Mindfulness is simply the practice of engaging your awareness completely in whatever you are experiencing at any given time.
It’s about living in the moment.
And while Mindfulness can help you focus better, it is also a powerful tool to calm panic and stress.
Mindfulness is deceptively simple to do, but it does require practice to become proficient enough to do it without thinking.
Bringing Mindfulness into your day IS easy and here are 12 tips to guarantee that!
Mindfulness Tip #1
Walking With The Senses: Notice where you are and your surroundings, the temperature, the scents in the air, the colours surrounding you and what is around you. Notice where you place your feet, the feel of the ground. What is unique about the situation, focus on what is happening in the moment.
Mindfulness Tip #2
Listen to music and try to focus on just one single instrument or voice for the entire song. If you get distracted by other instruments gently bring your awareness back to your chosen instrument.
Mindfulness Tip #3
Try a guided meditation. If you can’t find one on this site there are many available on YouTube, in podcasts or in one of the meditation apps. These help you stay in the moment.
Mindfulness Tip #4
Eat with your senses. Eat slowly and deliberately paying attention to each bite. Chew slowly and deliberately. Notice how each bite looks, the smell, the texture, the taste as you slowly chew it. Observe any feelings that come up, but don’t engage with them. You are likely to enjoy your food better and eat less.
Mindfulness Tip #5
Play a game in your head. Think of every food item that begins with a specific letter, for example H, or all the cities that end in the letter E. Focus on this for a few minutes.
Mindfulness Tip #6
For sixty seconds focus all your awareness on your breathing. Leave your eyes open and breathe normally. Be prepared to draw back your attention when it wanders. Do this through the day whenever you need more clarity and peace.
Mindfulness Tip #7
Pick up any nearby object such as a pen, or a flower. Hold it in your hands and allow yourself to become fully absorbed in it. Notice the look, the shape, how the light reflects, each individual part. Notice the feel, the smell. Don’t assess it, just observe it. This is a very effective way to come into the present moment. Focusing consciously can effectively calm panic.
Mindfulness Tip #8
Are you really aware of the sounds around you? Do you really listen? Generally, we are tuned into noises inside our head, as well as those in our immediate surroundings and the background noise in the distance. With so much going on we can easily notice everything and yet nothing all at the same time. Close your eyes and notice the sounds around you right now, the sound of the computer, the dripping tap in the next room, the bird outside the window, the TV down the hall. Now tune into sounds further away, the truck in the distance, the neighbour’s dog, the plane flying overhead. Don’t judge or analyse what you hear, just listen and observe.
Now step it up a notch by tuning in to sounds which are stronger from just one side and into one ear. Cover the other ear with your hand if it helps at the start of this exercise. Now do the same on the other side. What do you notice on each side? How do the sounds differ? Now uncover both ears, listen and observe which sounds are stronger on each side.
Mindfulness Tip #9
Spend one minute watching mindfully out through your window. Observe the leaves fluttering, the bird hopping along the branch, the ant walking around the stone, the light dancing in the treetops. Don’t judge or analyse. Don’t think about what you’re going to do next. Simply observe and be aware.
Mindfulness Tip #10
Take one minute to scan your body. Starting at the top of your head, scan for any sensations of tension or discomfort. Work all the way down to your toes, then scan again for any easy pleasant sensations.
Mindfulness Tip #11
When you’re outdoors expose an area of your skin, such as a forearm. Pay attention to the feeling of the air on your skin. Become aware of it moving, of whether it is warm or cold. Notice whether you experience any feelings or emotions. Don’t judge, don’t evaluate. Simply observe for one minute.
Mindfulness Tip #12
Spend a few minutes breathing. Breathe in slowly and evenly to the count of four. Control the rate of your breath keeping it very controlled. Once you’ve breathed in, hold your breath for the count of four. Then slowly and evenly release it to the count of four. Do this four times. Do it for longer until you feel calm if you’re feeling stress.
