February 24, 2025 • 17 mins
Read Mindful in 5 for Akar's story of managing stress!
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Feeling overwhelmed? Five minutes a day is all you need to reset your mind and stop overthinking. This episode explores how simple mindfulness techniques can transform stress into a strategic advantage. Whether you’re juggling multiple deadlines or navigating difficult conversations, these stress management strategies will help you understand your body's response to stress, clear mental clutter, and handle workplace chaos with clarity. Tune in now to learn how to regain control, sharpen your focus, and stay confident in any situation!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Spiwe Jefferson (00:04):
Welcome to Mindful in 5, where busy
professionals find your peacefuloasis to thrive in complex work
environments.
I am Spiwe Jefferson, attorney,certified mindfulness
practitioner and author of theMindful in 5 book series, here
(00:26):
to guide you to a clearer,softer and more supported life.
Join me and your fellow mindfulninjas as we explore
science-backed mindfulnessstrategies for successful
leaders that you can implement,starting with just five minutes
a day.
(00:46):
Elevate your work, empower yourlife, work higher, live
stronger.
Let's go Okay.
So before we begin, I want tocelebrate something.
Do you know what today is?
Do you know what today is?
(01:09):
This is the 165th episode ofMindful in 5.
I am filled with deep gratitudeand joy as I share some
beautiful milestones with ouramazing Mindful Ninja community.
That's all of y'all.
Your presence and support havehelped us soar beyond 5,000
(01:34):
downloads, illuminating the pathfor others seeking mindful
transformation in their dailylives.
My heart is especially fullknowing that Mindful in 5 has
been recognized by FeetSpot asone of the top 25 best
mindfulness meditation podcasts,an honor that reflects the
(01:57):
collective energy and dedicationof you, our growing family of
mindful ninjas, of you, ourgrowing family of mindful ninjas
.
Every time you tune in, sharean episode or send a message
about how these practices havetouched your life.
You help to create ripples ofpeace and presence that extend
far beyond this podcast.
(02:19):
Thank you, dear mindful ninjas,for being part of this
transformative journey ofawareness and growth.
Okay, let's get into our episode.
Have you ever tried making apresentation or leading a
discussion at work whilementally drafting your
resignation letter?
(02:39):
Have you ever felt like yourmind is a browser with a hundred
tabs open?
Today we're hackingneuroscience to declutter your
brain and turn stress tostrategy.
Starting with just five minutes, meet Akar, egyptian-american
(03:00):
vice president of sales,drowning in Sunderland Medical's
corporate chaos.
Like many of us, he initiallydismissed meditation and
centering as too soft until ithelped him outmaneuver his awful
CEO that everyone at SunderlandMedical loves to hate.
(03:21):
Picture this loves to hate.
Picture this Cairo-born Akarsweating through his suit last
merger season.
His mindset An internet browserwith a hundred tabs open.
He missed his daughter'srecital because his CEO,
gottfried, demanded reviseddecks.
(03:41):
By dawn on this one day hegrumbled a car that is grumbled
and fussed the whole time, buthe pulled the all-nighter and
delivered.
Does this sound like somevariation of your working life?
Here is what a car's therapisttaught him.
When your prefrontal cortexoverloads, you start deciding
(04:04):
like a hangry toddler.
But a car hacked this and youcan too.
Your professional journey isunique, yet many of us share a
common challenge operating onstressed-out autopilot.
When we run from pillar to post, moving mindlessly through our
workday, we miss chances toforge meaningful connections
(04:29):
with colleagues that couldblossom into collaborative
partnerships.
We miss chances to recognizemoments of creative insight that
could lead to innovativesolutions.
We don't create boundaries thathonor both our professional
growth and personal well-being.
Building a career path alignedwith our authentic values and
(04:53):
deepest aspirations becomeselusive at best.
So how do you do it?
First, I want to give you atruth about stress that, if you
remember nothing else, this canreally help you find peace.
And it's this.
Stress is most oftenthought-based.
(05:16):
It's not about what's happeningto you in the moment.
Most often it's more about whatyou're thinking about, what did
or didn't, or may or may nothappen.
Don't believe me.
Think about this.
When you're lying awake at ohdark 30 in the morning with your
(05:37):
mind racing, what is actuallyhappening?
Nothing.
You're lying in bed.
That fight you had with yourco-worker, where you wish you
had said something different,isn't happening.
It's in the past and no amountof ruminating will change it.
That presentation you'renervous about isn't happening
(05:59):
now.
You haven't tripped over yourfeet on stage and fallen flat on
your face to a jeering audience.
None of that is happening.
