Lightening the load with Dr Rachel Chin

How much are you carrying around with you? Can you lighten the load and let go? Following on from our two-minute mindfulness session, Dr Rachel Chin shares her technique for assessing the baggage we are carrying around and how we can learn to let some of it go. 

Find a comfortable seated position which helps you to feel focused and aware. If you wish to, you can lower your gaze or close your eyes. Now, bring your attention to your upper body, scanning the back of your neck, your shoulders and your back; notice how these parts of your body feel right now. Is there any tension, tightness or discomfort?

Now imagine yourself wearing a backpack. It may help to visualise the colour, shape and size of your backpack. Bring your attention to what is already in your backpack; what might be weighing you down right down? This might be your to-do lists, expectations of you and others, your beliefs, or thoughts and emotions.

Pause and ask yourself: how helpful are the things you are carrying around? Are there things that you can simply let go of before you leave home and start your working day? What if you woke up every morning and took nothing with you, no extra baggage; you simply tried to be in the moment, being free to enjoy, engage and live every moment? Try breathing in deeply and enjoy the fullness of your inhalation, and then exhale just as fully and let go. Repeat this technique a few times and enjoy your day.

For more information on how you can support your own well-being and the well-being of your team please visit Dr Chin’s website.