Mindfulness is an action. It is purposefully focusing and being present in the moment. It is taking time to listen to your mind, body, and spirit to increase happiness and decreasing stress. Doing so can improve overall physical and mental well-being.
By training your attention to focus and be calm, you can also learn to access positive emotional responses to help you cope with daily happenings.
Reports claim mindfulness offers many additional benefits, like improved memory, decreased anxiety, better pain management, and better control over how you respond emotionally.
Mindfulness does not appear on its own. It would be best if you practiced it often to achieve full benefits. While you may think you are too busy to practice mindfulness, there are ways you can implement brief techniques throughout your day. Nine examples are discussed below.
Set a Daily Tone
Too often, the alarm clock goes off, you rush to get ready for work, and before you know it, you are in your car, already stressed. This sets the tone for your day. Instead, set a different tone. When you wake up, take ten or more minutes to practice mindfulness. Take deep breaths, visualize yourself feeling positive all day, completing tasks without obstacles and stress.
Have a Peaceful Commute
Your drive to work or school can be stressful or peaceful. It is your choice, even though it may seem like every other driver is causing stress. Your reactions to those drivers are the ultimate cause, however. To make your commute more peaceful, practice taking deep breaths every time you feel like reacting to an unexpected situation. With each deep breath, think of something positive or imagine yourself feeling happy. Many problems on your commute are out of your control. To focus on them is not productive.
Avoid Multi-tasking
Multi-tasking is often seen as a great trait, especially by employers. But to produce fantastic results, focusing on one job at a time is the only way. Even the Cleveland Clinic agrees multi-tasking is not effective because it divides your attention. It hinders performance by causing your brain to switch back and forth between tasks. It creates mental chaos, the opposite of mindfulness and calmness.
Reward Yourself for Saying “No”
Busy does not mean better. Society often portrays the most active person as the one who can do it all, the one we should strive to be. The truth is that being too busy is unhealthy. Because it is natural to want to please your boss, family, friends, and colleagues, you may accept invitations for extra work and extra responsibilities. Then, you end up feeling overwhelmed and stressed.
It’s easier than you think to say "no." Simply tell the truth, you have been taking on too many projects, and your mental and physical health is suffering as a result, and you would not be able to do a good job completing the task. There is nothing wrong with politely standing up for yourself. Then, reward yourself with a massage, yoga, or more time in mindfulness meditation.
Eat Mindfully
Eating happens several times a day. It is a time when you are directly in control of changing your mind and body. Driving through a fast-food restaurant, ordering thousands of calories of food, and consuming them in less than twenty minutes is unhealthy. Neurotransmitters exist in your gut and your brain, and what you eat influences mental and physical health. So does mindful eating.
Eating mindfully means paying attention to how your mind and body react to the foods you consume. Take your time while eating so you can truly analyze the effects.
Walk for Mindfulness
People take walks for many reasons, including exercise, cool down after a fight, lose weight, and get to work. You can also walk for mindfulness. The intention behind your walk determines how you will feel when you’re done. Walking for mindfulness means focusing your attention and being present when you’re walking.
Notice your surroundings and use all your senses to take in the environment. Point out things for which you are grateful. Smile while you walk. Focus on how your body feels before, during, and after your walk.
Shower Mindfully
When you shower or take a bath, that is the optimal time to practice mindfulness. You are alone with nothing, but your thoughts, so make them meaningful. Rather than allowing thoughts of your to-do list, stressors from the day, or relationship problems, focus on the shower itself. What is the shower doing for you? How does it feel? Take deep breaths and visualize the positive effects of the shower. Focus on the positive you want to happen the rest of the day or night.
Talk About It
Many individual counselors understand the benefits of mindfulness. They can teach you various mindfulness interventions and give you a better understanding of the positive effects they can have on your mind, body, and spirit. Counselors can also help you work through the thoughts that interfere with practicing mindfulness. Sharing your thoughts can prompt a release of them.
Wait!
Before making any decision, no matter how big or small, wait. Before responding to others, wait. Before you do anything, take time to process what is happening and how you feel. Take time to assess your needs.
Waiting is hard because we are living in a time where rushing is expected. It is also unhealthy. Practice mindfulness by learning patience. You will make better decisions, respond with clarity, and make fewer mistakes.
Waiting means giving yourself time to think, feel, and act with purpose, not in response to something.
In conclusion, there are hundreds of ways to practice mindfulness daily. These are a few to get you started. You can start creating a list a more personalized list of mindfulness techniques that work for you. Practicing mindfulness is like giving yourself a daily gift, one of peace and calm, one you deserve entirely. Implement small, mindful changes in your life, and soon you will begin to see improvements in all areas of your life.