Heather Hurlock, editor-in-chief at Mindful Magazine states, "I've been on a healing journey most of my life. It's been messy. And clarifying. And hard. I joke with my friends that I make the magazine that I need to read at the moment, but that's not far from the truth. 

It is important to nurture your inner and outer world through radical self-love, especially when suffering is present."

Effective leaders will tell you, radical self-care is ultimately a selfless practice that ensures they are ready and recharged before giving their full attention to the people who depend on them for motivation, vision, and inspiration. According to Andrew Swinand, CEO of Leo Burnett, "The radical part of self-care is that it is so simple and organic, yet it runs counter to the overwhelmed worker’s first refuge: distraction." And you don't have to be in a high stress workplace to become overwhelmed. A common "fix" for many of us is the distraction of a glass of wine and Netflix.

A big misconception of the practice of meditation, is that you have to set aside blocks of time. It can be as simple as taking one mindful breath before you begin an important task or conversation. In a previous occupation, I used to teach and train small and large groups of people. I remember one instance where I thought I was teaching a small group and when I finally located the room I was to teach in, it wasn't a small room - it was a room filled with several thousand people!!

Of course I immediately freaked out. I had never spoken in front of that many before, but what could I do? Run? I did think about it for a second. But instead, I walked to a quiet spot, lowered my eyes to a half-gaze, planted my feet firmly on the ground, stood tall and took a very slow, very deep, mindful breath and then did a slow exhale visualizing it going all the way down through my body, through my feet and into the earth. It took just a few seconds but with that grounding I walked into the room, and up on the stage, and taught my class.

According to Swinand, "We can use these short breaks to breathe consciously, practice gratitude or simply observe our surroundings. You can do this almost anywhere and anytime, even while waiting in a queue. Instead of getting frustrated about the time wasted, take a moment to be present and aware of your surroundings, your breath, what you can hear, see, taste, smell, and feel. These moments of awareness and appreciation are meditation."

Dr Richard Davidson, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has spent 30 years studying people's brains. According to his research on the pre-frontal cortex, with the arrival of all our new technologies, our stress responses have increased in regularity and severity and it has actually reshaped our brains! "So when people say they are overwhelmed, it’s a physical fact."

Swinand states, "Meditation is less about achieving some transcendent state akin to a Japanese monk and more about training our ability to be nonjudgmentally aware of the present moment—which may also help us keep our minds from swinging wildly from thought to thought. (What are the 50 things I need to do? What are the emails I didn’t answer? Who are the people I need to call?). It’s about asking “what is” now versus “what if.” It allows us to focus on what we can control and effect now.

A recent Canadian study by researchers at Queen’s University estimated we have over 6,000 thoughts a day. Being in the present moment unfixes us from the negative cycle of dwelling on the past and projecting into the future. It helps us choose how we want to respond to challenges that arise.  

Dr. Davidson’s research suggested that 20 minutes of meditation three times a week is all you need to become less vulnerable to stress. The effects are cumulative. You can do it in “snackable” moments like clearing your mind before a meeting or call, pausing during the day, or taking stock of the positive things that occurred at the end of the day."

He continues, "At a time when the demands on our attention feel insatiable, there is no way around meditation, mindfulness, and movement to recharge. As humans, it allows us to show up each day kind, creative, and focused. Taking the time for radical self-care is not a burden but rather a practice that will allow you to live each day to the fullest. Take the time."