What is happening is that youare ruminating and your body is
reacting because your mind istelling your body that there is
(06:20):
danger.
Your body is releasing stresshormones like cortisol and
adrenaline that are getting youinto fight, flight or freeze
mode, and they are increasingyour alertness and, worst of all
, stopping you from sleeping.
(06:42):
So what can you do?
Either in that moment or at thebeginning of your day, take
five minutes to yourself.
It may grow into more than that, but just start with five
minutes.
So let's try it together.
Put your hand over your heart,close your eyes if it's safe to
do so, and take three deep andvery conscious breaths.
Deep and very conscious breaths, big belly breaths.
(07:05):
Inhale and feel your bellyexpand.
Exhale and feel all that airdraining out from inside you.
One more time, inhale in andexhale out Again.
(07:25):
Inhale in, exhale out.
God lovers, you can start yourfive minutes with a prayer
inviting God to make hispresence felt in this sacred
space that you have created.
Now that you're calmer, set anintention for how you wish to
(07:51):
show up today.
This is going to be true foryou, no matter what the weather
does, no matter what yourco-workers do, no matter what
unexpected things come at youfrom left field.
Just think about the one thingyou can control that being you,
and many of us don't evencontrol that very well.
(08:11):
This simple practice cantransform your entire workday,
helping you maintain clarityamidst challenges.
God lovers, ask God to shine alight on areas that need
attention and give you guidanceand wisdom.
If you are stressed, whether inthe morning or at any time
(08:34):
during the day, take this samefive-minute pause, put your hand
over your heart and practice.
If you need a little bit moresupport than that, consider
adopting the RAIN technique.
The R stands for recognize.
Recognize the emotions, thestorm that you are feeling right
(08:59):
now, and you can do this rightnow with your hand still over
your heart, your eyes closed.
Let's use a simple stressorthat won't cause you to be
triggered.
For example, I mean, think ofwhatever petty stressor you had
yesterday your overflowing inbox, that rude barista at the
(09:20):
coffee shop, whatever it is.
Bring it to your mind and thensay this is stress.
Just recognize that.
This is the thing that'sstressing me out.
The A stands for allow.
Allow the emotion, explore itwith kind curiosity.
(09:45):
Don't run away from it and saythings to yourself like I should
be bigger than this, Ishouldn't be upset about this, I
really shouldn't blah blah,blah, blah, blah.
Just allow yourself to feel it.
I like to say mindfulness isabout being present in the
moment, without beingoverwhelmed by what's happening
(10:05):
around you and without judgment,and it's the judgment part that
many of us have a hard timewith.
So don't judge yourself foryour emotion.
Just explore it.
How does it feel?
Where does it feel?
Do you feel it?
And this is also related to theeye, which is investigated.
(10:26):
Where is it inside of your body?
When you're stressed, whathappens?
Do you carry tension in yourshoulders?
Are you clenching your fistsand your toes?
Do you grind your teeth?
Just investigate it.
And then the N is for nurturethrough breath.
(10:48):
So do that inhaling andexhaling.
You can even try box breathing,which is inhale to the count of
four, hold it to the count offour and exhale to the count of
four.
Part of the reason this worksis because and this is a really
(11:10):
great Jedi mind trick for yourbrain when you're lying in bed,
awake at night, and you can'tsleep because it's really
difficult to feel fear andstress when your body is at rest
.
And so, rather than waiting forthe fear and stress to go away,
you can truncate it bybreathing in the way that we
(11:32):
just practiced.
And besides, if you're busycounting to that 4-4-4 box
breathing technique, it's goingto be hard for you to ruminate
over whatever got you stressedout in the first place, and then
, once you have clarity, you canchoose your alternate response.
What do you want to do instead?
(11:53):
Who do you want to be?
How would you like to show up?
For example, you can say toyourself when my coworker, sue,
does or says that thing thatdrives me nuts, I will fill in
the blanks, me nuts.
(12:16):
I will fill in the blanks.
If Joe gets into that meetingand tries to take credit for my
work, again, I will fill in theblanks.
And don't just say the thingthat you will do, but really
take time to visualize it, closeyour eyes and see yourself.
See what it looks like.
Where is it?
What does that conference feellike?
(12:36):
What does it smell like, whatdoes it sound like?
Who's in it?
And where are you inrelationship to Joe and at what
point are you going to interject?
And what words, what confidentwords, are you going to use to
take back that credit for thatthing that you know he's going
(12:58):
to try and take credit for?
Or you can say, for thatdifficult conversation I have to
have with Richard, whetherRichard is your boss or your
coworker or your direct reporthere's how I want to show up and
remember.
It doesn't matter whatRichard's response is.
