10 Simple Ways to Practice Mindfulness Starting Today
Starting a Mindfulness Practice Does Not Need to Be Complicated
Mindfulness isn’t difficult, we just have to remember to do it. — Sharon Salzberg
Mindfulness is the practice of maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, and surrounding environment.
This is done in a way not leading to judgment, but in living in the moment and being aware of what exists in both the inside and the outside world.
Some of the things that mindfulness helps with on a daily basis:
- people pleasing- you realize that nurturing yourself is what matters
- depression- breaking the cycle of negativity and helping to realize the beauty of every day moments
- anxiety- providing a pause for a racing mind. Helps also to remember that thoughts and feelings are subjective
- decision making- by staying present, you get better information into what is good both for today and tomorrow
Mindfulness is a big term and for many years put me off because it brought associations of major change and a hugeness of concept.
However, when approached little by little in different areas, it becomes easier to incoporate into daily life. The are simple ways to incorporate mindfulness little by little into daily life.
Unplug
Taking intentional breaks from media or anything else that we find absorb our time and attention in everyday life.
By unplugging from social media, television and the like, we become more aware of what is around us and what is inside of us. We become more aware of what really fills us up and what we really long to do.
Remember to Take 5
Whether this five is just to focus on what is going on around us, or to breathe and observe our thoughts without attaching too much weight to them. Taking at least five minutes a day to practice silence, meditation, or yoga help to be more present.
Give the Present Full Attention
What is going on around you right now? What will you want to remember about this in the future? So often we want to escape reality, however, what is around us is important. It’s important because we will never get this exact moment in time back.
As I’m writing this, I’m sitting in my fiance’s living room. He’s working at home. I fell in love with his voice when I started working at his company. I’m no longer at that company and to be honest, sometimes I miss those days of sitting next to him working side by side. Working like this is a good reminder, however, I wish that I would have paid more attention to those moments as they happened.
The best way to capture moments is to pay attention. This is how we cultivate mindfulness — Jon Kabat-Zinn
Pay Attention to All Senses in Daily Life
What is around you on a daily basis? What do you see, smell, taste, feel and hear? So often, we take things in life for granted.
We overlook the taste of our food, forget the scent of a grandmother, or don’t realize how amazing a hug from a friend can feel.
By tuning into all senses in each situation, we not only forge better memories, but we also remember that the little things are actually the big things. When we are able to recall certain details just from memory, it’s a powerful reminder of what was.
Pay Attention to What Nourishes You
What makes you feel full? Mindfulness is a great way to tune into the things in our daily lives that make us feel fuller and happier. By knowing what nourishes, we are able to better fill the tanks and not run on empty.
The essence of bravery is being without deception — Allan Lokos
Participate in a Photo Challenge
While being a great way to express and challenge creativity, photo challenges are also great to be more mindful of what is around us.
It causes us to intentionally seek out moments of the day to find moments that capture the topic or challenge that we want to photograph. It also allows us to save these moments for later view.
Keep a Thought Journal
Becoming more aware of what we think on a daily basis is the key to challenging our thoughts. When we challenge our thoughts, we allow ourselves the ability to reconstruct our thoughts.
Keeping a thought journal allows us to destroy negative thoughts by rewriting and repeating new thoughts to ourselves. It shows progress and the ways our thoughts and lives changed because of the changes we make mentally.
How you look at it is pretty much how you’ll see it — Rasheed Oyunlaru
Forgive Yourself
As you begin to notice your daily thoughts, there are so many things that have the ability to ability to derail your progress. Things that we wrestle with, things we hold against ourselves and things that we don’t want anyone to know.
As you begin to notice these thoughts, begin to forgive yourself for each of them. Begin to let yourself off the hook. Acknowledge the memory and keep reminding yourself that it’s in the past.
If you’re looking to the past, do so with a loving lense and a learning mentality. You’re a different person than you were then. Let yourself off the hook.
Practice Emotional Self Control
There are times when we really want to loose it on someone. There was a night where I felt upset because it felt like all of my friends did things without me. I’ve learned that it’s better to hold your tongue, think about it, and then respond. However, the time we spend letting it marinate is important.
I’ve learned to never act on a rash decision, to never say something out of anger or emotion. It’s difficult. In the moment, I’ll keep a journal and work thorugh the emotion on my own. When I feel cooler, I’ll respond to the situtation.
This time is so important because it will save relationships and keep us from saying things that we will regret later. Let it marinate. Then respond.
Challenge 1 belief
What are your beliefs? Why do you believe what you do? Is it because it was engrained in you from a young age, brought by peer pressure or something that you believe deep down?
Find out what you believe only because you believe it. Go on the journey of self discovery. By challenging our beliefs, we find out what is really true for us, what fits us in this current situation and what allows us to grow and develop.
Conclusion
These ten ideas are starting points. Feel free to start with the one that calls to you. Work through it to the fullest extent possible. Connect with your inner self and learn as much as you can. Enjoy every moment. Remember that what seems like the little things now will turn into the big things you’ll remember later.
Rachella Barie is a wrier, dreamer and encourager. She received her BA in English Literature from Carlow University with a triple minor in Psychology, History and Poetry. She writes with a focus on encouraging others to live their best lives. She can be found on Twitter @BarieRachella.
