As summer recently drew to a close I began to panic, as I do every year, at the prospect of the inevitable return to the back to school madness. My worry revolves around how on earth I am going to be able to cram everything in after nine blissful weeks free from homework and school lunches. I am no different to thousands of other full-time working parents who face the same pressures. Daily routines include early morning starts focused around getting both myself and the children washed, dressed and fed in time for breakfast club only to then sit in bumper to bumper traffic on the M2 on the way into work. Then after a hectic day in the office it’s back in the car and onto the motorway ‘carpark’ before arriving home to simultaneously scoff down dinner whilst assisting with P4 homework. Thankfully I am blessed with a husband who is home before me to prepare the evening meal and ensure that child number one cracks on with his homework. Once dinner and homework are complete it’s another dash out the door to whatever after-school activity is scheduled for that night of the week when nine out of ten times, every other driver in Northern Ireland seems to be on the road with me. Afterwards it’s home again to do the dishes, tidy up, prepare lunches for the next day and scramble through school bags in search of notes to parents, party invitations or details of the next PTA event. And before you think that surely it’s time to actually sit down, think again! Bedtime ritual is a whole ballgame in itself with children antagonising each other just for the hell of it whilst I scream like a fishwife and reminisce about my pre-children days (Super Nanny would not be impressed). Once uniforms are folded neatly from the piles on the floor and lights are out, it’s finally, finally time to sit down with a cuppa in front of the telly only to fall asleep before dragging myself up to bed an hour later. When my head hits the pillow, my mind has other ideas rather than sleep and when I eventually do nod off it feels like no time before my mobile alarm goes off at 6am. As I said, I am not alone here. There are many, many people who can probably relate to this non-stop schedule but how many of us actually take the time to think of the impact that such a fast-paced routine has on our mental health?

A few months back I was privileged to be asked to host and attend a mindfulness session in work. I have to be honest, I didn’t really know much about it beforehand and dare I even admit it, was perhaps guilty of thinking of it as some hippy-dippy fad. That said, I was open-minded enough to give it a go. Prior to this I thought I never really had time to relax (falling asleep in front of Dr Foster doesn’t count) so for me, mindfulness came at the right time.

Jon Kabat-Zinn, founder of the centre for Mindfulness in Medicine, Healthcare and Society at the University of Massachusetts medical school defines mindfulness as “paying attention in the present moment, non-judgementally”. It’s about training our minds to relax and push aside straying thoughts. It’s about looking after ourselves and forcing ourselves to unwind and declutter our brains. For me, the best time for this is at bedtime, even if it is for only ten minutes. That’s when my mind seems most active. I have to admit I found it pretty challenging at first as my mind constantly wandered off thinking of what needed done in work tomorrow and whether or not I’d packed the kids PE kits. But I have learned to accept that that’s what minds do. The trick is to gently bring it back to focusing on my breathing and nothing else. I allow each part of my body to relax and untense from my toes right up to my fingers, arms and shoulders. Over time I have found that I am able to go to bed and destress rather than feel wound up. I definitely enjoy a better night’s sleep so if nothing else, this can only be a good thing.

Mindfulness is believed to also have positive effects in the workplace. According to research, stress is one of the main reasons for long term sickness absence. As many turn to mindfulness this translates to higher levels of productivity and reduced absence levels through improved mental health.

So, if you’re like me and juggle work with a multitude of other life commitments then perhaps it’s time to give mindfulness a go if you’re not already doing so. You only need to set aside ten minutes or so a day, but the benefits may just last a lifetime.

Useful reading:

Mindfulness

Mindfulness by the NHS

How practising mindfulness in the workplace can boost productivity