He might jump up and stumparound and put a hole in the
(13:22):
floor like Rumpelstiltskin, itdoesn't matter.
What matters is how are yougoing to show up and manage
yourself and your own emotion?
So, you see, you can set yourown intention, like this in the
morning and right before you gointo that situation that you
were stressed out about, takethat additional five minutes and
(13:45):
give yourself a wisdom pause, amoment to step back and reflect
on how you want it to go.
And you can even take a wisdompause at the end of the day or
after the meeting to reflect onyour professional journey and
how you did, with curiosityrather than judgment.
(14:07):
And if you feel like you didn'tdo that, well, that's okay,
because you know what.
This is a practice, notperfection, and you can just say
to yourself well, this and thisdidn't go as well as I would
have liked, but that's okay,because the next time I will
visualize again.
So this is a great strategy toreduce stress.
(14:32):
But you know what's even better?
Not waiting until you arebrimming with negative emotion
in the first place.
Make it a daily morningpractice.
Reflect when all is well.
You can ask yourself whatenergizes me in my current role.
Where do I feel most alignedwith my values?
(14:53):
What opportunities for growtham I ready to embrace?
You may have heard the adageseek and you shall find it is
applicable in so many ways.
But in this context, the moreyou can focus on the positive,
the more you will find that inyour workday it will come to
(15:15):
pass.
So how do we create our pathforward?
Well, remember, every master oftheir craft began as a beginner
.
My favorite motivationalspeaker, zig Ziglar, likes to
say well, he liked to say youdon't have to be great to start,
(15:35):
but you got to start to begreat.
Your professional journey is notabout reaching a destination.
It's about moving forward withintention, awareness and
authenticity.
And, if you want to beoptimistic, it's about moving
forward with a credible plan ofaction that you can execute
successfully.
(15:56):
The more you can tame stress,you will increase clarity and
focus, because it's biologicallydifficult, if not impossible,
sometimes to think straight andfocus when you are in a state of
high stress.
As you navigate your careerpath, let mindfulness be your
(16:17):
compass, guiding you towardopportunities that align with
your truest self.
Until next week, this is Spiwesaying be mindful and be well.
James@DiscovertheVoice (16:41):
Thank you for listening to Mindful in
5.
If you enjoyed it, share itwith a friend.
Be mindful and be well.
From Amazon, barnes, noble orwherever you get your books,
visit https://www.
spiwejefferson.
com/ to download sample chaptersof the book, watch videos and
become a mindful ninja.
Join us on the LinkedIn Mindfulin 5 group and share your
(17:03):
thoughts.
Until next time, be mindful andbe well.
Welcome to Mindful in 5, where busy
professionals find your peacefuloasis to thrive in complex work
environments.
I am Spiwe Jefferson, attorney,certified mindfulness
practitioner and author of theMindful in 5 book series, here
(00:26):
to guide you to a clearer,softer and more supported life.
Join me and your fellow mindfulninjas as we explore
science-backed mindfulnessstrategies for successful
leaders that you can implement,starting with just five minutes
a day.
(00:46):
Elevate your work, empower yourlife, work higher, live
stronger.
Let's go Okay.
So before we begin, I want tocelebrate something.
Do you know what today is?
Do you know what today is?
(01:09):
This is the 165th episode ofMindful in 5.
I am filled with deep gratitudeand joy as I share some
beautiful milestones with ouramazing Mindful Ninja community.
That's all of y'all.
Your presence and support havehelped us soar beyond 5,000
(01:34):
downloads, illuminating the pathfor others seeking mindful
transformation in their dailylives.
My heart is especially fullknowing that Mindful in 5 has
been recognized by FeetSpot asone of the top 25 best
mindfulness meditation podcasts,an honor that reflects the
(01:57):
collective energy and dedicationof you, our growing family of
mindful ninjas, of you, ourgrowing family of mindful ninjas
.
Every time you tune in, sharean episode or send a message
about how these practices havetouched your life.
You help to create ripples ofpeace and presence that extend
far beyond this podcast.
(02:19):
Thank you, dear mindful ninjas,for being part of this
transformative journey ofawareness and growth.
Okay, let's get into our episode.
Have you ever tried making apresentation or leading a
discussion at work whilementally drafting your
resignation letter?
(02:39):
Have you ever felt like yourmind is a browser with a hundred
tabs open?
Today we're hackingneuroscience to declutter your
brain and turn stress tostrategy.
Starting with just five minutes, meet Akar, egyptian-american
(03:00):
vice president of sales,drowning in Sunderland Medical's
corporate chaos.
