrounds
These ‘ME MOMENTS’ can be small gaps when you can be truly present and induce more calm, perspective, creativity and space to make the decisions you want to make. Think of your “non- planning” time as a reset for your body and mind. A chance to let go, surrender to thoughts and lists and in doing this you will naturally balance your body and mind and feel more energised throughout your day.
Want to connect with Lyndall – head over to her website at www.lyndallmitchell.com.au
Find your Green Zone: Speak to one of our Travel Specialists on 1300 551 353 or contact us here to plan your wellness holiday with lots of ME moments guaranteed.
