Mindfulness is the mental state of being intensely aware or conscious of what you are feeling or sensing in the present moment without evaluation or judgement. Practicing mindfulness daily through inculcating some simple habits one at a time may lead you towards inner peace.
mindful.org has beautifully defined mindfulness as :
“Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us.”
We need to practice mindfulness because,
When we get too caught up in the busyness of the world, we lose connection with one another – and ourselves.
Jack Kornfield
In this post, you’ll explore 11 habits to practice mindfulness that are simple and quick so that you can stick to them no matter how hectic your schedule is.
how to practice mindfulness?
Pause for a while and notice your breath
Mindful breathing is a very basic easiest and powerful way to practice mindfulness. All you have to do is just focus your attention on your breathing. It has been shown to reduce stress levels, anxiety, negative thoughts , help with burnouts and increase your concentration power.
Such an easy act of mindful breathing anchors you in the present moment so that you can let go of all the complexities of life, at least for that moment.
So, stop reading this article right now and feel the sensation of your breath.
Break your daily routine into segments
If you’re mindful about how you spend your day, you’ll be able to better analyze what went well, what to improve to eventually match it to how you desire to spend your life.
Do one thing at a time
Earlier I used to think that my inability to multitask is my weakness. But doing one thing at a time is a constructive and effective way to work and practice mindfulness as well, that lets you give all of your attention and awareness to that one particular task at a time. It also decreases the chance of making errors at multitasking.
Take a moment to observe the environment
Nature always has beautiful things to offer us. She carries a whole different vibe that can calm you.
Depending on the area you live in, you might not be able to see a lot of greenery around you, but you’ll surely discover something worth pausing for. For example, the view of the changing color of the sky from your window, the floating clouds, movements of birds, their language of communicating among themselves. We all have access to these beauties. Take out a little bit of time from your busy schedule and become their silent admirer!
Listen mindfully
Becoming restless to respond when the speaker hasn’t finished yet, is not at all a good practice.
Listen mindfully to understand, absorb what the speaker is trying to convey, without trying to compose what to reply in your mind. It’s a great mindful practice when you pay attention while listening to someone. Everyone can listen, but not everyone listens mindfully. It’s rare so people will feel respected when you listen to them mindfully and it will strengthen the bonding and trust with that person.
Eat mindfully
When was the last time you fully concentrated on your meal while having it?
I understand. Even I feel guilty about it.
You got to do so much in a single moment. Maybe you’re really good at multitasking or might be thinking that you’re utilizing the time or doing more in less time, but you’re missing out on being mindful and enjoying your meal to the fullest. Just slow down a little bit, chew well, feel it’s taste, flavor, texture and appreciate each bite of your meal.
Being mindful of what you put in your body will result in increasing your energy level, a better mood and hence you will do better in other areas of your life as well.
Journal
Journaling is an easy and very powerful way of practicing mindfulness. You can start journaling with simply a notebook and a pen. Through mindful journaling you can introspect and know yourself in a much better way in terms of who you really are, why you feel a certain way, what makes you happy, your deepest thoughts and emotions.
Read 13 Easy Journaling Tips For Beginners To Get Started and start journaling. You can also check how to use the act of journaling as a way of practicing mindfulness to know more.
Practice gratitude
No doubt there are problems, sufferings, struggles in each of our lives. Finding happiness and peace amongst them becomes a challenge.
Practicing gratitude helps you look at the positives happening in your life and around you, what you can do is amplify their effects.
Feel thankful even for the simplest and smallest things happening in your life.Start practising gratitude even for the very obvious things,then you will eventually feel happy counting each of the things you are blessed for.
Now how do you do that?
The simplest way of practicing gratitude is to write down the things you are grateful for, on a daily basis.
Read Simple Ways to Practice Gratitude if you’re excited to know forty other ways to practice gratitude.
Meditate
Meditation helps you connect with yourself on a deeper level, enhancing self-awareness. Mindfulness meditation helps your brain reduce distractions, stress and anxiety hence promotes emotional health.
There are many ways you can meditate. Even if you’ve a busy schedule, you can invest a few minutes into mindful meditation.
If you’re wondering where to start, there are meditation apps like Headspace, Let’s Meditate to make the meditation process easier for you. You can also check out how to do mindful meditation to learn in detail.
Choose your words before speaking
See, words have the power to make a person feel special or make them cry. Words matter. How you choose to say a thing does matter. It’s easy to get carried away by some action that leads you to say something that you might regret for a lifetime.
Take note or try to take control of how you talk to a person. Maybe your points are valid, but the way you put it across someone makes all the difference.
Let yourself feel
No person is happy all the time. As a part of life, we tend to feel different emotions: be it joy, sadness, anger, envy and so on.
Don’t try to resist or escape your emotions and don’t force too much motivation at that moment. Let yourself face it, feel it, just don’t remain in that state of mind. If you feel like crying, then cry, don’t hold it, just let it out and you’ll feel much better.
Final Words
If you can develop the above mindful habits, they will become a ritual for you, a lifestyle that will help you find happiness, joy, and meaning in your life.
Wonderful tips about practicing mindfulness in everyday life!
Thank you so much.