Like many of us, he initiallydismissed meditation and
centering as too soft until ithelped him outmaneuver his awful
CEO that everyone at SunderlandMedical loves to hate.
(03:21):
Picture this loves to hate.
Picture this Cairo-born Akarsweating through his suit last
merger season.
His mindset An internet browserwith a hundred tabs open.
He missed his daughter'srecital because his CEO,
gottfried, demanded reviseddecks.
(03:41):
By dawn on this one day hegrumbled a car that is grumbled
and fussed the whole time, buthe pulled the all-nighter and
delivered.
Does this sound like somevariation of your working life?
Here is what a car's therapisttaught him.
When your prefrontal cortexoverloads, you start deciding
(04:04):
like a hangry toddler.
But a car hacked this and youcan too.
Your professional journey isunique, yet many of us share a
common challenge operating onstressed-out autopilot.
When we run from pillar to post, moving mindlessly through our
workday, we miss chances toforge meaningful connections
(04:29):
with colleagues that couldblossom into collaborative
partnerships.
We miss chances to recognizemoments of creative insight that
could lead to innovativesolutions.
We don't create boundaries thathonor both our professional
growth and personal well-being.
Building a career path alignedwith our authentic values and
(04:53):
deepest aspirations becomeselusive at best.
So how do you do it?
First, I want to give you atruth about stress that, if you
remember nothing else, this canreally help you find peace.
And it's this.
Stress is most oftenthought-based.
(05:16):
It's not about what's happeningto you in the moment.
Most often it's more about whatyou're thinking about, what did
or didn't, or may or may nothappen.
Don't believe me.
Think about this.
When you're lying awake at ohdark 30 in the morning with your
(05:37):
mind racing, what is actuallyhappening?
Nothing.
You're lying in bed.
That fight you had with yourco-worker, where you wish you
had said something different,isn't happening.
It's in the past and no amountof ruminating will change it.
That presentation you'renervous about isn't happening
(05:59):
now.
You haven't tripped over yourfeet on stage and fallen flat on
your face to a jeering audience.
None of that is happening.
What is happening is that youare ruminating and your body is
reacting because your mind istelling your body that there is
(06:20):
danger.
Your body is releasing stresshormones like cortisol and
adrenaline that are getting youinto fight, flight or freeze
mode, and they are increasingyour alertness and, worst of all
, stopping you from sleeping.
(06:42):
So what can you do?
Either in that moment or at thebeginning of your day, take
five minutes to yourself.
It may grow into more than that, but just start with five
minutes.
So let's try it together.
Put your hand over your heart,close your eyes if it's safe to
do so, and take three deep andvery conscious breaths.
Deep and very conscious breaths, big belly breaths.
(07:05):
Inhale and feel your bellyexpand.
Exhale and feel all that airdraining out from inside you.
One more time, inhale in andexhale out Again.
(07:25):
Inhale in, exhale out.
God lovers, you can start yourfive minutes with a prayer
inviting God to make hispresence felt in this sacred
space that you have created.
Now that you're calmer, set anintention for how you wish to
(07:51):
show up today.
This is going to be true foryou, no matter what the weather
does, no matter what yourco-workers do, no matter what
unexpected things come at youfrom left field.
Just think about the one thingyou can control that being you,
and many of us don't evencontrol that very well.
(08:11):
This simple practice cantransform your entire workday,
helping you maintain clarityamidst challenges.
God lovers, ask God to shine alight on areas that need
attention and give you guidanceand wisdom.
If you are stressed, whether inthe morning or at any time
(08:34):
during the day, take this samefive-minute pause, put your hand
over your heart and practice.
If you need a little bit moresupport than that, consider
adopting the RAIN technique.
The R stands for recognize.
Recognize the emotions, thestorm that you are feeling right
(08:59):
now, and you can do this rightnow with your hand still over
your heart, your eyes closed.
Let's use a simple stressorthat won't cause you to be
triggered.
For example, I mean, think ofwhatever petty stressor you had
yesterday your overflowing inbox, that rude barista at the
(09:20):
coffee shop, whatever it is.
Bring it to your mind and thensay this is stress.
Just recognize that.
This is the thing that'sstressing me out.
The A stands for allow.
Allow the emotion, explore itwith kind curiosity.
(09:45):
Don't run away from it and saythings to yourself like I should
be bigger than this, Ishouldn't be upset about this, I
really shouldn't blah blah,blah, blah, blah.
Just allow yourself to feel it.
I like to say mindfulness isabout being present in the
moment, without beingoverwhelmed by what's happening
(10:05):
around you and without judgment,and it's the judgment part that
many of us have a hard timewith.
So don't judge yourself foryour emotion.
Just explore it.
How does it feel?
