How often do your thoughts drift elsewhere while you’re doing a task? How many times a day can you count on being in the present moment? With so much going on in our world today, it’s no wonder that so many of us are focused on anything but the present.
Too often our minds are either replaying memories from our past or worrying about our future. Thankfully there are practical ways to redirect your attention and remind yourself to enjoy the moment in front of you. By practicing mindfulness daily, you’re sure to feel more grounded, at peace, and be present in every moment. Here are 4 ways you can start practicing mindfulness today.
1) Focus on Your Senses An effective way to center yourself and bring awareness to the present moment is to focus on your senses. You can do this by identifying what you can currently see, smell, hear, taste, and more. You can also try this with images, like the one above. Here are a few examples. What can you see? Can you describe 3 details? What can you hear? Are there any smells? What can you feel? Is there a cool breeze? What can you taste? Answering these questions encourages your mind to focus on what’s in front of you rather than worrying about what happened yesterday or what’s going to happen tomorrow.
When we are mindful, deeply in touch with the present moment, our understanding of what is going on deepens, and we begin to be filled with acceptance, joy, peace and love.
thich nhat hanh.
2) Take Deep Breaths An important daily practice that raises awareness and releases stress is taking deep healing breaths. Whether it’s first thing in the morning, during your lunch break, right before bed, or whenever your body needs it, it’s an effective way to ground yourself. If you find your mind wandering and unable to focus on your breathwork, which is completely normal, incorporate the sensory questions above with each breath. You’ll find this gets easier with daily practice.
If you’re always racing to the next moment, what happens to the one you’re in? Slow down and enjoy the moment you’re in and live your life to the fullest.
nanette mathews.
3) Listen to Your Body We’ve all experienced burnout, fatigue, mood swings, and pushed ourselves to our limits at one point or another. Our bodies are always telling us what it needs and it’s important to tune in and listen. Not too long ago, I decided to take on a very long to-do list in one day. Rather than resting and listening to my body to space out these tasks throughout the week, I ended up hurting my back and was unable to be productive for a few days. When we prioritize our health and wellbeing by listening to our bodies, it gives us mental clarity, emotional balance, and the energy to show up as our best selves.
Mindfulness is simply being aware of what is happening right now without wishing it were different.
james baraz.
4) Check In with Yourself Three great ways to check in with yourself daily include meditation, journaling, and spending time in nature. Incorporate any of these mindful activities in your daily routine to feel more centered. If you’re looking to get started on meditation, I recommend Great Meditation on YouTube. They offer free guided meditation videos that are usually between 5-10 minutes long, which is perfect for beginners or if you have a few extra minutes to spare during the day. Their selection includes meditation for the morning, anxiety, grounding, sleep, and more.
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I hope this post encourages you to slow down and be mindful of your surroundings. What are some ways you practice mindfulness? What are some things you can do today to be more present? I’d love to hear your thoughts. For more posts on wellness, visit my tag here.
thank you for the mindful reminders. Great post! Deep breathing is one of my favorite practices.
Deep breathing so effective and helpful! Thank you for reading!
A great post. Mindfulness is a powerful technique to help relax and to improve mental health. Thank you for sharing your suggestions on how you can use mindfulness in life.
Lauren
It really is a powerful technique and habit to practice. Thank you for reading Lauren!
Love these tips. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for reading!
These are some really helpful suggestions! I think learning to listen to our bodies can be so difficult but it’s so important to do. I love checking in with myself through journaling when I can find the time too! Thank you so much for sharing x
I agree, it can be difficult but it gets easier with practice! Thank you for reading Ceri!
Listening to our bodies is something we’ve had to learn to do to prevent burnout.
It’s so important to be in tuned with our bodies! Thank you for reading!
These are all great tips. Taking deep breaths is something I try to do several times a day.
It makes such a huge difference! Thank you for reading Wendy!
Whenever I walk into a spa, the scent and the sound help me practice mindfulness. However, frequenting a spa can be quite pricey so I like to play ‘meditation’ on Alexa and switch up my diffuser oil scent in my home and I can be present in the moment for just a little while.
Crystal | http://www.amazingbaby.app
Using essential oils is wonderful for grounding! I’m glad you’ve found a practical and affordable way to recreate the spa scent at home! Thank you for reading Crystal!
I need to take deep breaths. Thank you for the reminder.
http://www.rsrue.blogspot.com
You’re welcome! Thank you for reading Regine!
What a helpful post! I am becoming more mindful each day but I love that you’ve included a YouTube resource which I’m sure will push me further. Thanks for sharing!
I hope you enjoy the guided meditations! They were extremely helpful when I first started practicing. Thank you for reading Jodie!
Great post, mindfulness can be such a vital tool to practice, especially when you’re in a low mood. I find yoga, meditation, journaling, reading and embroidery all really help me practice mindfulness as they allow me to really focus on the present and how my body and mind is feeling in that moment.
I’m glad you’ve found so many great ways to practice mindfulness. I’d love to incorporate yoga into my routine! Thank you for reading Jenny!