Mindfulness is a powerful tool that can add so much to your life. If you’re new to mindfulness, check out my A Basic Guide to Mindfulness post to learn the basics. We’re going to dive a little deeper here and explore some of the actionable things you can do to bring mindfulness into your life.
One of the important things to note about mindfulness is that you don’t have to schedule it into your life. You can absolutely put a yoga class on your schedule or set aside time for meditation, but in this post, I’ll be sharing the smaller things you can do to infuse mindfulness into your daily life. These simple mindfulness activities require intention but won’t add another task to your schedule. I find that the small activities can often bring the most significant results. With enough practice, these simple activities have the potential to turn into habits that will improve your overall wellbeing. Let’s explore five simple mindfulness activities you can carry with you through your daily life.
1.Breathe.
This is probably the simplest mindfulness activity ever. Chances are you’re already breathing unconsciously and automatically all day and all night. But in order to bring a mindful aspect to breathing, it’s important to pay attention to your breaths. I know that whenever I’m not paying attention to my breathing patterns, my breaths are often shallow and short. I take in just enough air to get by and survive. I’ve discovered how beneficial it is to practice mindful breathing. To breathe mindfully, simply pay attention to your breaths, slow your breaths, and take deep breaths. You can even count the beats of your breaths. Try breathing in for four counts, hold your breath and count to four, and breathe out for eight counts. Counting is an effective way to keep you in the present moment. Paying attention to your breathing brings a sense of calm and presence, and since you’re constantly breathing anyways, you can bring mindful breathing with you wherever and whenever.
2. Tune into your senses.
This mindfulness activity is especially helpful during times of anxiety or panic-like feelings. But even when you’re not feeling particularly anxious or distressed, tuning into your senses is a great way to bring you into the present moment. Focus on what you can see, hear, smell, taste, and touch. Address each sense one by one, and really tune into your surroundings in that moment. Try to declutter your mind of worries, stress, or distracting thoughts that pull you away from the present moment. Focus on your body and the sensations it is receiving from your surroundings. Practice paying attention to your senses, and you’ll be more able to appreciate and acknowledge the present moment.
3. Practice mindful eating.
I love food. I appreciate food. I seriously just love to eat. But I’ll be the first to admit that my eating habits are not always very mindful. I often rush through meals, multi-task while I eat, and don’t always put thought into what exactly is going into my body. Mindful eating is something I’m working on and trying to get better at. When you eat mindfully, your appreciation of food and the effect it has on your body will rise significantly. Slow it down, resist the urge to watch TV or work on other things while you eat, and pay attention to how your food actually tastes. Appreciate the immense privilege it is to have food on your plate to nourish your body. In addition to being mindful about how you eat, it’s important to also be mindful of what you eat. This doesn’t mean you have to always avoid fast food, sweets, or anything else that isn’t technically healthy for you. You can still enjoy and indulge in these foods (I know I certainly do). But I think it’s important to pay attention to the food you consume and the effect it has on your body. In other words, eat what you want, but be aware of how that food affects your mind, body, and soul. Does eating chocolate give you joy? Do you feel energized after eating fruits and vegetables? Maybe you realize you feel sluggish and tired after eating fast food and eating broccoli gives you a headache. Our bodies and minds are all unique, and we’ll all react in different ways to different foods. In order to eat mindfully, it’s important to become aware of how you eat, what you eat, and the effect that certain foods have on your mind and body.
4. Try monotasking.
Monotasking is the opposite of multitasking. When life gets busy, it’s easy to convince ourselves we need to multitask in order to get everything done. Multitasking isn’t always a bad thing, but it can weaken your connection to mindfulness. Sometimes when I’m multitasking, I can feel myself disconnecting from myself and my surroundings. I get lost in all of my tasks, and by the end of it, I’m not even sure if I’ve given each task the attention it needed. I believe that whenever possible, we should try to do more with less. Putting our attention on one task at a time often enables us to accomplish that task more effectively. When you have a long to-do list, maybe try not to tackle everything at the same time. Instead of checking your emails while walking your dog while trying to get in your morning workout, spend quality time with your dog, schedule a time in your day for emails, and take a break from everything else to go for a run. Treat each task as its own entity. Pay attention to the single task at hand, and try not to let distractions or other things on your to-do list pull you away. I know this can be difficult, so you don’t have to monotask all the time, especially if you’re used to multitasking. But try it out, see how it feels, and realize the potential of what you can accomplish when you put all of your attention on one task.
5. Practice gratitude.
Gratitude can be as simple as taking a few minutes to reflect on what you’re thankful for, or you could even take it further and start a gratitude journal to record a few things you’re grateful for each day. When we’re feeling busy or stressed or sad, it’s easy to forget everything in our lives that we’re thankful for. It’s important to take the time to remind ourselves of the things that make us happy, the people who make us feel loved, or the circumstances that make you feel lucky to be living your life. No one has a perfect life. Everyone goes through struggle and hardship. Gratitude won’t erase the difficult parts of life, but it can certainly help you get through them.
These five mindfulness activities are small and simple, but can have a big impact on your life. When practiced enough, they have the potential to become effortless habits. Try them out, see how they feel, and realize everything they can bring to your daily life.
what do you think?