Ever found yourself brushing your teeth while mentally rewriting that email you meant to send, running through your entire to-do list, and simultaneously wondering what you’ll make for dinner, what's on the docket at work, how you will manage a certain person and looking at your home wondering whenever you'll have time to deal with that mess? or... some version of this? Urgh!
It's impossible to do it all!
Welcome to the modern mind, where “being present” is an elusive concept. But what if there was a way to actually be where you are, instead of living life in the fast lane of scattered thoughts?
As we all know, life can feel like a never-ending to-do list. For the longest time, I was that person. I was on autopilot, trying to stay on top of it all, convinced that more I did, the more productive I was ... Urgh! That "hustle" mindset would eventually kill me. And it did, well in the form of burnout. My body and mind had reached their limit, and I was forced to stop.
I’m sharing this because I know I’m not alone in this feeling. So many of us are on this same hamster wheel, feeling stressed, and overworked, and wondering if there’s another way to handle it all.
Let me be upfront with you, it wasn’t with some magical cure or life overhaul. There is no such thing... Instead, it taught me something that felt almost too simple: slow down and be with myself in each moment.
Now, I know what you’re thinking: Mindfulness sounds like some trendy “wellness” word that’s all over the internet. But mindfulness is really about one thing: paying attention—not in a headstand, not on a retreat, but right here in your everyday life. Imagine it as a superpower allowing you to fully experience what’s happening in the moment.
Here's what it taught me:
To Get Off Autopilot (aka “Earth to Brain, Come In Please”)
Before mindfulness, I would move from one task to the next, often feeling like I was on some kind of mental conveyor belt. Drive home? I've done it a hundred times without even noticing the scenery. Eating dinner? Half the time, I’d be thinking about tomorrow’s schedule, problem-solving or worrying about something. And so on.
Our brains love autopilot mode because it’s efficient. But it’s also a major thief of our most precious resource: life’s little moments. Mindfulness is about slowing down and noticing—getting off that mental “auto-scroll” that keeps us checked out of our own lives. For me, it was like reintroducing myself to my own life, starting with paying attention to one small thing at a time.
I found that my morning coffee suddenly tasted richer. My evening walk became a peaceful part of my day instead of just “exercise.” Even the mundane things—dishes, folding laundry, sitting with a quiet cup of tea started to feel… well, almost zen. (Yes, I’m serious. Try it!) . And here’s the best part: life itself felt fuller. I’d been missing the best parts because I was living on autopilot. Being present helps us tune in and appreciate what’s happening right now, rather than missing out because we’re lost in our thoughts.
To Ditch the Multitasking Marathon
Like most people, I used to pride myself on being able to do a million things at once. But it turns out that multitasking is just a fancy way to feel more overwhelmed and scattered! Here’s a little secret: multitasking is a myth! And, as much as we think we’re getting more done, we’re not. Studies have shown that our brains simply aren’t built to juggle multiple tasks at once. Constant mental gymnastics just end up tiring us out.
In practicing mindfulness, I finally gave myself permission to single-task—to actually do one thing at a time. If I was eating, I was eating. If I was reading, I was reading. Each little decision to focus on just one thing created a calm that felt strangely… powerful. It was like a reset, letting my mind and body settle into a natural rhythm that I’d forgotten even existed.
Imagine cooking a meal where you’re actually focusing on the process—smelling the spices, feeling the textures of ingredients, hearing the sizzle of the pan. It’s oddly freeing! This single-tasking, when practiced often, becomes a form of meditation in itself. (Yes, even folding laundry can be meditative when you’re not scrolling through your phone or watching tv simultaneously!)
The beauty of it is that when I slow down, I find beautiful moments to be present with my family. This past weekend, my firstborn decided he wanted to go outside to have a fire. After a few minutes, I decided it was a good time to just go hang out with him - something we don't do much anymore since he started high school. I could have found a million and one other things to do (because there is always something), but instead, I chose to be with him.
