The word mindfulness has got a lot of attention lately. The definition of mindfulness = the quality or state of being conscious or aware of something. Basically, mindfulness is being present in the current moment. While meditating every morning is a great mindfulness practice, it’s really only a small part. We have trained our brains to be constantly multitasking. Starting a mindfulness practice takes time, as it is retraining years of multitasking. As you pay attention to how many times our mind wanders, it’s really interesting to see how often it happens. It is such a habit for most people that it seems normal.
Being present in each moment has impacts on our physical, mental and emotional wellness. It can lower anxiety, heighten focus, lessen stress, deepens our connection with others, enhance productivity, I would like to show you some simple ways- how to start a mindfulness practice. Watch this TED talk below about the power of mindfulness.
How to start a mindfulness practice:
Mindfulness to start your day-
When you wake up, refrain from checking your phone, email or social media. Sit and take a few deep breaths. Set an intention for your day. What do you want your mindset to be? An intention can be specific like “read 2 chapters from a book” or it can be more broad “To show up for myself”. Or maybe you would rather have a word- peace, love, patience. Whatever you decide, try writing this down on a sticky note, or notecard and place it where you will see it often as a reminder throughout the day. Starting your day with intention can really help set you up for the kind of day you want. Once you set your intention, even when things don’t go as planned, let your intention guide you.
Some examples of intentions:
- Peace
- Love
- Patience
- Courage
- Excitement
- Rest
- Joy
- Grace
- To create more space for peace in my day
- Allow myself to feel my feelings
- Be present in the moment
- Stay organized with my work
- I will drink enough water today
Mindfulness while you eat:
It’s easy to get into the habit of constantly multitasking. Even when eating, most of us are trying to get one more email answered, or scroll through social media, even reading a book. All of these things are taking us away from the present. Some ways to stay present while eating.
- Be aware of how your body feels, are you hungry, tired, thirsty?
- As you eat be aware of how your food is nourishing your body
- Pay attention to how your food tastes
- Take small bites and chew your food slowly and thoroughly
- Listen to your body and stop when it’s full
Mindfulness while you exercise:
- Start with having a purpose to your workout
- To challenge yourself
- Work your leg muscles
- Run or walk a certain distance
- Relief stress
- Pay attention to how your body feels
- Be aware of your breath
- Take time to cool down
Go on a mindful walk:
- Walk without listening to music
- As you start your walk, ground yourself by counting your step up to 10 and then start back at 1.
- Look around and name all of the things that you can see
- Listen and listen and name what you can hear
- Name what you can smell
- Continue this way, repeating as you are in different spots of your walk with new sounds, sights and smells
- Count your steps again as needed if you find your mind start wondering to your to do list or a problem your are dealing with
- Allow yourself to be fully present on your walk
Other ways to bring mindfulness into your day:
- Try to single-task when possible.
- I am a nurse, and when I am at work I can’t do my job without multi-tasking. But the problem is I have been doing that in all aspects of my life. I found I was never just doing one task at time. Lately, I have been very aware of this and trying to make a shift.
- Read a book, do a craft or play a game instead of immediately jumping on social media
- Remove notifications for email, social media and other apps from your phone. Instead set a time to check those things.
- 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique
- Focus on 5 things you can see, 4 things you can hear, 3 things you can feel, 2 things you can smell and 1 thing you can taste.
As you are starting your mindfulness practice, have patience with yourself. We have been training our brains for a long time to do the opposite of mindfulness. The more times you add in mindfulness during your day, the more you train your brain to not immediately go to a space of worry, ruminating, multi-tasking and hurry. Just like anything, the more you practice the better you get at it!
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D I S C L A I M E R Anything that I discuss about making any lifestyle changes is from my own experience and/or other clients personal experiences and may not be suited for you. It is strongly recommended that you consult with your health professional before making changes in your own life. By engaging in anything that I talk about, you agree that you do so at your own risk.
