A Wandering Mind is an Unhappy Mind

Posted on May 08, 2020 by Kristina Cleary, One of Thousands of Leadership Coaches on Noomii.

Are you ever so exhausted you can’t wait for a good night’s sleep – only to find yourself awakened at 2:00 am by an overactive brain thinking about some random work or life issue?

This used to happen to me ALL. THE. TIME.

I would wake up thinking about a presentation. Thinking about a people issue. Thinking about an underperforming campaign. Or about how I wasn’t spending the time I wanted to with my kids.

Not cool.

To resolve this, at first I tried leaving a notepad beside the bed. As if writing all these thoughts down would be a miracle cure to going back to sleep. Good try.

Then I tried simply getting up – heck I added another 5 hours of work to the day ahead – I congratulated myself for having a big head-start! HA! On these days, not surprisingly I was struggling to stay productive by 3 pm. #FAIL

Alas, one of the techniques that helped me effectively resolve this issue was meditation. For someone who is constantly on the go, who has been known to be labeled a “workaholic” at times, and who is constantly thinking about new initiatives, calming my mind on a daily basis, has had a significant impact.

Even 5 minutes a day can make a huge difference.

What are some steps to implementing this life-changing habit?

1. Start by trying it for 5 min a day. There are many apps out there for free that you can download. They’ll provide you with guided meditation if you struggle to do this unassisted.
2. Track it – track when and for how long you do it. Repetition is key. In order to rewire you need to commit.
3. Turn it into a habit. Schedule time into your daily agenda and keep at it. They say habits take anywhere from 21-60 days to form. Don’t give up!

They say a wandering mind is an unhappy mind. Try this technique to help you create a focused and happy mind – not to mention get the sleep you deserve to leave a healthy and happy life!