Small Bites – Noticing the Little Things
Authored by Coach Polly Shyka
Small Bites are short, informational articles with practical ideas about stress reduction, improved communication, and farmer well-being. They are written by coaches from UMaine Extension’s Farm Coaching team. Farm Coaches are available at no cost to work remotely with farmers and farm families.
Noticing the Little Things
“The little things? The little moments? They aren’t little.” This reminder from professor of medicine and founder of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, Jon Kabat-Zinn, can offer us an incentive, an invitation to slow down and appreciate the beauty, smells, temperatures, abundance, and other beings around us. It costs nothing and has measurable health benefits both physically and emotionally.
Mindfulness is a practice that never ends and can be incorporated into ANY activity. And it truly feels good every time you make a choice to pause your racing mind for even 5 seconds.
Notice simple moments like:
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The smell, feel, or temperature of the air when you leave your home in the morning
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The gaze of looking right into the eyes of a favorite dog, cat, cow, or sheep
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The sound of a distant bird call
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The sight of what is on your plate before you eat
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The smells you love: coffee, flowers, the hayloft, fresh basil
What moments will you notice today? How do you feel when you pause to notice “the little things?”
Schedule a one-on-one farm coaching session and we’ll talk about what you’re noticing related to the farm and the opportunities and challenges you face.