I’ve written several articles on mindfulness over the years. It's a common word thrown around everywhere now days. One of the questions my clients ask me the most is what does mindfulness mean? In this article I'm sharing with you my favorite 7 tips to be more mindful. I'll also answer the age old question what is mindfulness. At the end of this article I'll guide you through a mindfulness technique that has helped my clients conquer their fears of living in the moment.
What is mindfulness
Mindfulness is explained in the dictionary as the quality or state of being conscious or aware of being. I see mindfulness differently. A person who is mindful is living in the current moment. A person who is mindful does not focus on what other people do because he or she is so incredibly consumed with his or her own beautiful life. Even when one is not practicing 7 Tips to be more mindful, they still have a deep rooted understanding about living in the moment and focusing on themselves rather than placing their focus on seeing what their neighbor is doing.
Even in my most difficult times during my life I have always tried to maintain a state of living in mindfulness.
My top 7 tips to be more mindful
Meditation
Taking even just 5 minutes three times per day of deep breathing while clearing the mind has been scientifically proven to leave you feeling more conscious and connected for the rest of your day.
Learn to go with the flow
Years ago, I used to sweat the small stuff. Something as silly as someone being upset with me over something I would write or say on social media could really upset me for a day or even a week. Once I adopted the principal of not caring what other people thought and knowing in my heart that my writings and speech is as free-flowing as the ocean I let go of the need to appease others and began to go with the flow! Going with the flow is a must when practicing 7 tips to be more mindful.
Adopt a yoga practice
Yoga is a moving form of meditation. I find that I am able to handle stress much better when I incorporate yoga into my daily life. Missing a day of yoga really does do a number on my mental health and stress levels. I feel that it raises my cortisol levels when I don't engage in the mindful practice of breath with movement or mindfulness.
Although we should not be codependent on anything, I find that being codependent on yoga is a very healthy habit that I’m not planning on letting go anytime soon.
Learn to Eat Mindfully
Eating Mindful is all about eating intuitively. I have written a detailed article on intuitive eating here.
When we eat mindfully we tune into our bodies natural ability to be in the moment. We actually taste our food, each and every bite. Eating uses several of our senses. Taste, smell, we even eat with our eyes. This is why it's so important to create works of art when it comes to our food. Creating a meal should be like painting. The meal should be colorful, the canvas clear and the intention positive.
Disconnect
A recent study shows that 31% of U.S. adults now report that they go online “almost constantly,”! This is up from 21% in 2015! That's a lot of screen time! Not a very mindful practice if you ask me. I feel sorry for children today who are handed devices before they can even walk. What's even worse is when you see parents constantly looking at their devices instead of placing attention where it belongs, on their children! I feel sad when I don't pay attention to my animals for five minutes! It's troubling to grasp the concept on parents being so caught up on checking out the latest social media gossip that they blatantly fail to see that they are ignoring their children.
Adopt a mindful exercise regimen
I used to pump iron in the gym five days a week and run on a treadmill every morning. That was a very aging way to live! My routine is simple nowadays. I begin each day with 15 minutes on the rebounder every morning, take a sauna, cold plunge and follow this with my yoga routine. My weight lifting routine is maybe 2 times per week mixed in with swimming laps. I find this to be a very anti-aging way to work out. One that engulfs mindfulness and it’s many variations.
Spend as much time as possible in nature
You’ve heard me say this a million times, nature heals. Hiking is one of my favorite pastimes. I find that an hour to three hour long hike in the woods can clear my mind like no therapy session ever would.
I encourage my clients to get out into nature for weekly hikes for several reasons. The vitamin D from the sun is incredibly healing. The hike in itself will get your lymphatic system moving. The peacefulness of wildlife, trees and nature are rejuvenating for the soul.
How to become more mindful and present in every day life.
My clients always ask me how they can create mindfulness when they are stressed out with children playing, while working from home. Creating mindfulness within the mind when you feel overwhelmed is not always easy. It's definitely more than just practicing the 7 Tips to be more mindful above!
I have each of my clients sit through a practice of the following steps as often as possible. I call it the fabulous fifteen! Fifteen minutes is all you need to step back into mindfulness! Simply follow the steps below.
- Allow yourself to notice any thoughts that appear within your minds landscape.
- Notice, pay attention to and accept these thoughts, without judgment.
- Make sure the space you’ve chosen is a sacred space of cleanliness, tranquility and peace.
- Use a calming essential oil such as lavender or Ylang Ylang to calm your senses
- Pay special attention to your breathing making sure tour inhalation is strong but your exhalation is even longer.
- Light a non toxic soy candle or incense to symbolize your clearing of your mind.
- Let your children, husband, wife, partner, boss know that you are taking ten - fifteen minutes to tune out.
- Remember, your thoughts are not bad or good, positive or negative, they are simply what is coming up for you in that moment.
- Sit in your quiet sanctuary and think of the last place you were that made you feel happy. Imagine yourself there.
Final thoughts on 7 Tips to be more mindful
We all fall out of balance from time to time. It is when we don’t follow mindfulness practices that stress accumulates, chores start piling up, and problems start happening. These problems could be small and insignificant like a dirty house or, they could become larger problems that manifest into health issues. Begin a mindfulness practice today, I promise you you won’t be sorry.
