6 WAYS TO PRACTICE MINDFULNESS

Happy Monday! Today, I am sharing with you 6 ways to practice mindfulness. Mindfulness suggests that your mind is fully attending to what’s happening, to what you’re doing, and to your environment. It’s the basic ability to stay present. To me, mindfulness is important because it helps me manage my anxiety and feel more grounded. So, in this post, I’d like to share with you what I do to practice it.

Now, let’s get into it, and don’t forget to check out my previous post: HOW TO CARE FOR YOUR BODY AND SKIN IN WINTER

6 ways to practice minfulness — Photo by Mathilde Langevin on Unsplash

Meditation

The first way you can practice mindfulness is through meditation. I think this is the most common way to do so as meditation helps you clear your mind and focus your thoughts. It brings you to notice how you are feeling, your state of mind, and your environment. One simple meditative exercise I like to do is 5-minute mindful breathing. First, I like to sit in a comfy place, put on some relaxing music, close my eyes and begin focusing on my breathing. I feel the air fill out my lungs and the air leaving my body. I also pay attention to the changes in temperature in my body and to what I can feel and hear. This is a very simple and accessible meditative exercise but I’d also recommend guided meditation for a start!

Journaling

The next way you can practice mindfulness is through journaling. I love journaling because it pushes me to self-reflect and to understand myself more. It makes me realize certain aspects of my life and encourages me to work on my emotions, thoughts, and reactions. Journaling is the only moment during the day where I feel most present and where my mind doesn’t start wandering off. If you want to make journaling a daily habit, then I would suggest starting simple. Start by writing 3 things you are grateful for, 3 things you look forward to for the next day, or what could have made today better. For beginners, I highly recommend the “5-Minute Journal”, it’s simple and perfect for a busy person!

Narrating your day

In order to stay on top of my day and not find myself scrolling mindlessly through social media, I like to narrate what I have to do. I simply ask myself the following question: What am I doing? This automatically brings me to a state of self-awareness and back to the present. Sometimes, I do it by just talking to myself, other times, I actually write it down. It all depends on my mood.

Taking a walk

The third way you can practice mindfulness is by taking a mindful walk. Go outside, start walking, notice the environment around, the wind touching your face, how it makes you feel, what you can see, feel, hear and smell. Focus on your senses and notice how your body feels. I love doing that because it kind of takes me out of my bubble. I start feeling less important and more like I am a part of this planet.

Single-tasking

Single-tasking is another way you can practice mindfulness on a daily basis. All it requires is showing up fully to whatever task you’re working on. This can help free up mental space. For instance, If you are working on your laptop, try to dedicate this time to just the one task you are doing. Don’t go on Facebook, don’t shop online. Just do the one thing you have to do. Commit to that task. You can also focus on how the keys feel on your fingers, and on the sound the laptop makes.

Indulging in a hobby mindfully

The last way you can practice mindfulness easily is through a hobby. A hobby that allows you to stay focused and present such as gardening, painting, or dancing. But for any activity that you do, try to achieve it mindfully. Focus on how this activity makes you feel. For example, if you are gardening, maybe notice how the soil feels on your hand and what it smells like. If you are dancing, focus on how your body moves and how the music makes you feel. Open your senses.