Mindfulness & Planning: Taking a Holistic Approach to Your Future

You're standing at a major crossroads in your life and considering your career options. Choosing the right way can feel like a mammoth task, and it's easy to be overwhelmed at this point, but you need a clear mind. But how do you clear it to make the best possible decision? Enter mindfulness techniques, your secret weapon in navigating this exciting yet challenging time.

Mindfulness might sound like a buzzword, but it's a practical approach that can inject some focus and calmness into your decision-making process. It lets you become present and aware, cutting through the noise so you can take a step back and tune into what matters. It's a practice that gives you the mental space you need to explore career ideas and your ambitions.

When combined with valuable tools like career quizzes, these mindfulness methods become even more powerful and honed, delivering what you need to navigate the tricky waters of your future. So, if you're ready, let's dive into the world of mindful decision-making!

Mindful Techniques That Let You Focus

Making decisions about your future after high school can feel like a heavy process, especially as there are all those expectations from your folks. However, mindfulness techniques are great for relieving stress and letting you see things as they really are - rather than feeling weighed down by everything.

Let's look at a few simple methods that can turn you from a stressed school leaver into a Zen master. We'll start with deep breathing!

• Deep Breathing

Our first technique involves finding a quiet spot to sit or lie down. Once you have, close your eyes and slowly inhale through your nose for a count of four. Then exhale slowly out of your mouth slowly for another count of four and repeat the process for 3-4 minutes.

What this does is calm the nervous system, and you might find that those career ideas you’ve been looking for come that much easier without all the noise in your head.

• Body Scan Meditation

Another useful mind-clearing method is known as body scan meditation, which again requires you to find a quiet spot, but this time you must lie down comfortably. Close your eyes for a moment and focus on your breath, slowly and deliberately focusing on each part of your body, from the top of your head down to your toes. If you feel any tension in each area, consciously relax those muscles.

This not only helps you connect with your body but also eases stress works to improve your concentration levels, and allows you to see clearly when considering career paths.

• Mindful Walking

Our next option is to find a peaceful area, such as your local park or a quiet street and go for a walk. As you stride, try and focus on the sensation of your feet touching the ground, as well as the rhythm of your steps. Also, do your best to notice the surrounding sights and sounds.

This is an exercise that brings you into the present moment and enhances your decision-making abilities. It also gives you the nice endorphin release that comes with light physical exercise.

• Gratitude Journaling

Lastly, we have an exercise in understanding what's good about your life, and it comes in the form of gratitude journaling. It's not a difficult practice, as it solely requires you to shift your focus on positive things and simply involves taking a couple of minutes each to write down things that you're grateful for.

It can be very easy to focus on negative things that drag you down, but gratitude journaling can lighten the load and give you a fresh perspective.

When you're getting stressed thinking about all of the career options you have in front of you, it can leave your mind feeling chaotic and stormy. However, by employing just a couple of these techniques, you can take everything in your stride - plus, it costs nothing, so why not give it a go?

What Career Quizzes Can Do For Your Professional Future

If you're able to quieten your mind and consider the important stuff - your future career options - then you're in the right headspace. This is where career quizzes come in, as they let you make use of this clarity to formulate a plan of what might best suit you and your talents.

Quizzes like these represent an informal self--focused career assessment and uncover a wide range of aspects about yourself that might not have previously been aware of, such as:

• Your Unique Personality Traits - Career quizzes dig deeply into who you are – are you a creative spirit, a logical thinker, or a people person? Understanding your personality helps match you with roles where you'll naturally excel and enjoy.
• Your Interests and Passions - They also pinpoint what gets you excited, such as tech, art, or maybe the great outdoors. This helps to align your potential career paths with your interests and increases the likelihood you'll end up in a role that doesn't feel like work.
• Your Strengths and Skills - If you're a modest person, you may not be aware of all the talents you possess. A careers quiz can highlight whether you're a problem-solver, a natural carer or a communication guru. Knowing your strengths leads you to roles where you can shine and grow.
• Your Preferred Work Environment - Quizzes also help to illustrate the kind of workplace you'll most enjoy working in. You might thrive in a buzzing office or out in the open air. Knowing your preferred work environment can provide some great pointers about your best professional field.

Career quizzes are like your personal audits and allow you to discover the clues required to shine a light on what industry or setting you're best suited to. When used with a clear mind and the right amount of focus, they represent a powerful career guidance tool.

Highlight Your Best Career Options With Wandr Learning

Once you have some answers from leveraging mindfulness techniques combined with career quizzes - like the one you can find on our home page - the next natural step is to sample the potential career paths that have been highlighted. That's possible thanks to the Wandr learning and discovery platform that gives you a chance to get up close and personal with a range of professions.

Our video-led courses can let you see what it's like to work in Australia's mining industry as a cyber security specialist or even a forensic scientist. Rather than having to commit to these jobs, you can dip your toe in and sample the industry to see if you like it.

Our course library that covers more than 20 different industries, such as:

• Influencing & branding
• Business & Management
• Mental Health & Wellness
• Fitness & Nutrition
• Criminology & Law
• FX & Graphic Design
• Photography
• Education
• Aged Care

All of this self-paced learning gives you a fantastic career guidance resource that's not going to bankrupt you or the Bank of Mum and Dad. That way, you can base the answers you get from this important decision on what matters to you rather than on a hunch! On top of all that, we also offer 1-to-1 expert mentoring that can give you precious insight.

Wandr Learning - A Game-Changing Career Guidance Resource

As you move inexorably towards the end of high school, the decision on what you're going to do with your future can seem like a daunting one to make. However, thanks to the Wandr learning platform, it doesn't have to be stressful or scary, as we offer a relaxed space in which to make wise decisions about your career options and what you see yourself doing.

Our immersive video-led career content spans thousands of topics across more than 20 different professional industries. To find out more about what we offer to you and your professional ambitions, visit us today at www.wandr.au. Alternatively, to speak with our team about anything we've spoken about here, just call 1300 611 404 or email support@wandr.au.