4 Ways To Bring More Mindfulness Into Your Life
Have you ever driven somewhere, only to get to your destination and not remember driving there? What about reading a book, magazine or newspaper and not being able to remember what you just read? Or how about eating something and not paying attention to the taste, texture or flavours?
I think we’re all guilty of mindlessly going about our day, doing activities where we don’t put our full attention onto what we’re doing.
I often find myself reading the same sentence over and over without really knowing what I read, and I am certainly a master at driving somewhere (usually home) and not remembering how I got there!! Thank goodness my subconscious knows what’s going on.
We live in a world where there is so much competition for our attention, distractions galore and mental health issues are on the rise.
I find for myself that it is much more of a habit for me to go about my day on auto pilot, then it is to be mindful. I start off being aware of my surroundings, my thoughts, etc and before I know it my mind is off racing about all the things I need to do, what this person said, why I can’t afford such-and-such and on and on it goes.
One technique I’ve been experimenting with on myself is mindfulness.
Mindfulness involves being fully present in the moment and accepting it without judgment.
Easy right?
Ha!
If it were easy, we would all be mindful of what we were doing and saying, and the world would be a much different place.
One thing I am learning about mindfulness is that it’s not an end result. It is not something you achieve. Instead, it is a way of life. It’s not something that you do once or every now and then to get results.
No.
Being mindful and living mindfully has to become a way of life - being present and aware of the moment without judging you or the situation you are in. Just awareness of what is.
So, with that, here are 4 ways I have discovered to bring more mindfulness into my life.
Breathe! We don’t need to be reminded to breathe. We do it automatically, thanks to our subconscious. It looks after many bodily processes such as breathing, heartbeat and many more. As you’re reading this, notice your breath. Notice what happens to your body as you breathe in and out. Take a few minutes now. Focusing on your breath is one of the most common and easiest ways of practicing mindfulness. How long can you focus on your breathing before your mind wanders?
Pay attention to what you can see, hear, feel, taste and smell. Name one thing you can hear right now. Name one thing you can see right now. Name one thing you can smell right now. Name one thing you can taste. Name one thing you can touch right now. This is a great way to bring yourself back to the present moment, especially if your mind is spiraling out of control.
Mindful eating. Next time you pop something into your mouth - stop. Take a moment to notice what it is you’re about to chomp on. Notice the look, colour, texture, the feel in your hands. Smell it. How does it smell? Pop it into your mouth but, before chewing, what sensation are you aware of? Now go ahead and eat the item. What are you aware of?
Mindful tracing. This is something I have recently discovered for myself and I have to say, I am slightly addicted. Tracing is fantastic because you get the benefit of drawing (without the judgment) and you put quite a bit of focus and attention onto staying on the line that you can’t help but be fully in the present. Tracing is also a great way to allow your thoughts and feeling to come and go without judging them. Click HERE to download your free mindful tracing page. I also have a few bundles of mindful tracing pages over on my ETSY shop that you may be interested in. They include Floral Tracing Pages, Succulent Tracing Pages as well as a cute Christmas Bundle.
You can begin to practice mindfulness for just a few minutes at a time and gradually build from there. Take a few mindful breaths, eat more mindfully, pay attention to what’s around you or engage in some mindful tracing as a fun way to begin your mindfulness practice.
Bev 😊💗