Where does it feel?
Do you feel it?
And this is also related to theeye, which is investigated.
(10:26):
Where is it inside of your body?
When you're stressed, whathappens?
Do you carry tension in yourshoulders?
Are you clenching your fistsand your toes?
Do you grind your teeth?
Just investigate it.
And then the N is for nurturethrough breath.
(10:48):
So do that inhaling andexhaling.
You can even try box breathing,which is inhale to the count of
four, hold it to the count offour and exhale to the count of
four.
Part of the reason this worksis because and this is a really
(11:10):
great Jedi mind trick for yourbrain when you're lying in bed,
awake at night, and you can'tsleep because it's really
difficult to feel fear andstress when your body is at rest
.
And so, rather than waiting forthe fear and stress to go away,
you can truncate it bybreathing in the way that we
(11:32):
just practiced.
And besides, if you're busycounting to that 4-4-4 box
breathing technique, it's goingto be hard for you to ruminate
over whatever got you stressedout in the first place, and then
, once you have clarity, you canchoose your alternate response.
What do you want to do instead?
(11:53):
Who do you want to be?
How would you like to show up?
For example, you can say toyourself when my coworker, sue,
does or says that thing thatdrives me nuts, I will fill in
the blanks, me nuts.
(12:16):
I will fill in the blanks.
If Joe gets into that meetingand tries to take credit for my
work, again, I will fill in theblanks.
And don't just say the thingthat you will do, but really
take time to visualize it, closeyour eyes and see yourself.
See what it looks like.
Where is it?
What does that conference feellike?
(12:36):
What does it smell like, whatdoes it sound like?
Who's in it?
And where are you inrelationship to Joe and at what
point are you going to interject?
And what words, what confidentwords, are you going to use to
take back that credit for thatthing that you know he's going
(12:58):
to try and take credit for?
Or you can say, for thatdifficult conversation I have to
have with Richard, whetherRichard is your boss or your
coworker or your direct reporthere's how I want to show up and
remember.
It doesn't matter whatRichard's response is.
He might jump up and stumparound and put a hole in the
(13:22):
floor like Rumpelstiltskin, itdoesn't matter.
What matters is how are yougoing to show up and manage
yourself and your own emotion?
So, you see, you can set yourown intention, like this in the
morning and right before you gointo that situation that you
were stressed out about, takethat additional five minutes and
(13:45):
give yourself a wisdom pause, amoment to step back and reflect
on how you want it to go.
And you can even take a wisdompause at the end of the day or
after the meeting to reflect onyour professional journey and
how you did, with curiosityrather than judgment.
(14:07):
And if you feel like you didn'tdo that, well, that's okay,
because you know what.
This is a practice, notperfection, and you can just say
to yourself well, this and thisdidn't go as well as I would
have liked, but that's okay,because the next time I will
visualize again.
So this is a great strategy toreduce stress.
(14:32):
But you know what's even better?
Not waiting until you arebrimming with negative emotion
in the first place.
Make it a daily morningpractice.
Reflect when all is well.
You can ask yourself whatenergizes me in my current role.
Where do I feel most alignedwith my values?
(14:53):
What opportunities for growtham I ready to embrace?
You may have heard the adageseek and you shall find it is
applicable in so many ways.
But in this context, the moreyou can focus on the positive,
the more you will find that inyour workday it will come to
(15:15):
pass.
So how do we create our pathforward?
Well, remember, every master oftheir craft began as a beginner
.
My favorite motivationalspeaker, zig Ziglar, likes to
say well, he liked to say youdon't have to be great to start,
(15:35):
but you got to start to begreat.
Your professional journey is notabout reaching a destination.
It's about moving forward withintention, awareness and
authenticity.
And, if you want to beoptimistic, it's about moving
forward with a credible plan ofaction that you can execute
successfully.
(15:56):
The more you can tame stress,you will increase clarity and
focus, because it's biologicallydifficult, if not impossible,
sometimes to think straight andfocus when you are in a state of
high stress.
As you navigate your careerpath, let mindfulness be your
(16:17):
compass, guiding you towardopportunities that align with
your truest self.
Until next week, this is Spiwesaying be mindful and be well.
James@DiscovertheVoice (16:41):
Thank you for listening to Mindful in
5.
If you enjoyed it, share itwith a friend.
Be mindful and be well.
From Amazon, barnes, noble orwherever you get your books,
visit https://www.
spiwejefferson.
com/ to download sample chaptersof the book, watch videos and
become a mindful ninja.
Join us on the LinkedIn Mindfulin 5 group and share your
(17:03):
thoughts.
Until next time, be mindful andbe well.
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