Mindfulness in a hectic world

Learning to focus on the present can help calm both body and mind.

Most of us are multitaskers. It's what we do to accomplish everything we expect of ourselves — working, volunteering, helping overextended children, troubled partners, grieving friends, or aging parents. Then there are concerns about the economy and the world situation. The result? We feel pressured, stressed, and unable to concentrate. We rush through activities without paying attention, snack and overeat without noticing, and listen to friends or colleagues without really hearing them. One antidote is to practice mindfulness.