Be More Mindful in a Mindless World
Is there a way to be more mindful in today’s fast-paced world?
We live in a busy world. Everyone is always rushing to get to the next place. Our culture glorifies overworking and having little to no rest.
But 2020 has taught us something that is so important – the importance of being more mindful and appreciating every moment.
2020 was a whirlwind of a year and it knocked us off our feet. Moving forward in 2021 and beyond, one of the best lessons 2020 has taught us is that we shouldn’t take anything for granted because we don’t know what lies in the future. Additionally, we learned to be more appreciative of the present moment.
But even though we learned this important lesson, it’s essential to continuously practice mindfulness and include it in our daily routine.
So today, we are sharing a few ways you can be more mindful, more grateful, and add mindfulness into your day.
Try them out to experience the power of mindful living.
What Is the Definition of Mindfulness?
Mindfulness is the state of being fully aware and present of what is happening inside and outside of you. It is being aware of what you are feeling, where you are, or what you are doing.
Additionally, mindfulness is about being fully present and not judging any thoughts or feelings that arise. By not judging, you also avoid feeling overwhelmed by what you are observing.
Why is mindfulness so important? And how can we be more mindful?
Stress, anxiety, and overwhelm often creep up when we are not present or mindful. When we don’t practice mindfulness, our mind becomes noisy and messy. All the thoughts in our heads come up and we either act on those thoughts or fight them.
In addition to that, when we are not mindful, this is when our inner critic starts to get the best of us. That little voice in our heads starts to take us to a place of fear, judgment, anger, and anxiety.
If we let it, these thoughts in our heads make us obsess about the future or worry about the past. So we lose sight of the present moment – of what’s right in front of us.
The Effect of Technology and Social Media
When we practice mindfulness, we get to snap out of these thoughts. Mindfulness helps us get back into focusing on the present moment. This way, we get to enjoy life and really savor each moment more.
These days, it’s so easy to get distracted. With technology and social media always in front of our faces, being mindful becomes tedious.
Social media makes it even harder to focus on our own lives. Instead, we scroll through our newsfeed and focus on the lives (or highlight reels) of other people. This is not good for our well-being and mental health.
So, in a world full of distractions, here are our top tips on how to be more mindful and enjoy life to the fullest.
But before that, let’s delve into the benefits of practicing mindfulness and making it a part of your daily routine.
More Mindful to Experience These Benefits
Mindfulness not only benefits us mentally. It also enhances our physical, spiritual, and emotional well-being.
Here are ten reasons why being more mindful is worth it.
- Quiets the monkey mind and minimizes overthinking
- Lessend stress, anxiety, and overwhelm
- Increases your focus
- Improves productivity
- Promotes better mental and emotional health
- Improves the quality of your relationships
- Makes you more resilient in life
- Enhances your ability to deal with challenges
- Better and more quality sleep
- Improves and strengthens your self-love and self-awareness
We hope these benefits have now piqued your interest to try and be more mindful in your everyday life.
If that’s a yes from you, then keep reading to find out ways to practice mindfulness and live a mindful life.
How to Be More Mindful: Activities to Add to Your Routine
Below are some of the many ways you can incorporate stillness and be more mindful in life.
1. Mindful Waking
When you wake up, what is the first thing you do?
For a lot of us, we hit the snooze button. Then grab our phone and start scrolling.
Scrolling through your phone is actually one of the worst morning habits you can have. This is because as we wake up, we are in the perfect state to absorb everything around us. Our mind is still fresh from sleep and so, this is the perfect time to set the tone for your day.
If you immediately grab your phone and start checking your emails or notifications, your mind is immediately bombarded by so much external information.
Instead of practicing this harmful habit, try sitting or laying down for a few minutes. Give yourself time to be fully aware and awake. This is also the best time to set an intention for your day.
Do a few deep breaths in the morning and a bit of movement with some gentle stretches. Stretching in the morning is a great way to wake up the body and circulate the blood.
When you bring mindfulness into the very first moments of your day, you get to move through the rest of your day with more focus. You get to be more mindful during the rest of the day.
2. One Minute of Silence to Be More Mindful
You may think that mindfulness is something that you have to focus on 24/7. Of course, life happens and there are going to be times where you’ll need to multitask or have only 90% of your attention on something.
The trick is to add a few short minutes to your day to focus on being more mindful.
You can start with one minute of mindfulness each day. Try setting a timer for one minute before you dive into work. Leave your laptop and phone off or on silent for that one minute. Just sit and breathe.
During this one minute, all you have to do is focus all of your attention on your breathing. Nothing else.
If any thoughts or feelings come up during this one minute, just allow them to pass. Like waves in the ocean, allow them to crash into the shore and disappear.
These one-minute mindfulness practices will help you center yourself before starting an activity or task.
You’ll see how much more focused you are when you start working after this practice.
3. Be More Mindful Through Purposeful Sitting
Purposeful sitting is similar to meditation.
Pick a spot where you won’t be disturbed. Sit comfortably in the spot. It can be inside your room for more privacy or outside so that you have a view of nature.
The point of this exercise is to quiet the mind and notice your surroundings.
Just like the first exercise, the goal of this practice is to observe your thoughts. Set a timer for yourself. It could be a five-minute break in between tasks or a fifteen-minute time slot allotted every time you end your workday.
During these few minutes, focus on your breath.
Observe your surroundings. Are you outside? What do you hear? What’s the weather like.
Or are you indoors? What do you see?
What does the surface you are sitting on feel like?
Notice everything going on around you
4. Mindful Eating
Another great way to be more mindful is through mindful eating.
Fast food and junk food are definitely not good for our health. In addition to that, we multitask while we eat.
