Mindfulness is the state of being aware, moment-by-moment, of your thoughts, feelings and sensations. Being mindful allows us to focus awareness on what we’re feeling in the moment, without any interpretation or judgement.
Practicing mindfulness can reduce stress, restore emotional balance, increase resilience, reduce anxiety and improve sleep quality.
Truth is, we’re all capable of being mindful, but, like anything it takes a little practice and patience to get in the routine of being mindful daily.
Here are 5 ways to practice mindfulness in your everyday life
Meditate
If you’re like me, it’s hard to sit still and try to quiet your mind, but, meditation has many benefits and increases your levels of happiness, energy, mindfulness and inner peace. It allows you to strengthen your mind to remain present throughout the day.
The beautiful thing is that you don’t need to meditate for hours to feel the benefits of meditation, just sit in a calm and comforting place for 10 minutes and it can have a positive impact on your life.
Observe your thoughts and emotions
Our thoughts can sometimes seem overwhelming and a lot of us may not take the time to sit back and really think about why certain emotions arise or what your thoughts could mean.
You are not your thoughts, you are just an observer of them. Being aware of your thoughts and observing them, without judgement, is a step closer in becoming more present and mindful.
Check in with your body
Our bodies are constantly sending us messages through various forms of sensations. Take a moment to notice when your body is sending you these signals. Are you holding tension, anger or stress? Are you aching or have any pain?
Paying attention to your body can help you bring your attention to the present moment and help you learn what your body needs and how you need to take care of it in this moment.
Practice active listening
In conversations with others, it’s easy to be in our heads to try and think of how to respond. Sometimes we completely tune out the person before they are even finished with their thoughts.
Try this, next time you’re in a conversation, actively listen and focus your full attention on the person you’re talking to. Listening intently and mindfully will help you value the other person more as well as improve the quality of your future conversations.
Take a mindful walk outside
Walking has many benefits such as reducing blood pressure, heart rate and creating feelings of wellbeing, improving your mood and managing stress.
When we walk our mind and body are slowed down, and we’re able to release feelings of stress and worries and bring on peace.
So go ahead, take a mindful walk as many times a week as you can for not only your physical health, but to practice mindfulness.
