Mindfulness allows us to be present in the moment, unstirred by anxieties about the future. When we are mindful, we are able to tackle anything the day throws at us without feeling overwhelmed because we’re focused on what we can accomplish at the moment rather than stress about what’s to come.
Mindfulness is a quality this is present within all of us; we just need to make an effort to access it and use it to navigate our daily lives with more peace and direction. Learn more about how mindfulness can have positive effects on your day-to-day well-being. Here are some simple ways you can incorporate mindfulness into your life.
Journaling
Journaling can be anything from writing down recollections of your day to more in-depth analyses of your feelings or what you did in a day to move toward a specific goal you have in mind. Not only does journaling provide a record of your experiences for you to look back on how far you’ve come, but it also sets aside a moment in your day for you to focus on the present.
No Screen Time
Nowadays, we’re all over-stimulated from being attached to our phone screens, laptops, and televisions. This amount of screen time does not only cause us mental fatigue; it also provides a distraction from our emotions around having to confront something difficult we want to avoid doing. Making the active decision to have a specific period during the day where you avoid screens altogether can help you quiet the noise of the online world and is an excellent way to start practicing mindfulness.
Listen To Music
You don’t have to stick to music. Spending some time consuming any art enriches your mind and can draw the focus back into just having fun in the moment. In general, doing things you enjoy is a great way to slow down time and worry less about the future. And don’t just listen to music; dance away your worries like no one’s watching too. You’ll be free from the constraints of your obligations, even if just for a few minutes.
Stand Up Every Hour
It can be tempting to just sit and power through your work and leave the mindless walking around for later. But when you make an effort to stand up and get the blood flowing every hour, you not only give your eyes a rest from the screen, you also get a moment to breathe and center yourself before getting back to work. This easy practice can prove to be very refreshing!
Mindful Eating
You might want to hurry up and scarf down your food because you’re starving and have to get back to work, but sitting down and thinking about your food as you chew it can help you return to the rest of your workday feeling more at ease. Thinking about your food may seem silly, but think of it as a way to appreciate the peaceful time you have to eat and see it as time stopping for you to take care of yourself rather than seeing eating as a chore.
