Mindfulness Practices For Your Daily Life
How To Be More Present So You Can Relax
To be mindful is to be fully present and aware of what one is doing — being mindful means you are immersed in your activity, thoroughly engaging your senses in the experience. Being mindful is not reserved for monks. Being mindful is a practice we can all bring to our daily lives. Here are some ways you can be more mindful in your day-to-day life:
Eating
When you are eating, slow down. Taste your food and chew slowly. Really smell the food. Look at your meal and take in its vibrant colors. Think about your food and focus on your eating experience. If your mind starts to wander, say to yourself, “eating.” You’ll be amazed at how much better your food tastes when you eat mindfully.
You don’t even have to eat mindfully with an entire meal. You can try this exercise with a piece of toast or when drinking a cup of coffee. The key is to be fully present for the experience, keeping your mind focused on the sensations your body is enjoying.
Let the joy you feel in being present for yourself sink in. Thank yourself for setting aside this time to be mindfully present. You have given yourself a gift for which to be grateful.
Working
Did you know you can work mindfully? So often, when we are at our desks, we get distracted from our work by email or our phones ringing. Set up your workspace to be distraction-free. Turn off your notifications while you are working on a project and silence your phone. If you work from home, let others know you will be busy and they shouldn’t disturb you during this time.
If focusing on only your project without checking your phone and email while you work is new to you, set a timer for fifteen minutes. After fifteen minutes, feel free to check your email or phone. Each day you can work up to working for more extended periods undistracted. However, odds are you will get going and not notice your separation from these distractions.
When I work undistracted, I find it’s easier to enter a flow state where my thoughts flow smoothly, and I am “in the zone.” Time flies by without my noticing. Work doesn’t feel like a chore because my mind is fully immersed in what I am doing.
I don’t give any apps, including email, permission to provide notifications on my desktop. I know that I’m not going to forget to check my email several times a day. I don’t need social media popping up while I work, and I have certain times of the week set aside for social media in half-hour spurts. I know the dangers of Facebook and try to be very mindful of how I spend my time on social media.
Walking
Walking is something we often don’t give much thought to. However, walking with purpose is harder than it sounds. Set a timer for five minutes, where you will walk slowly with intention. Pick up your leg slowly. Place your heel down on the ground, feeling your foot roll forward to the front of your toes. Shift your weight to your other leg and repeat the process.
Don’t be surprised if you lose your balance and suddenly find you don’t know how to walk. When we walk slowly, we have to think about the process of walking. This puts our thinking fully present in the process. Suddenly your thoughts are not wandering. Your mind and your body are in sync. They are walking and only walking. This is the state of mindfulness — when our mind and our body are on the same task.
Journaling
One way to practice being fully present with where the mind goes is to keep a journal. While being mindful is often thought of as a practice of keeping the mind from wandering, it is truly being present for where your mind and body are. If you want the experience of letting your mind run wild while being present:
- Keep a journal.
- Let your thoughts flow freely and write down everything that comes to mind.
- Don’t leave anything out.
- Write it all down. If your mind wanders, write “mind wandering.”
- If your mind is blank, write “mind blank.”
- Use the page to be present with your thoughts.
- Again, turn off your cell phone or any devices with notifications that will distract you.
- Write in a quiet place where you will not be disturbed.
- Write until the thoughts stop flowing.
- Date the page so you can reflect on it at another time.
Thank yourself for taking this time to be fully present. You are treasuring your time for the sacred gift that it is.
Meditation
Meditation intimidates many people more than it should. Meditation has proven the benefits of reducing anxiety and helping the body to heal quickly from illness. There are many helpful apps like Insight Timer available in the Play Store full of free guided meditations to help a beginner learn to meditate.
I recommend using headphones to block out surrounding sounds when you’re first starting. Meditating for as little as five minutes is beneficial.
Start by finding a place you will not be disturbed. Set a timer for five, ten, twenty, or thirty minutes. Sit upright and with your palms resting on your lap. Close your eyes gently and breathe normally. Take three deep relaxing breaths, then let your breath return to a normal rhythm. Listen to your breath.
Find the root of your breath. Where do you feel it? Is it in the rise and fall of your belly, or maybe your chest? Do you feel your breath passing over your lips our out through your nose? Be fully present with the sensation of your breath.
When your mind starts to roam, return to focusing on your breath. The mind will wander; it’s what minds do. Like a puppy wandering off a blanket, gently bring the puppy back. We do not scold the puppy. We are training the puppy. “Stay,” we say. Our breath is our anchor. Focus on the in and the out-breath.
If it helps, you can choose a word that helps you feel grounded. This is known as a mantra. Words that help are different to everyone. Some people like to choose a name for the divine, Love, breathing, present, gratitude, or om. Say this word mentally each time you breathe out. Like your breath, it will anchor you.
Stay present with your breath and your mantra until the timer rings. Thank yourself for taking this time. If it suits you, thank any divine guidance you feel connected to for helping you center and have this time.
Daily Life
Mindfulness is a practice we bring to our daily lives. While we can practice being mindful when we meditate, eat, drink our tea, or work, we can be mindful of what we are doing at any time. Being mindful doesn’t have to be a special exercise.
Any time the word “mindfulness” occurs to you, be present with whatever you are doing. Allow yourself to really feel, see, smell, hear, taste, and enjoy all of what you are engaged in. Mindfulness is a gift you can give yourself every day.
What ways do you find that help you feel centered? Are there mindfulness practices you have in your life? How have they helped you? Leave a comment down below.