We have the TV turned on in front of the dining table or are glued to our phones while eating. Instead of splitting our attention, why not try mindful eating?
During meals, try to take twice as long as you normally would when eating your food. Savor each bite. Really notice the taste, smell, and texture of the food you are eating.
Pay close attention to the process of cutting your food and chewing it.
When you eat mindfully, you not only get to savor your food much more, but it’s healthier for the body too. When you chew your food properly, it’s much easier for the body to digest.
Also, try pausing in between each bite. Savor the taste after each bite. Notice what you feel after each bite. There is so much to notice while you are eating.
Of course, not everyone has the luxury to take their time while eating or eat alone quietly. But try to have at least one meal a day or even one snack a day that you eat by yourself to help you be more mindful.
5. Unitask
In the past, multitasking has been seen as a strength or good trait. However, more and more research has shown that multitasking is actually bad for your brain and well-being.
It not only splits your focus, but it also gives you less than quality results. Multitasking also makes us more prone to mistakes. So we repeat the task and waste more time in the long run.
Additionally, studies have found that when people multitask, they tend to take 50% longer to finish a task. They are also 50% more likely to make mistakes.
Focus on one task at a time and give your full attention. You’ll see that you are able to finish the task faster and get more quality results.
6. Mindful Showering
Some of our best ideas come to us while we are in the shower. Do you agree?
This is because showering puts us in a more relaxed state.
Because of this, our daily showers are a great time to step away from our noisy thoughts. Mindful showering can be done as a form of meditation.
Instead of hurrying to finish your shower, notice and pay attention to the feeling of water falling on your skin. Notice the temperature. Pay attention to the smell of the soap or shampoo on your head. Notice its texture.
Notice what you feel before, during, and after a shower.
7. Mindful Walking
This one is something we don’t pay attention to a lot.
When we walk, we rarely notice what we are feeling, seeing, or sensing as we walk.
In order to be more mindful, try to practice mindful walking. Notice when your heels touch the ground. Feel the hardness or softness of the ground beneath you. What do the soles of your feet feel in each step?
What are the sights and sounds around you when you walk? Notice if you are walking too fast and always in a hurry. If so, slow down.
Mindful walking is also a great grounding exercise that you can add to your daily routine.
8. Slow Down
Our culture is so fast-paced that we always want to get to the next place. We want to get to the next level, earn a higher income, buy more, have more.
But in our quest to have more in the shortest possible time, we forget to enjoy where we are at. We forget that life is happening right now. Not tomorrow and not in the past.
Technology and social media have us looking for the next shiny new object to catch. And we want to do it in the shortest time possible. But are we happier?
In order to truly enjoy and savor life, it’s essential to slow down.
Slow down.
Life is not a race. It is a journey to be enjoyed.
9. Pay Attention to Your Thoughts
We have thousands of thoughts every day and most of them are negative ones. Because we are so used to these thoughts, we don’t notice how they are affecting our lives.
It’s not only the negative thoughts we have about others, but the negative thoughts we have about ourselves.
Your thoughts are powerful and they can either empower you or debilitate you.
By paying attention to what’s going on in your head, you get to strengthen your self-awareness. Negative thoughts cannot be completely eliminated from our minds. But it is what we choose to do with them that matters.
9. Mindful Waiting
Waiting in line can get frustrating. Especially if you are in a hurry (aren’t we all).
But another great opportunity to be more mindful and add more mindfulness in your life is through mindful waiting.
When you practice mindful waiting and include it into your daily life, instead of sighing the next time you see a long queue, you’ll find yourself smiling.
During your next long queue or while waiting, make use of this time to strengthen your mindfulness practice. Pay attention to the whole experience.
What are you feeling right now as you are waiting? Are you feeling annoyed? Hungry? Are you impatient?
Most of us would say yes to these questions. But you can turn your situation around.
Notice the people around you. Are they in a rush? Do they look bored? Irritated?
Pay attention to your surroundings. What do you see? What can you smell? What are the sounds around you?
When you bring mindfulness in waiting, you’ll notice feeling less stressed during cues and more relaxed.
10. Put Your Phone Away
Everyone nowadays is glued to their phones.
You can’t hold one conversation without you or the person you are talking to looking at their phone.
They are the biggest distractions of today and if we aren’t careful they can also be the cause of many failed relationships.
We can’t live without our laptops or phones. They have basically become another limb. These gadgets are making it more and more difficult to live a mindful life.
So, the next time you are talking to someone, at a party, or at dinner, stop and put your phone away.
Truly immerse yourself in what you are doing. Focus all your attention on what the other person is saying. This simple habit will not only benefit you but the people around you as well.
11. Journal to Be More Mindful
Journaling is a powerful tool to be more mindful.
When you put your thoughts and emotions on paper, you get to see things from another perspective. It’s also a great way to practice gratitude.
There are a lot of ways to journal. If daily journaling about events in your life isn’t something you like to do, try gratitude journaling or writing a letter to your past or future self. You can also write down your plans and goals. Writing them down gives you a better chance of actually taking the steps towards these goals.
Journaling is a great way to record your life. This way, when you look back a few years from now, you can gain a better perspective.
15. Allow Yourself to Feel Your Feelings
Mindfulness isn’t about being happy every day. Life happens, and we all have emotions.
Feeling your emotions is what makes life worthwhile. When you try to push your emotions under the rug, you are not only bottling them up, but you are also missing out on what life is really about.
Through mindfulness, you learn to accept where you are at the moment. You learn to accept these emotions but not let them linger or keep you down.
We hope you can try out these steps and really feel the benefits of living mindfully. It will not only do wonders for yourself but also for those around you!