Mindfulness Practice: Being Mindful of a Single Minute
An easy way to strengthen our mindfulness is by being mindful of time. This exercise is simple to do and has truly remarkable effects, making it one of my favorite mini meditations. This doesn’t require anything other than a timer (use your phone or a watch with a second hand), so it’s an excellent, enriching practice to do when waiting for appointments, travel, etc.
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The purpose of this practice is simply to become more aware of our sense of time. Many of us have felt time seemingly go by very quickly. This encourages us to rush around, feeling busy, thinking about the next thing we have to do. Unfortunately, this prevents us from being truly mindful in this present moment. Sometimes, we can also feel as though time is going by very slowly. This can leave us feeling bored or fool us into thinking we have more time than we really do, and we can end up running late or neglecting to complete our tasks. Whether we are hurriedly detached from the present moment or behind in our productivity, not having a strong sense of time can leave us feeling dissatisfied, overwhelmed, anxious, or stressed out. We can practice being mindful of a single minute to learn just how quickly or how slowly time passes by.
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To begin, find a comfortable place to sit. Pick a place where you won’t be disturbed. Turn your phone on airplane mode and minimize any additional interruptions. Set your timer to count up the total amount of time you sit. Don’t set a timer for one minute, just start timing your sit once you begin. You may either close your eyes or look around the room, but avoid looking at the timer until you feel as though one minute has passed. Connect to your breath, breathing deeply and mindfully during your sit, and try to avoid counting the seconds in your head. The point of this exercise isn’t about trying to be the most accurate or being right or wrong with our time, it’s about gaining insight about our perception of time in this moment. Instead of focusing on the seconds, focus on breathing in and out, feel the weight of your body, tune into the sounds of the room around you, and notice the lights and colors that make up the space you're in.
When you think a minute has passed, stop your timer or look at the time on your watch and notice how much time has really passed.
Did you allow less than a full minute to pass? If you were under a minute, by how many seconds was your guess off? Ten seconds? Twenty seconds? Forty seconds? There is no right or wrong answer. Consider how your sense of time affects your daily activities. Do you always feel as though you need to rush round to do things because you don’t have enough time? Does this exercise reflect new insight into your sense of time?
On the other hand, did you go over a minute? If so, for how long? Sometimes people will sit for two or three minutes, and this isn’t a negative thing either. There's no judgment in this exercise, only insight. Ask yourself how this affects you? Do you feel like you’re often running late? Do you not finish projects because you underestimate how much time is needed to complete them? Once again, there is no right or wrong answer, we are just looking for understanding of our perception of time.
Whatever your results were, practicing this exercise regularly will improve your sense of time. The point of learning mindfulness skills is to develop a more accurate and clear idea of the present moment, which ultimately will assist us in more deeply understanding ourselves, our feelings, and our perspectives. I recommend returning to this exercise in a week or a couple weeks after you’ve been practicing your mindfulness skills to see if your sense of time has changed.
When you think a minute has passed, stop your timer or look at the time on your watch and notice how much time has really passed.
Did you allow less than a full minute to pass? If you were under a minute, by how many seconds was your guess off? Ten seconds? Twenty seconds? Forty seconds? There is no right or wrong answer. Consider how your sense of time affects your daily activities. Do you always feel as though you need to rush round to do things because you don’t have enough time? Does this exercise reflect new insight into your sense of time?
On the other hand, did you go over a minute? If so, for how long? Sometimes people will sit for two or three minutes, and this isn’t a negative thing either. There's no judgment in this exercise, only insight. Ask yourself how this affects you? Do you feel like you’re often running late? Do you not finish projects because you underestimate how much time is needed to complete them? Once again, there is no right or wrong answer, we are just looking for understanding of our perception of time.
Whatever your results were, practicing this exercise regularly will improve your sense of time. The point of learning mindfulness skills is to develop a more accurate and clear idea of the present moment, which ultimately will assist us in more deeply understanding ourselves, our feelings, and our perspectives. I recommend returning to this exercise in a week or a couple weeks after you’ve been practicing your mindfulness skills to see if your sense of time has changed.