When you are mindful, you have a full mind. However, you don’t load your brain with thoughts about chores that you need to carry out. You focus on being in the present moment and doing whatever it is that you are doing.
The practice of mindfulness brings about a peaceful state of heightened awareness. You notice more than you usually would about your environment and gain a sense of connection. People usually think in terms of the past or future and miss enjoying what’s happening now. With practice, you can turn almost every activity into an opportunity to be mindful and reap the rewards of a calm and balanced mind.
1 – Set The Tone Of The Day
Countless people experience a rush of thoughts about their responsibilities when they open their eyes in the morning. The result is that they are instantly stressed.
You can set a positive tone by being mindful of your breath when you wake up. Before you get out of bed, focus on inhaling and exhaling deeply and slowly. Listen to the sound of air entering and leaving your body, and notice the physical sensation of breathing on your skin and inside your body.
2 – Calming Ablution
As you take a shower, feel the water splashing on you and recognize how this makes you feel. Close your eyes and focus on the water running down your torso and enjoy being in the moment. If unwanted thoughts arise, let them pass and return your mind to taking a shower.
3 – Nourishing Breakfast
Eat slowly and with purpose, noticing the sensation of each mouthful entering your system. Add the thought that with every bite, you take nourishment into your body that will give you strength and good health.
4 – Travel
However you travel to work, you can be mindful of the process. If you are driving, learning how to be mindful instead of traveling on autopilot will make you a safer driver. In addition, you’ll have a calm state of mind. Expand your awareness by widening your vision to accommodate your complete surroundings. You’ll discover that there is more activity occurring than you’ve recognized before.
5 – Moving With Purpose
No matter what your job entails, you can be mindful about the way you move. Perhaps, you can pay extra attention to the feeling of the computer keys under your fingertips if you type. Alternatively, you might focus upon lifting, standing, or sitting and noticing the weight of your body and the feeling of the chair or ground beneath you.
6 – Communicating Attentively
Communicating in a mindful manner can make you into a fabulous listener and speaker. When you give your full attention to people, you notice their body language and tone of voice. Consequently, you gain empathy with their needs and can get your own requirements across easily.
7 – Take A Break
When you stop work for a beverage, enjoy calming your brain and clearing away any stress that you’ve accumulated. Be mindful about lifting your cup to your lips, and how the cup feels on your mouth. Notice the liquid trickling down your throat and going into your stomach, and the warming or cooling sensation that it produces in your body.
8 – Greeting Ritual
When you greet people or your pets during the day, give them your full attention. Engage with them completely so that the moment you meet you exude positive energy. Feel a smile forming on your face and notice how your eyes widen. You will easily create a positive bond and get off on the right foot with everyone you meet if you greet them in a mindful fashion.
9 – Nature Connection
At least once a day, go into the open air, preferably in the countryside or your garden, and be mindful about nature. Absorb bird songs and take them into your heart. Breathe in the scents of moss, earth and flowers. Look at the texture of grasses, beetles’ shells and the furry coat of bumblebees. Become part of nature and your worries will wash away.
10 – Bedtime Bliss
One of the most powerful ways that you can de-stress at night is to imagine that you are placing concerns into an overnight box and shutting the lid, before you turn your focus inwards. Practice breathing deeply, and then imagine healing air streaming throughout your body. Place mindful concentration on watching an inner vision of the air that you breathe pushing any blockages to well-being out of your system.
