Although many of us are aware of the benefits, we may be unaware of how we can implement mindfulness into our daily lives. See below for some tips around being more mindful day-to-day:
Tie in mindfulness with an existing part of your routine.
A lot of us might relate to the idea that sitting down for a 30-minute meditation seems a little daunting. Well, what if I told you that engaging in short bursts of mindfulness is often enough to feel the benefits?
Bringing mindfulness to the task at hand can be done while doing the dishes or eating our breakfast. The main idea is to maintain our focus on what we are doing. Take notice of the warm water on our hands while we wash up, or the taste and smell of the food we are eating. When our mind wanders, we just gently bring it back to the task at hand.
Start your day with positive affirmations.
For many of us, mornings can be a particularly stressful time. For parents, you may be juggling getting the kids ready for school and yourselves ready for work. If you are a student, you may be experiencing anxiety as it is the day of an important presentation.
Taking 2 minutes out of our morning routines to engage in positive self-talk can help frame the way that we feel about the upcoming day. Take some time out tomorrow morning to say some positive affirmations about yourself, your coming day or even your future.
Practice self-acceptance.
Accepting ourselves for who we are can feel like a difficult task. However, there are many benefits of self-acceptance that we may be unaware of. Greater self-esteem, improved quality of relationships and increased overall mood are some examples of what self-acceptance may bring us.
To practice self-acceptance means to be aware of your personal strengths, weaknesses, values and needs. So, have a think: what is it that makes you the unique person that you are?
Reflect!
Reflection is a particularly powerful tool. The key to reflecting is doing so without self-judgment. Rather, we want to approach our experiences, thoughts, actions and emotions in a curious manner. Stay open-minded about what you may discover about yourself, your relationships and your experiences.
You may also like to read our short article about Being Stuck in a Pattern of Unhelpful Thinking >
