What are you forgetting?

As we sprint through our lives, get distracted by our smart phones and check off our to do lists, are there things we are missing or forgetting? During holiday time this can be exceptionally challenging as there is so much to do! Life is going at record speed and we don’t always pay attention and may be missing moments and forgetting tasks. Autopilot mode is great because every time we drive our car we don’t have to relearn that skill. However, I’m sure you have missed an exit or a turn when your mind was somewhere else? (I am guilty.)

Our smart phones are another vehicle of endless distraction. We open emails, check social media and one thing leads to another and we forget what we were doing in the first place. We can get carried away and bring stress into our lives before we even have coffee. In order to combat this new cultural norm, we have to mindfully make restrictions for ourselves so we can focus and accomplish the task at hand. Doing one thing at a time and not multi-tasking can actually make you more productive. The going back and forth wastes time and it is difficult to refocus. The endless email notifications running across my screen when I’m working is killing me.

Not only is technology stressing us out and distracting, it can have implications not only for ourselves, but others. I taught a mindfulness workshop in the city last week and intended to go into the city with a friend’s husband because he worked in the same area. We were going to meet for breakfast first (with my husband too,) and then we planned to take the train. After he was 10 minutes late, my husband called him and low and behold he was already on the train and completely spaced. He felt awful and explained that he opened some work emails and got wrapped up in thinking about what he had to accomplish at work and got on the train without thinking. He was on autopilot. His body just took him while his brain was elsewhere. It all worked out and I made it to my destination alone, but it goes to show how much the distraction in our minds can have an effect on our day to day activities. Maybe not to this extreme, but what are you forgetting or missing by being distracted?