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MeditationSwitching Tasks

Switching Tasks

When you’ve been caught up and absorbed in one task, it can be tough to let it go and move on to what’s next. This exercise will help you acknowledge anything you’re holding onto, so you can let it go and head into your next to-do with a refreshed, positive mindset.

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Better mental health starts with Headspace

I think we've all been there numerous times in our lives at work, where we're engrossed in a heavy project or have had an important and involved Zoom meeting, or maybe even had a disagreement or conflict with a client and to coworker. After these occurrences happen, guess what? The day is not through. You still have other tasks to complete. You still have other meetings to attend. But what often occurs is we hold on to the previous event, whether it was a meeting, an intricate project, or perhaps a conflict of some kind. This holding on prevents us from bringing our full attention to the next task at hand, which can lead us to not performing at our optimal level. This all speaks to the mindfulness concept of letting go. Whether positive or negative, or even neutral, recognizing when we're holding onto something and then the very next moment, allowing yourself to gently let it go. And as with most new behavior patterns, this may take some practice. So this meditation may help in allowing you to reset before heading into your next task at work. And it's perfectly suitable to do this meditation right at your desk. And so, as we gently drop into practice now, adopting a comfortable and dignified posture of awareness. Allowing the feet to be flat on the floor or perhaps legs comfortably crossed if sitting on a cushion. Hands resting on your knees or in your lap, whatever is most comfortable for you. Noticing your sit bones grounding on the surface beneath you. The back is nice and straight, not too tight, not too loose. Perhaps shrugging your shoulders up to your ears, rounding them back, and then gently dropping them. And the invitation here is to also shift a bit to the edge of your seat so that your back is not resting on the back of the chair. This sitting posture may enhance your level of awareness. And of course, if using the back of the chair is what you need for back support, allowing yourself to do so. For this meditation, we're going to use a brief visualization exercise. So it may be more comfortable to have your eyes closed. And of course you can keep your eyes open if that best for you. That's perfectly fine also. With this brief visualization practice, we will use the image of a calm, warm light, gently engulfing the body. Releasing any and all tension from each part of the body while also resetting each part of the body. Mindfully preparing it for its next task. So starting all the way down to the toes, imagining this calm, warm light, engulfing the entirety of the feet, the bottom, the top, the sides, the heels, and the ankles. Spreading ease, releasing tension, and gently resetting for the next task. The warm light travels to the lower legs, the knees, and the thighs. Any tension or tightness dissolving away as they gently reset. Noticing...

Details

TypeMeditation
Duration8 min

About your teachers

  • A former Buddhist monk, Andy has guided people in meditation and mindfulness for 20 years. In his mission to make these practices accessible to all, he co-created the Headspace app in 2010.

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  • Eve is a mindfulness teacher, overseeing Headspace’s meditation curriculum. She is passionate about sharing meditation to help others feel less stressed and experience more compassion in their lives.

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  • As a meditation teacher, Dora encourages others to live, breathe, and be with the fullness of their experiences. She loves meditation’s power to create community and bring clarity to people’s minds.

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  • Kessonga has been an acupuncturists, therapist, and meditation teacher, working to bring mindfulness to the diverse populations of the world.

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  • Rosie Acosta has studied yoga and mindfulness for more than 20 years and taught for over a decade. Rosie’s mission is to help others overcome adversity and experience radical love.

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