5 Quick Tips: How to be mindful in a crowd

Struggling to stay mindful and avoid excess stress when in a crowd or when interacting with a large group of people?

This is very common, and you are not alone.

Here are some quick tips to ensure mindfulness remains your focus when faced with an overwhelming amount of people:

1 – Focus on someone’s face.

When interacting with one person among a crowd or at a dinner with a lot of people, make eye contact and stay focused on the person’s face. Without judgement, notice their facial features and the color of their eyes.

Listen as best you can to their words and attempt to read their lips. By keeping your eyes on their face, you are mindfully honing in on the conversation and blocking out background distractions.

2 – Ground yourself physically.

When the loud noise of a crowd overwhelms you or the multiple conversations at once leave you frazzled, ground yourself physically by massaging the palm of your hand, gently tapping your feet, or rubbing your water glass.

Focus on your breath and the sensation of physical touch while reminding yourself you are safe and grounded.

3 – Focus on one spot on your body.

Before you head out into a crowd, choose a spot on your body to be your “comfort spot”. This can be a button, a freckle, or a dot you make with a non-toxic pen on your hand.

When feelings of stress arise, focus on your “comfort spot” as a reminder to release tension in your shoulders, slow your breathing, and calm your thoughts. Remind yourself you don’t have to fight these anxious feelings, but rather let them flow and accept the moment.

4 – Think of one of your happiest memories in a crowd.

When stress starts to overtake you in a crowded space, you need to counter balance the negative chemicals swirling through your brain with positive ones. Have a memory prepared for this moment of a joyful time in a crowd.

(This could be a day at an amusement park, your wedding reception, a happy birthday dinner with a bunch of friends, or a care-free concert of your favorite band.)

Focus on the positive emotion, feel the joy of that day, and harness it in the forefront of your mind. Not only will this take your mind off of your current situation and remind you that you CAN handle crowds, it will literally release feel good hormones that can help counteract the negative ones that are trying to take over.

5 – Practice the Mindful CAN Method.

Consistency, Awareness, and Nutrition. You CAN do it 😉 Preparation can be incredibly powerful if you consider all of these practices. READ MORE on this technique.

For more info on managing stress in large social settings, check out this book on rewiring your brain*. Good luck and HAPPY MINDING!

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