Take a Mindful Minute micro-lesson

Imagine you are working through a challenging math problem. You don't want to give up, but you're feeling tired and frustrated sometimes the best thing to do at a time like this is to take a mindful minute. A mindful minute is a little break to re-energise and refocus your brain. Notice the word minute that means that this will only take a minute or two before you get back to your work. And the word mindful means that you're going to be aware of something. First, you're going to want to put whatever you're working on off to the side. I like to close my eyes. Other people like to keep their eyes open, to focus on one object. Either way, we're going to be focusing on your breath. You’ll need to inhale as you breathe through your nose and exhale as you breathe out of your mouth. I liked to think of it as smelling your birthday cake and blowing out the candles. Slowly, gently, and deeply at first, it might feel a little silly to sit and notice your breathing but after taking this mindful minute hopefully you’ll see that you’ll feel calmer, more focused and ready to get back to work.