I joined him outside, I asked him how I could help. We gathered brush, birch bark, and other dry materials, and together, we watched the fire grow. Then, we talked about life. It made me realize I need to do this with him more, but I am also so incredibly grateful for that beautiful time with him.
To Let Go of Control
I used to think I could (or should!) have control over everything. Spoiler alert: I can’t, and neither can you. Practicing mindfulness has been my reminder to breathe and let go of the need to have everything go my way. I learned that stress is often a result of clinging to what I can’t control and missing what’s actually in my hands—my response in the present moment.
Now, when I feel that familiar worry creeping up, I pause and breathe. I ask myself, “Is this something I can control right now?” If not, I try to let it be. It's not always easy, but it’s the most freeing thing I’ve ever done. Stress has a hard time sticking around when I make room for things to just unfold, and there’s a beautiful peace in trusting that some things will work themselves out. This requires trust; something I've worked hard to have, but in the end, when I look back, even the most difficult moments of my life have always, somehow, worked themselves out.
To Find Peace in the Present
Life can feel like it’s turned up to 11 these days. It always feels like we are playing "catch-up". Practicing mindfulness didn’t magically “fix” my stress, but it did something even better: it taught me to be okay in the midst of it. I learned that life’s messy, and that’s okay. Practicing mindfulness feels like grounding myself back into my body, tuning into the moment, and letting the rest be. With each breath, each conscious moment, I feel more connected to what’s real and true—not the worries or future what-ifs, but the here and now.
I stopped resisting.
Resistance to what is, is the biggest reason why people stress. Not wanting something or someone to be a certain way; wanting something we don't or can't have; or, not wanting what we do have - resisting our current reality in whatever way it presents itself.
Instead, when we tune into the present moment, we often find that most of our stress isn’t actually about what’s happening right now. Instead, it’s about what we’re replaying from the past - usually tied to a limiting belief we've developed along the way often related to a painful experience in the past we don't want to relive - or worrying about the future - the "what-ifs".
Mindfulness gives us a little “reset button,” reminding us that right now, we’re okay. Even taking a single, deep breath and noticing it can create a calm space in the middle of life’s chaos. This “right now” reassurance can be incredibly grounding—and it’s what makes mindfulness such a powerful stress-buster.
Obviously I am not referring to dangerous situations here. I am refierring to everyday living.
To Tune Into My Inner Wisdom
Now, let’s talk about something a bit deeper. Mindfulness isn’t just about managing stress or focusing better. It’s also about hearing your own voice—that quiet, inner wisdom that often gets drowned out by social expectations, people’s opinions, and the noise of everyday life.
Imagine it this way: You have a best friend, a “small still voice” inside you, who knows what’s right for you. But, thanks to all the hustle and expectations, we lose touch with it. Mindfulness helps us reconnect with that inner wisdom. It’s like peeling back layers of busyness to reveal your own clarity and intuition. You might call it intuition, inner guidance, or even your “gut feeling”—whatever you call it, mindfulness helps us listen. And once we’re back in touch with that quiet voice, we can live a life that feels more aligned and true to ourselves because we begin to make decisions that are in alignment with our truest values.
This was something I needed to work hard at. We are conditioned to ignore our intuition and to listen to logic, facts, and science. But the thing is, our intuition always knows best. In the beginning, it was hard for me to trust it, but over time, through the practice of mindfulness and meditation, I learned to listen and trust it. Now, for every decision, I go within.
But, it all begins by tuning into the present moment, by tuning into your body and observing what's going on around you and inside of you. Simply noticing...
Mindfulness is a journey, not a magic cure.
Curious to bring more mindfulness into your life?
Here’s a small invitation: take a moment today to do one thing with all your attention. Maybe it’s sipping your coffee, taking a breath outside, or just pausing to feel your feet on the ground. Notice how it feels to slow down, even just for a minute. Life’s not waiting for us to catch up, so let’s catch up with it—right here, right now.
Follow me on LinkedIn or Facebook, or subscribe to my blog for a regular dose of mindfulness magic. Let’s reclaim the moments that matter, one mindful step at a time!
Perfectly Imperfect,
Stephanie
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